First loop plan, advise please

As the title states, these are the plans for my first loop attempt. I have read many posts and think I have applied most, if not all, techniques proved as ideal.

Goals:
To build a watercooling loop which will be:
1) Possible in space allowed.
2) Simple and effective.
3) Under $350 budget.
4) Reason: Performance(50%), Noise reduction(25%), and Good looks(25%).
5) Ability to upscale as I upgrade PC.


System to be cooled:
AMD 2500+ 333fsb @2.2 Ghz
Gigabyte 7n400 pro2 rev. 1
2x kingston hyperX 512 2-2-2-5
XFX 6800 vanilla w/unlocked pipes stock speed
2x WD 80g
SBlive!
56k usr
Antec 450W PSU
el cheapo lan card
DVD burner, 3.5 floppy drive in top 2 5.25 bays


Parts list:
CPU Block- Copper TDX Block for AMD Motherboard Socket Tabs (3/8) -$60.69
Video Block- Acetal Version MAZE4GPU (3/8) -$44.95
Pump- DDC-1Plus & Plexi Top {Top in 1/2", side out 3/8" - ~$115(shown here)
Rad- Black Ice Pro II -X-FLOW $37.99
Res- Swiftech MCRES-MICRO (3/8 in, 1/2 out) +DD's black fillport ~$40.00
Fans- Stock case fans +4 Yate Loon D12SL-12 $27.96
Tubing- ClearFlex 60 Tubing 1/2" ID 3/4" OD (2') $2.50
ClearFlex 60 Tubing 3/8" ID 5/8" OD (5') $6.25
Case- LL V1000b w/window (Not included in budget, already owned)
Misc.- Clamps, distilled water, iodine, nibbler tool, screws/bolts, coolsleeves, fan filters/grills, 'holey' 5.25 faceplates, etc..- To be determined as project progresses.

Planned case Mods:
Removal of metal in 5.25 bay floor where speaker lives to fit rad. Hole drilled for pump outlet hose>rad. Removal of front HDD cage. Replacement of rear HDD cage with slide-out HDD cage from an old LL case. Holes drilled for fillport, res and rad mounting. Blowhole on top or slot blower fan for reported 'hotspot'. Misc. metal removed behind faceplates as needed.

Pathetic edit in mspaint, pic borrowed from a review:

Thanks for the read, and critiques/comments/suggestions highly welcome.
Please stay tuned as I will be updating this as I progress.


~D


Edit: Replaced picture.

other than the switching from 3/8 to 1/2 i think is a good plan. I didnt really understand why your switching. It appears that everything is 3/8 besides the pumps output? The pump to rad probably will kink with that tight bend. You could move the pump into the hd racks with slight modding.

Perium said:

other than the switching from 3/8 to 1/2 i think is a good plan. I didnt really understand why your switching. It appears that everything is 3/8 besides the pumps output? The pump to rad probably will kink with that tight bend. You could move the pump into the hd racks with slight modding.

Click to expand...

Thanks Perium.
This is essentially a 3/8 tube size system. The only 1/2" hoses are from fillport>res and res>pump inlet. I will have to plan the pump>rad section carefully to avoid kinking/flattening the hose. May use coolsleeves here.
It would be a cinch to put the pump in the HDD cage, but will lengthen the hoses and could cause more of a bend pump>rad. Assuming you mean drill a hole in the metal separator between where pump is shown now and the HDD cage below it and running the res>pump hose through hole, any leaks from pump or res barbs may land on hdds and the water could push out the magic smoke as it fills the drive(s). Naturally, I will leaktest carefully, but who knows with acrylic

Note: Pump inlet will be in teh top of pump cover.