Advice for a low maintenance rig needed

[Laszerus]

I've been considering tinkering with a water cooled setup for some time, and plan to do so in the coming months. However, my primary concerns are, price, performance, maintenance.

I'm not looking for the most high performance rig available. I've had consistent problems with air cooling (dust buildup, noise, heat) since I moved into my new house. In the end I would like a system that is effective, inexpensive, and requires as little maintenance as possible. It's also simply something I have never done, and figure it will be a fun project

So with that in mind, any advice, opinions, or reccomendations would be appreciated.

BTW, for now I am not going to need a GPU cooler. I just ordered an X2 and MSI NEO-4 board and will probably pickup a 7800GT in the near future. Mainly I am not necessarily looking for specific parts (as there are plenty of threads in that regard) but general configuration. Resevoir, single or double loop, additives, etc. Thanks!

 

[Erasmus354]

Dust build up will still be a problem with radiators, however there are a number of passive radiators on the market now. The most accessible and probably economic of those choices would simply be to get the Zalman Reserator kit. That would solve both your noise and your dust problems with air cooling. The cooling of the Reserator isn't that big a step up over air cooling (if any) but it will provide adequate cooling, and require very little maintenance.