You can use a 240 Aquaduct it will handle your things but it wont be that quiet... Although 2x120mm fans @1000rpm are quiet.

The flow order doesnt make any difference so you can setup the system in any order you want.

Yes you can remove all the fans then you will still have a Psu fan that will be enough.

Maintenance.... We have some guys in the German Forum who change there tubing all 2 months and some other let there systems run since 5 years. Maybe that is an answer.

The Blocks are perfect for your system.

No the fans included in the Aquaduct xt are quiet @1000rpm but they can handle up to 1500rpm and then they are loud...


But some people claim that 120mm fans@1000rpm are too loud at least the ones in the aquaduct.


Replacing the fans with quieter doesnt work u need the airflow to cool the things.

In my opinion it's barely sufficient for a Core 2 Quad + 8800 GTX. Your system will still be relatively speaking noisy and hot in water cooling terms. There won't be any headroom for overclocking either (may not apply to you). If it falls within your budget I'd definitely spring for a 360 system.

I wouldn't recommend removing all the fans in your case. You'll still require a healthy amount of air flow over the NB, voltage regulators, and ram. Depending on the voltage of the latter a directly mounted ram fan might be required as well. It is possible however to replace the case fans by quieter running fans (max. 1200rpm) and let the BIOS regulate them.

Your concern regarding leakages is warranted. Good practice is to test the cooling blocks before mounting them. When you're happy about the results set your new system up without powering the mobo and components. Place tissue paper under all connectors and check everything with a flashlight in regular intervals. During leak testing slightly bend/wiggle the tubing and wipe the interface between the tubing and the connectors to verify proper sealing as well. Initially there might be some residual moisture there, which shouldn't return after it's removed. Run everything for about 3-5 hours and leave the water system off for about 20 minutes somewhere in between. It sounds strange, but sometimes water will leak easier when it's not flowing.

Aside from a water change or top up every 6 months or so, your system should pretty much be setup and forget. Prerequisite however, is that you work cleanly and test everything thoroughly in advance.

Hmpf two points from me:
1: an external unit is nice since the part of assemblng and choosing parts falls away and its more user friendly.
2: A custom build Wc has way more options. I mean u can buy a 240 radiator at first and then upgrade to another 120 radiator if youre pc gets too hot. In generall its almost impossiblel to say this or that is the best solution for you.


But for you or as a person with not that much experience i would recommend an aquaduct and i would say a 240 radiator is enough.

I got one myself for a x1900xtx a e6600 and one Nb
Alltogheter i got then temps up to 65 degree@ 3600mgh with 1.51 vcore and my x1900xtx clocked to 680 on core and 805mgh on meory, but for reaching this temps i needed two 120mm Papst fans@ 1500rpm then under heavy load.

Quoted from "Lerxst"

I see. The 360 is not out of my budget, but way more than I thought of spending on an external unit.
A friend of mine said the 240 should be more than sufficient for my needs. And yes, I intend to overclock.

Will I be better off when it comes to expenses, by chosing parts and building the water cooling rig myself from scratch?

Since I don't know much about water cooling and requirements, any tips to the specific units I need, is wholeheartedly welcomed.

You can check out my temp results in the below thread.
http://forum.aqua-computer.de/index.php?…d&threadID=1024

I have a QX6700 @ 3.3Ghz + 8800 GTX. My OC is basically limited by heat, even though my cooling system performs a little better than the 360XT. The NB & HD drives are cooled in my water system as well, but they add next to nothing in terms of heat. So, you can expect very similar results.

Building your own cooling system gives you more options and you can upgrade components such as the fans, radiator, and pump individually. It also allows you to tailor it according to your own preferences based on maximum cooling performance, optimal low noise, or somewhere in between. The cost however for a good system will be similar to the 360XT.

I'm afraid your last question is difficult to answer without knowing your system expectations. To use my system as an example, I've chosen for a balance between low noise and performance. My system is only audible during warm weather and heavy loads. If I for instance wanted to OC my CPU to 3.6Ghz (I've confirmed that it's possible), then I'd require faster blowing and noisier fans, or an extra double radiator which would keep the noise down. Considering the increased voltage that I had to run it on (1.485 VS 1.385 (effectively 1.35 according to Everest Ultimate)) that extra 8% performance increase wasn't worth it to me however.

The 360 XT is well worth the money IMHO. It looks nicer and it comes with an Aquaero. Also there are tricks you can do to bring the performance on the Aquaduct up to roll your own standards.