[airspirit]

If you are even CONSIDERING peltier cooling I would highly recommend the Maze 3 block. Currently I'm using one and the pelt pieces are in my wife's jewelry box in case I decide to use them. Having a block custom designed for it will save you money and headaches in the future if you decide to go down that road.

Notice I said the FUTURE. Before you consider advanced cooling, you want to be VERY comfortable with standard watercooling and learn its quirks. People that ignore that advice normally end up causing massive damage to their system, not so much out of stupidity but out of a lack of understanding of what they are doing. Give yourself about six months before taking the next step.

Rule 1: Keep everything 1/2".
Rule 2: Keep everything COPPER. Al = bad. Cu = good. Nothing in your system should contain ANY aluminum.

As far as construction, designing a watercooling system is extremely simple. You need three key components to make it work: a radiator, a waterblock, and a pump.

Your choice of the Eheim pump is a good one, and will pay for itself in the simplicity of setup. Many of the cheaper ones are pieces of crap, regardless of how many of my peers here use them and love them. Once you use a real pump, you'll throw rocks at the cheapies.

Your choice of a waterblock is also a good one. While it isn't the best performer out there, it is a very simple block to install and not too expensive. I would highly suggest purchasing a copper top to replace the acrylic one, though, since some people have had leakage problems with those (yes, I am using one now, and out of a massive cooling array it is the one part I worry about). Installation is through the four mounting holes on your board, and it is a very simple task to put it on. Your NB waterblock is up to you, as long as its copper, and your GF4 block is an area that I'm unfamiliar with, though I believe Danger Den has blocks for those as well. Those two blocks will probably be 3/8" rather than 1/2" like the standard block, and that is perfectly okay (for reasons I'll get to later).

As far as the radiator goes, you want to find one that has two qualities: good performance, and a size that will fit your case. If it won't fit, it won't work. First, measure your case and find what size core would work for you. THEN look for a radiator. You may also want to consider using a heatercore, but being new to watercooling sticking with a plug-and-play (hehe) radiator is probably best.

As far as the other components that make a watercooling system work, you have multiple options, these being the fan(s), tubing, and reservoir/airtrap.

Using 120mm fans is always recommended so your radiator can breathe. My first shroud was cardboard from a cereal box duct taped into a tube connecting my BIX to my 120mm fans. As stated above, you could glue plexi or bend tin to make an equally useful shroud. You want to have the fan pulling through the radiator so that cold air from outside of the case is being pulled in through it if possible.

I would recommend either Clearflex 60 or Tygon tubing for your system. It is more resilient to wear than cheap vinyl tubing, and it is much more flexable with less likelyhood of kinking. You will need both 1/2" and 3/8" tubing for your project. You will also need hose clamps for attaching it to the barbs. I always wrap the last inch of my tubing with duct tape (after installation) to protect it from damage when tightening the clamps (or you risk cutting the tubing).

Nearly any made to order res/airtrap will work, though you might want to read some reviews as some are prone to leaking over time. The purpose is to bleed the system of air and add coolant.

Your construction order should be as follows (purists please don't attack this, as it truly is the simplest for a n00b, and is arguably the most effective arrangement for his purposes): radiator -> res/airtrap -> pump -> T junction -> (A) and (B)

(A) -> 1/2" loop to CPU Block -> (C)

(B) -> 3/8" loop to GPU Block -> northbridge block -> (C)

(C) -> T junction -> radiator

This will create two parallel loops with your CPU block receiving most of the flow while still providing your GPU and NB blocks with adequate flow to function. The 1/2" loop is in 1/2" tubing, and the 3/8" loop is in 3/8" tubing (clarification). The tubing between your res and the pump should be as short as possible, and should use the strongest tubing available. I recommended Tygon/Clearflex earlier, but I would recommend braided thickwall vinyl tubing here, since it is least likely to collapse under pressure from the pump. Collapse is most likely going to happen at this point in the system, and could cause massive component damage. Just do it.

Once constructed, you need to worry about coolant. I would recommend that you use distilled water in conjunction with an anticorrosive additive such as Water Wetter, Purple Ice, or Hyperlube. I use Hyperlube myself. Mix it in about 10% concentration in the water. This will lower temps, prevent algae growth (this is NASTY!), and prevent the minor corrosion that can still occur in all copper systems.

Setting up your pump is up to you. Many of us just plug them in the wall seperately from the PC. Others use a relay. For the nonelectrically inclined, I would recommend a premade relay kit. These can be bought all over the place (see the above posts). Personally, I like having it on a seperate plug independant of the PC, since when you are filling your system you do NOT want your PC to be on. This allows you to plug and unplug the pump at will. Just don't forget to plug it in when you turn on your computer!

The dynamics of a watercooling system are relatively simple to understand. The pump keeps the water circulating. The water block(s) remove heat from the chips and transfer it to the water, and the radiator transfers the heat from the coolant to the air. You are basically moving heat from one place to another ... not too much to understand, really.

That tutorial should get you well on your way. All of the radiators you listed are decent enough ... just ensure you get one that fits your case, and remember that bigger is almost always better.