hey so im in the uk and i need an easy use website where i can select parts for a custom water cooling loop. Also would i be better off with compression or barbed fittings, taking into consideration the parts will probably be brought at around Christmas time for probably under £200 so i dont really want the compression fittings to blow the budget.
any help is welcome
http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/customer/home.php they have the best selection of liquid cooling parts by far
But your not getting anything worth having for under £200 you will probably be able to set up a basic CPU or GPU only loop but for both the blocks alone would have at least half your budget
My go to site is : http://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/
(Also have very good experience with their customer service, prompt, efficient and polite)
When buying parts, I also then double check Amazon to see if I can get the parts/delivery cheaper (often through 3rd party sellers like SpecialTech etc) - in my experience, and the parts I got, Amazon was always slightly more expensive (cheaper delivery, but more expensive parts). Your mileage may vary.
Barbs will work just fine (and much cheaper), as long as you fit them correctly! I personally use/recommend compression fittings, otherwise you are tempting fate -- most problems I have ever seen/heard are a result of improper installation, i.e. barb fittings without cable ties or something.
For a reasonable yet basic loop, you will probably be looking in the £200-£400 range. £200 sounds a bit light to me, but we don't know what you have shortlisted. To go really cheap, the starter kits (e.g. from EK) look quite reasonable.
Ok thanks guys It will only be a CPU loop at most and might be able to stretch the budget and i think the compression fittings will be the best option.