I2500k, "smaller" cooling solution?

Hi, right now I have an AMD 1090t with a Venomous-X cooler on it. It was a major PITA to install and I dread taking it apart and putting it on again once I get my 2500k setup. Are there any smaller heatsinks that will get the job done that isn't a pain to install/reinstall but isn't going to sacrifice a ton of performance? Reading a lot about the Hyper 212+s (?). Is there anything better than that without going to a huge cooler like the VX, or something that isn't such a pain to install/remount?

Or is it really worth the annoyance being the VX is one of the best of the best for the 2500k?

I was also thinking about water cooling. These seem less annoying to mount/remount but do have maintenance to them. What kind of price tag am I looking at for a good/very good kit/setup? I don't mind buying more coolant or w\e it is and replacing it if I'm going to get crazy results with it.

Most of the high performance Intel coolers use a backing plate to support the cooler. You will need to remove the motherboard to get access to the back of the motherboard if your case does not have a large hole in the motherboard tray behind the CPU.

I know i'd use the VX if it were my situation.
Like jsc said you still have to mount whatever you decide on.