Ok, i think i am obsessed now...
 

here's some shopping list for my personal system...

again, pls note, that i am doing this as a hobby and in such case, i have been known to and will make decision based solely on coooooooool factor... :D

Radiator:
HW Labs Black Ice GTX 120 vs Thermochill PA120.1

Q1) i hear many folks rate up the Thermochill but for some reason, i like the finish and look of the HW Labs Black Ice GTX120... pros and cons?

Q2) with either one of these radiators, what cfm fan should i be getting of the various 120mm fans out there?

Q3) i just replaced a noisy 120mm fan on another PC with the Noctua... http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/no12nf34cfm1.html
this is very silent... looks nice, but color is dumb as hell...anyone have any experience with this? will this have enough CFM for my system?

Tubing:
Tygon R3603 3/8" ID 1/2" OD tubing

Pump:
Swiftech MCP355 w/Custom Derlin DDC Pump Top

Reservoir:
Swiftech MCRES-MICRO

CPU Block:
Swiftech Apogee GTX

your opinions much appreciated... thanks!

Re: Ok, i think i am obsessed now...
 

ThermoChill is THE best, bar none.

Also get 7/16"id x 5/8"od Tygon tubing over 1/2" barbs.

Re: Ok, i think i am obsessed now...
 

I vote for 3/8". I think it's a good balance between performance and manageability.

I also like the alphacool DDC top better than the delrin top.

Re: Ok, i think i am obsessed now...
 

Q1) Thermochill beats everything else, but the performance increase is smaller than the cost difference. IOW, a 2- or 3-fan Black Ice or Swiftech MCR would give more cooling per dollar.

Q2 & 3) Maybe you should tell us what you'll be cooling. I like Yate Loon's D12SL-12, which is basically a slightly faster Nexus 120 for about $3.50.

Everything else looks good.

Re: Ok, i think i am obsessed now...
 

i am actually water cooling my existing system.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+
MSI K8N Diamon

soon, i hope to be able to get parts for a Core2 Extreme and use the parts for that build...