Need Help With Custom Liquid Cooling

Frozencpu.com has one of the best selections ive found. That's where I purchased all my components from. They also sell kits. Like XSPC or EK kits that include the pump/res/rad/fittings/tubing/blocks you just pick the price point you want and that determines the size/density of the rads or the quality of the pump and such. Granted its still better if you pick all your own components and purchase separately as I have yet to find a kit that includes all 'good' components. Example being you find a $450 kit, includes everything, high quality pump, medium quality rad vs if you took all the components and wrote down all the things, then researched and added your own. The kits are great for beginners as they give you everything so theres no putting it together only to realize your minus a fitting or forgot to get this, then have to wait a week for the part you forgot to get comes in the mail. And you can also use the kits as a guideline, look at everything they include, and then use that as a starting base for the parts you need and swap them out with what you want.

But yes cooling is expensive. A good cpu only loop will run $350-500, for a 'good'. You can get kits as low as $200ish that will work just fine, maybe not as long or run a few degrees warmer. But mine for example runs cpu and gpu. That's $100 extra for a vga block, and another $100 for the radiator, add in another $100 for misc fitting such as 90 degree fittings and such, then tubing ext, and my total cost for cooling components breached $650-750.

I'm no expert, but I just recently did my first water cooled build so I do have some advice.
I did a lot of research, so I'll start by linking my build (I wouldnt have gone with it if I didnt think it was good and I have 0 complaints about the system). Its also black and red.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1452182/watercooled-corsair-350d

First I want to say that I highly recommend frozencpu.com. They have everything you need in one place and answered all my questions quickly. Great people to work with.

Second. You really need to determine your layout first. This seems out of place, since you dont know what your build is yet but its still something that needs to be done ahead of everything else, in my opinion. Obviously you dont need all the details, but determine how many reservoirs and where they are going to be (if your just cooling the CPU then 1 large 240/360 res should be enough). Do you have a bay to spare? If so then the res/pump bay combos are simple and easy to use, and they save space. Are you cooling the GPU? If so you'll want another res (not necessary, but highly recommended) and you'll need to plan out the flow of the system. Space is key. If space is tight then a pump/res combo or even a pump/block combo can be a life saver. If you want to be flashy and have lots of space then you have a lot more options. There are also some very nice package deals that you can get with everything that you need. This will allow less customization, but is a lot less stressful since its your first build.

Actual Recommendations:
EKWB waterblocks highly rated, lots of options cant go wrong
swiftech pump - i went with the MCP655-PWM. all the parts are crucial, but a dead pump = fried system so spend extra here
colors - i like distilled water and colored tubing as its the simplest and safest, but I don’t think there is any problem going with dye. checkout primochill for a good line of tubing and dyes
compression fittings - i wouldn’t mess around. obv leaks are worst case scenario, so i think overkill is okay and I like all compression fittings. The monsoon free center fittings come with a tool that makes this process so easy that I would never build again without them. These were my MVP part for sure.
Radiator - there are lots of good ones. the biggest key is finding one that fits. This isn't as easy as it sounds as there are so many things to consider. try finding someone who has already cooled your case and see what they are using.

Summary. Water cooling is basically a waste of money unless you are a heavy overclocker, but it looks awesome. Most research I did showed systems staying well into the safe temp ranges with air cooling alone even when overclocked. The reason I say that is this, dont watercool unless you can afford to. Your money is better spent in other places, and if you are going to do it then you really need to do it right, which means spending even more money. I love my watercooled system so I'm not trying to steer you in a different direction.

Posting here is a good start. Look at other systems and see what you like, and then start putting it all together on paper. Once you have some specific ideas, post them for people to review. Once you are 100% sure you have it exactly right, then order it all at once and have fun. gl.

yes, the haswell as well as the 780 ti both run hot but perform just fantastic when stressed enough to get really hot. Which is why those two are perfect for going under water. I would say with the 780ti that all the reviews ive read on it that the msi lightning and gigabyte tend to net the best overclocks. I don't know why, as I love my evga, which has slight factory overclock, but I cant get more than 50 mhz more out of it and even then randomly becomes unstable so I find myself leaving stock which is a shame. I ran into the res problem with my case, corsair 540, as the 5.25 are sideways which def aren't the easiest for mounting filling and running a bay res. I have a 170mm photon res which I saw fell in love with and bought before I even was commited to liquid. But beware, my 170mm is huge. I got it and after opened the box, it was just huge and wouldn't go where I thought I might be able to squeeze or mod it in. So beware if your going a 240-360mm res, which in my honest opinion there really is no need to go that big. Even cosmetically mine looks awesome, if it was any larger I think the 'cool' factor might actually go down.

I know they cover damages done by liquid cooling on the cards they offer with blocks already on the hydroclassified. Not sure if they cover the card if you take off the reference cooler and replace with your own block though? I could be wrong, and it would be cool if I was as I have the same card on a block right now. Be nice to know I still have the warrenty