New System,To water cool or not?

I've been pondering water cooling for some time now, roughly 4 years when the biggest fear was leaks, and it wasn't so uncommon for them to take place.
First has this changed much? I am usually very resourceful when it comes to figuring out what I want AND understanding it, however I don't know where to begin with watercooling.

I have read most of the stickies.
I have done a couple searches here and there.
I have read a few reviews on kits.(As well as posts mentioning to stay away from kits)

I have a tt armor /w 25cm and extra harddrive cage /w 120mm
e6600
p5w-dh
2gig g.skill pc6400
ocz-gamextreme 700w
fsp-boosterx 3 300w
and Plan on getting an 8800 gts

I am a newbie when it comes to working with metal.
I really don't want to have to modify my case unless it's low risk.
I don't care about noise.
I just don't want to be heat limited in my oc'n
I have a dremel.
I can spend roughly $250.00 on extra cooling.

I would greatly appreciate any set ups or even kit suggestions that I could look into further to get a better understanding of the technology involved and why it's better than xxx. This is going to be for CPU only unless you all think it's pretty low risk to do gpu as well for a first timer since I have never modified a video card, but I am a fast learner providing I can google a few decent guides

I can't really afford to replace any of these parts if I mess this up heh.Also I'd rather ask here since I value this forums general opinions more so than any reviewer

edit:
I think I'm just going to go with this swiftech kit http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835108076 my first time around it looks promising and will at least allow me to get a feel for water cooling and what to look for

Except for the coolant (a controversial topic) most would recommend those parts - it's about the only "kit" no one complains about so it's a good choice. The Swiftech blocks all have very good instructions so you should be OK there. You may want an extra fan on the radiator. Other than that it's got everything you need, though I'm not sure about the plastic hose clamps that come with the blocks - I use stainless screw clamps from the auto parts store ...

The worm clamps are the way to go. If you have them tight, you can move the blocks around when changing parts with no worries about them coming loose and causing a leak.

I would guess that they have such a strong hold, one person could hold the block in both hands with someone else pulling on the other end and I'd bet the hose won't come off of the block. Try that with the plastic clamps.

Daddyjaxx said:

The worm clamps are the way to go. If you have them tight, you can move the blocks around when changing parts with no worries about them coming loose and causing a leak.

I would guess that they have such a strong hold, one person could hold the block in both hands with someone else pulling on the other end and I'd bet the hose won't come off of the block. Try that with the plastic clamps.

Click to expand...

Hmm, an interesting idea! Since I've got all those parts sitting here for my next loop I just may try it. I'll let you know tomorrow how it turns out ...

My opinion maybe the best for you as I was in your same shoes awhile back. I would tell you to definately go with watercooling if you are interested in it. I was a COMPLETE newbie and bought the swiftech h20 120 w/ the mcw55. It was a breeze to setup (if you can follow instructions) and havnt had the slight bit of trouble (leaks etc) with it. The kit you are getting is 1 step up from mine and its very very good. Now what you have to worry about is the upkeep, changing the water every 6 months or so.. that is what gets me, because its something i really dont want to worry about. Overall i really liked my watercooling experiance, i did it as a hobby and it was a good experience. If you have any questions newbie to newbie feel free to give me a PM.

If I had it to do over again, I probably would not bother with watercooling, I don't think the gains over air are enough to warant the extra cost and upkeep, I will probably be switching back to air soon. And I have a pretty top of the line watercooling system. With the money I spent on water cooling, I would have been 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to a phase setup though watercooling can be done cheaper than I did it.