The Dilema: Watercooling or high-end air?

[TheJollyFellow]

Right now I have the following:
MGE EcoL4 (heavily fiddled with, not in great shape)
Abit AV8
AMD 3400+
XP-90 w/crappy 80mm 32CFM
768MB RAM
Leadtek 6600GT
200GB Maxtor HDD
DVD drive
CD burner
Noisy no-name power supply
120mm fan in front
80mm fan in back

I have ~$100 to spend, and I want an effective, QUIET computer. I could go with a Sonata II and fan controller, or a cheap watercooling kit. (Aquastar etc.). Any feedback would be appreciated, I'm trying to get my computer so I can heavily game with it, but also leave it running while I sleep.
Thanks!

 

[mindwreck]

good air cooling. you'll need around 200-300 to build a decent watercooling setup

 

[zagood]

Originally posted by: mindwreck
good air cooling. you'll need around 200-300 to build a decent watercooling setup

Yup.

Once you get the new case and PSU, you're going to start hearing new noises...the PSU is probably the loudest thing in your rig right now, if not the "crappy 80mm" fan on the XP-90. Replace that with a 92mm, get a fan controller and you'll be all good.

http://www.jab-tech.com/Sunbeam-5-1-4-Rheobus-Kit-Silver-pr-2529.html
http://www.jab-tech.com/Sunbeam-5-1-4-Rheobus-Kit-BLACK-pr-2530.html

When you've got another $25 lying around get a Zalman vf700AlCu for that 6600GT also.

At some point you'll want to get even quieter and want to replace the other fans in your system. Just FYI.

-z

EDIT: I just picked this fan up, would be good for undervolting on your XP-90

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/de92trbllows.html

 

[Mrvile]

100 dollars isn't going to buy you a reliable or good watercooling system. A high end air setup will probably outperform a 100 dollar watercooling setup.

 

[RallyMaster]

zagood is right about getting new parts and then wanting them even quieter. I started out saying that I didn't want to spend any more than $75 on cooling this system. I ended up spending around $150 for some really good air cooling.

try a Freezer 64 Pro for that CPU and a NV Silencer for that 6600GT. You can also go with Zalman solutions, but those tend to cost a bit more.