Request for feedback on proposed WC setup

[Atragon]

I'm thinking of putting together a watercooling setup for my system now that I'm upgrading my video card to an 8800GTX and I would appreciate some feedback on the components I'm thinking of using. I'm also considering an upgrade to SLI at a later date, so I'd want to have enough capacity in the watercooling loop to handle a second 8800GTX or similar card.

First off, my hardware setup:

AMD Opteron 165 @ 2.97GHz (9x330) /w Thermalright Ultra 120 heatsink
4x512MB Kingston KHX3200 RAM (BH-5) @ 247MHz, 2-2-2-6 timing
DFI Lanparty NF-4 Ultra-D
ATI X800XL /w Zalman VF700-Cu (being replaced with a BFG 8800GTX OC)
Seagate 80GB SATA HDD (7200.8)
Lite-On DVDRW SOHW-1633S
Lite-On DVD SOHD-167T
Seasonic S12 430W PSU (being replaced with a Seasonic S12 Energy+ 650W PSU)
All this is sitting in an Addtronic full tower server case, I'm planning on migrating to a mid-tower case eventually, one that can fit a 2x120mm fan radiator in the front, but I can stick with the full tower case if I need the space.

And now for what I'm thinking of WCing with:
CPU: Unknown, I was thinking of the LR White Water block, or the D-Tek customs version of it, but apparently there are better blocks out there now.
GPU: A full coverage block, again, I was thinking of DD, but apparently EK's block is better, so I'll probably go with it instead.
MB, chipset: I was thinking either the MIPS Computer DFI series freezer, or the Aqua Computer Twinplex Pro
RAM: Hard to find info, was thinking of a pair of Koolance RAM-30-V06 blocks, or something similar. If I were to go with the koolance blocks I would probably run a pair of them in parallel to reduce restriction.
Radiator: I was originally looking at the Black Ice 240 GTS, but apparently the Thermochill PA120.2 is better for lower airflow applications and I'm aiming for a relatively quiet system.
Pump: I have no idea here.
Reservoir: Not too sure, something with good build quality and relatively small size. I'd probably mount it so that it's the highest component in the loop to make filling easier.

[Atragon]

After doing more research and getting feedback from other forums, this is what I'm thinking of now:

Component wise:
CPU: D-Tek Fuzion or Swiftech Apogee GT(X)
GPU: EK or Swiftech full cover
MB: MIPS DFI Freezer, or Aqua Computer Twinplex Pro
RAM: Koolance or other
Radiator, Thermochill PA120.2 or Swiftech MCR220 (though some concern was voiced that these may not be sufficient if I want to add a 2nd video card at a later time)
Pump: DDC-2 /w Petra's modified top.
Reservoir: EK Modular Res or similar

Now, I'm leaning towardsone loop since this is my first WC setup and I'd like to keep it relatively simple, but then again, here I am thinking of chipset + RAM cooling and a pair of radiators, so I suppose this isn't really all that simple. If I were to go with 2 loops, I would probably lower CPU and GPU temperatures, though it would mean 2 pumps, more cost, and more complexity.

OTOH, I am considering SLI eventually and a setup that can handle it would be nice. So 2 loops just may be the way to go.

In which case it looks like this:
Loop1:
D-Tek Fuzion or Swiftech Apogee GT/X
EK or Swiftech full cover
Thermochill PA120.2 or Swiftech MCR220
DDC-2 /w Petra's top.

Loop 2:
2X RAM blocks of some kind (Koolance, MIPS, other)
Chipset block, either MIPS Computing DFI Freezer, or Aqua Computer Twinplex Pro
Thermochill PA120.1 or PA160
DDC-2 /w Petra's top

Though it looks as though the rad for loop 2 would be overkill compared to loop 1.

If I were to go with 2 loops, do I need 2 seperate reservoirs for this, or would one bigger res work?

[jaydee]

I don't think Swiftech has a full cover block. The MCW60 is a single GPU block with the MCWRamcool water block. I can't see that being to optimal on flow rates.

So what's wrong with Danger Den's new 8800GTX block?

Either of those CPU blocks looks fine. However I would double check to make sure the FuZion has opteron mounting option.

[billbartuska]

Monthly roundup of water cooling's best components
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=369416

[Atragon]

Thank you for the link Bill, it looks quite informative.

Jaydee: Feedback on xtremesystems.org puts the DD block at around 5 degrees warmer than the EK block. The swiftech block is forthcomming (called the stealth).

[jaydee]

Originally Posted by Atragon

Thank you for the link Bill, it looks quite informative.

Jaydee: Feedback on xtremesystems.org puts the DD block at around 5 degrees warmer than the EK block. The swiftech block is forthcomming (called the stealth).

Little search found a few results. http://www.cooling-masters.com/news-...ts-et-gtx.html

Not sure who is doing the testing or how but i would take any results of an EK block with a large grain of salt.