I would stick to a high end air cooler until you decide to go custom water. Close loop coolers offer the same performance as high end air for more money and do not bridge the gap between Custom cooling and aftermarket coolers, so its not like a stepping stone.
What case do you have?
IMO closed loop coolers are much closer to air coolers than custom loops. If you plan to go custom, buying a cheaper cooler which is as good as these closed units is the way to go, so you can reach your custom loop budget all that much quicker!



I don't know if you can fit a crossflow rad in your case. The fit is tight and i have a feeling that it will be in the way of the other radiator ports.
Fittings and tubing size is personal preference, all perform the same.
You can save cash by going for a separate tube reservoir and 4.0 EK pump or my going EK for the waterblock, neither will hurt performance.
Those radiators only have two ports each believe for the fittings and none for bleeding. It is much easier to bleed the loop via the reservoir anyway.