My loop's pretty ugly right now...turns out 4 feet of tubing wasn't quite enough, so I've got the res and pump kinda dangling out the side. I'll have to order some more tubing and at least make it look somewhat presentable before I snap some pics for you.
The components, save for tubing, clamps, the kill coil, and a couple of barbs were all used; I went deal-hunting on eBay.
*bundle for $90 shipped*
-Swiftech MCP655-B (Your typical Laing D5 variant; this one's apparently set slower than most D5s with no speed adjustment, but it'll suffice for now. Throwing in my GTX 280s with EVGA Hydro Copper 16 waterblocks may prove to be too restrictive for just that one pump, but it's a moot point right now given that my current motherboard doesn't acknowledge either of them.)
-Swiftech 3x120mm radiator (At least, the seller said it was Swiftech, but I have no idea because there's no branding on the rad itself, and the inlet/outlet port section doesn't match up with their current rads.)
-Danger Den single 5.25" bay acrylic reservoir (I might replace this with
one of these, if my wallet can take it.)
-1/2" ID barbs on everything
-a bottle of Feser Ultra Pure distilled water and a small funnel
*$61 shipped*
-XSPC Raystorm full-copper variant, as mentioned earlier (Emphasis on full-copper, as that's what really made this a good deal; that variant normally costs twice as much as the acetal-topped ones, and I got it for the same price as a brand-new acetal Raystorm, LGA775 backplate included. Some reviewers tend to favor the acetal-topped version, but I think price-to-performance ratio has a lot to do with that.)
*$45 shipped, and the only brand new things in the loop*
-4 feet of Tygon Norprene 1/2" ID/3/4" OD tubing
-12 hose clamps (the cheap worm-gear variety)
-two XSPC 1/2" ID barbs (I knew the Raystorm block wasn't going to include any, so I knew I needed fittings, and I didn't want to take the barbs from one of the unused GTX 280 waterblocks.)
-a silver kill coil
*leftovers*
-three Scythe S-Flex SFF21F 120mm fans (Not sure if these have the static pressure ideal for rad use, but some airflow over that radiator is better than none.)
So yeah, almost $200 spent already, and I've already cheaped out in a lot of ways (no QD compression fittings, for starters), otherwise I could have easily spent $400 for mostly the same parts bought brand new. Regardless, I can already tell I'm going to be pouring even more money into the loop...and all this just to ensure that I'd be able to use those GTX 280s I scored for the mere price of shipping (around $25 or so, given the bulk of their retail boxes and the heft of those Hydro Copper 16 blocks).
My case-an old Aplus/ABS Tagan Black Pearl, some sort of Lian-Li PC-V2000 offshoot-is also going to need some modification if I don't want my rad lying on top of it. There's a lower compartment that holds the PSU, and normally a couple of 3.5" drive racks, but if I remove some rests for the drive racks and the PSU down there, it turns out that it can indeed fit a 4x120mm rad down there, Silverstone TJ07-style. Problem is, said rests are riveted in place, not screwed in, so I have to find a way to remove the rivets without messing up that nice anodized aluminum finish.
Here's a modified version of the same case that's given me ideas. Unfortunately, that mesh window for the lower compartment you see there isn't stock either, so I'll have to cut holes in both of the side panels if I'm going to use said lower compartment as the intended radiator area. Still, if I could bring myself to cut holes in this case...it has a lot of promise for something that only cost me $100 shipped during a sale years ago.
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