Okay, so I will be eventually going with water cooling. I have made this decision. Of course as with most things that I try, I started doing a bit of research into it. There seems to be a crazy amount of data and opinions to sift through in this area. That makes things a bit confusing for a noob as myself. 
 
This is where you come in.
 
Now, I am under the impression that piecing together my own kit is going to be the best option as far as quality, cost, and performance. Hence this is the way I want to go (if you have a different opinion on the mater, I would also like to hear it).
 
So here are my requirements:
 
Cost - Not so much of a factor as long as there is sufficient reason for more expensive parts. I would really like to keep it @ or under ~$300 though.
 
Case - I will be getting a Lian Li PC-X900 tower ( http://www.lian-li.com/v2...mp;ss_index=62&g=f ). The setup needs to work in this case with little to no modification (I'm not hacking up a $300 case).
 
Loops - For now, I will simply be running a single loop for the CPU. At a later date, I would like the ability to expand this to include things like the GPUs.
 
Cooling capacity - I was the best bang for the buck. As low as you can go without getting crazy with cost or complexity.
 
Reliability - I need something that will need a minimum amount of maintenance. I am VERY lazy. Once a year as far as "upkeep" would be nice.
 
Basically thats it! So if anyone can assist, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, you do not have to go price shopping for me, Simply using MSRP would be fine since I will do the leg work finding the best deal anyway.

Aesthetics are not a concern as long as the final product is tidy and clean looking (I want something as simple as possible).
 
Also, what do you mean by the types of fans I want to run on the rads? Are you simply talking about diameter/thickness?
 
BTW, I also hear that you are not supposed to mix metals (copper, aluminum, stainless steel, etc). Whats the deal with this?

So any Copper/Nickel combo is okay?

Yeah, nickel copper is ok, since nickel products are copper with nickel just plated on. 
 
As for fans, look for Boredgunner's list at the top. Balance noise and static pressure. Depending on the thickness and the fin density of the radiator you may need higher or lower performing fans.
 
 

Yes, that is the correct assumption. No, radiators can be designed with low speed fans in mind for quieter cooling. If you do want to pursue a whisper quiet watercooled PC I'd recommend increasing the amount of radiators and picking good fans. The trade off is that you need the space to accommodate the extra radiators but you have a solid case so it is possible. 

That should do the trick fairly well.  There are some Black Ice radiators that are more friendly to lower pressure fans than some others, them and MCRs, however not enough to say use an R4 on it effectivly.

Yeah, very good spot for a triple. The R4 is a coolermaster fan that isn't very popular because it has lackluster static pressure. The fan however is cheap and has a high CFM, but suffers from poor bearings.
 
If you want low speed fans Dave's right, go with either Black Ice radiators or Swiftech MCR's.
 
Thanks for the ribbon!

LOL, so I ended up with an 800D instead of the Lian Li. Now its time to shop for parts! 

That Corsair case is golden, one of the best cases for water cooling with no mods necessary.  God catch Patches, awesome block, and at 27% off, thats a killer buy.

it is regular $109.99 but on sale for $79.99.(performancepc.com) has the ek supreme hi flow full dopper full gold plated at 27% off

mistermister

EVGATech_DaveB
God catch Patches, awesome block, and at 27% off, thats a killer buy.

Wait... what?

This one?
 
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_971_498_490&products_id=27631
 

EVGATech_DaveB

Yup, that's the one, excellent block, darn good price on it too.

Is the EK any better than this http://www.swiftech.com/apogeext.aspx#tab1

I have a line on one of these for cheap(er). Any comments?
 
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8523/ex-rad-146/XSPC_RX360_Triple_120mm_Radiator.html
 
Also, what sort of fan setup would I need with that? Would this work well with quieter fans? 
 
I am specifically talking about these (the low speed versions):
 
http://forums.evga.com/tm.aspx?m=992245
 
...and of course, thus far, are these parts all compatible with either of the CPU blocks suggested in this thread? 

EVGATech_DaveB

Not sure, they should be pretty close.  The only strike against the XT originally was it was a little restrictive, but this should fix it.  I have seen tests that state either way for which cools better, so IMO, it is likely a wash, because no 2 tests I have seen use all the same criteria.  Regardless on any test I have never seen more than a 2c difference at all, and usually under 1c.

Much appreciation Dave. Still undecided. Trying for efficiency and aesthetics. Also don't want to mix metals. 

I have a line on one of these for cheap(er). Any comments? 
  
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8523/ex-rad-146/XSPC_RX360_Triple_120mm_Radiator.html 
  
Also, what sort of fan setup would I need with that? Would this work well with quieter fans?  
  
I am specifically talking about these (the low speed versions): 
  
http://forums.evga.com/tm.aspx?m=992245 
  
...and of course, thus far, are these parts all compatible with either of the CPU blocks suggested in this thread?