Right; so after my long learning post (http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=12104) I seem to be only left needing to make one more choice:

Which pump do I want for silence? Given that I want to go Pump -> GPU -> NB -> CPU (prescott :/) -> rad -> res; it seems like the 1048 won't be enough.

So, the choice is the Hydor l30 or the Ehiem 1250. Which is easier to silence?

Does anyone have detailed pics of just how their pump is silenced? I plan to build in a radbox, so will suspend in a compartment then dampen it too.

Cheers!

Dave

They are almost the same in terms of noise.
Their biggest difference is their size (the Eheim is a lot bigger).

I have the 1250 and resorted to a "cradle" of ~3cm thick foam to silence it + very soft tubing (Tygon) , also loosened a bit , connecting it to the closest parts (to prevent vibrations from moving through the tubing).
It worked , it's inaudible , up to 20cm , with the PC on.

Another very good idea (probably the best you can do) , if you are going external , would be to submerge it in a big tank with a sponge (or something like that) at the bottom.

Just one comment, if you have a two outlet CPU block (Danger-Den RBX/D-Tek White Water), you can use this as a flow splitter. Pump the flow from the pump straight into the CPU block, then connect one outlet to the GPU and the other to the NB. You can then either rejoin them using a Y fitting, or put both outlets straight into the reservoir, and have the radiator straight after the pump. I would personally suggest that the latter option is best if you are using an external radiator box.
The major advantage of this is that the total resistance is about that of the CPU and GPU in series - you're cutting the total resistance significantly, at the cost of slightly reduced cooling for the GPU.

I use the L30... never used the Eheim so I have no comparison..but I set my pump on some soft foam.... and I have to touch the case every once and a while to feel vibrations to make sure it is on

It is not hard mounted and I made sure the tubing doesn't touch anything in the case... I run res to pump (res is sitting on some foam too...it is homemade of PVC pipe) to CPU return to res....

I would recommend that the CPU comes first in the series as it needs the best cooling,,, and skip the northbridge.,...

too much resistance for too little gain...
I run the LanParty board at a FSB of 250 and am using the stock heatsink on the NB... no probs... you could put on a Zalman passive or the like... but the research I found is that the resistance to the system just isn't worth it.....

Hope this helps a bit

you might find my thread at OCAU regarding this issue quite worth reading. one guy posted pics of how he managed to have a 1250 totally dampened inside an aluminium case - now THAT's an achievement.