I've never run 2 pumps in a loop before, so quick question if anyone could answer:
Can I have 1 pump running top speed and the other running low speed or even passive (off)?
In short, yes. Just ensure they're running in serial and not parallel configuration. Most modern pump tops have very little restriction so the pump that's off won't impact the flow too much. Martin's Liquid Lab testing showed a 2% loss in pumping power for the single pump that remained on, compared to 83% when running in a parallel.
would you not be better running two loops? one for CPU and one for GPU? you could use different colours.
I used to run dual loops for a while and it's good if you want 2 different colours (I did) or you want the option of draining and/or upgrading them independently. However, for efficiency you're probably better off with a large single loop. If one loop is running at 80% and the other at 40% then you're not getting the most out of all the cooling components. Also means you have to factor in how you'll balance the loads. With two pumps in serial you almost double the head pressure which means you don't have to worry about restriction as much and have the added benefit of redundancy.
So Reservoir --> Pump 1 IN --> Pump 1 OUT --> Pump 2 IN --> Pump 2 OUT --> Rest of loop.