Solo Wizard Builds?
Solution 1:
I've been playing Inferno in a group and solo. This is my build: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/wizard#aZcXlQ!WTX!aZbZaZ
Act 1 Hell isn't really a good gauge if your solo build is doing really well... My build has changed several times because the later acts and difficulties required more CC and escape mechanisms.
You need a lot of control if you want to solo the hard champion packs, but they are all entirely doable with a good wizard build. The 60% slow on blizzard is a godsend and all but 'fast'-modified champion packs will be hard pressed to close the distance on you if you kite properly.
The main problem is fast, or mortar monsters. With fast you just need to do more running than usual.. Diamondskin-Frostray to single target the close ones when skin is off cooldown (Diamond skin with the reduced cost rune makes these ray abilities take almost no arcane power), teleport around if you're getting chased too close.
With mortar the best way is to KEEP RUNNING as far away from them as possible. Drop blizzards and arcane orbs behind you (If you pop diamond skin you can get off 5 or 6 arcane orbs instead of like 3 or 4, due to the cost reduction...it's amazing). If you have a circular area you can kite, use that; if it's just a single hallway when you reach the end you can wormhole-teleport to the other side and resume kiting.
Never stand still against mortars, those things hurt. I use magic missile & frost ray to pick units off. Again...diamond skin + frost ray is amazing.
I cannot emphasize enough how important something that controls the monsters is. I like blizzard but you might be able to get away with the 30% passive slow for arcane spells (but that's half as much as blizzard provides) or other forms of slow/cc.
Good luck!
Solution 2:
I'm in Act 1 Hell, and this is the build I'm using: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/wizard#ilXPOR!faX!abYZbb
I play solo exclusively, so I have to be very self-sufficient with regard to damage and escape. So I'll drop a Blizzard, Hydra, then Disintegrate until they get close. If they're not dead, drop another Blizzard, run away through it to get some distance, turn and fire again. Rinse, repeat.
For elites, I alternate between Mirror Image and Diamond Skin to keep me alive until the cooldown on the other one resets. Attack strategy depends heavily on the affixes, so a Shielding vs a Mortar is very different, for example.
I prefer Venom hydra to Lightning due to the fact that it's much more effective against casters and ranged, which I find are harder for me in general due to the fact that I can easily outrun/outmaneuver melee mobs.
Solution 3:
Just so it's clear, I don't really plan on accepting any one answer to this question, because it just wouldn't make sense and/or be fair in the context of the question. I have +1'd several of your answers which I've tried out and they work well.
Figured I'd put up what I have been using, though, as for me its the best build I've used yet.
Let me know what you think!
My D3 "Arcane" Wizard Build
Build Strategy:
Pop up a Hydra between you and a pack.
Torrent the pack. For normal enemies, prefer spreading the Torrent across the whole pack (rather than focus on one enemy) to get the Disruption de-buff on most them. This let's your Hydras (with splash damage thanks to the Arcane rune) make short work of them.
If anyone gets too close, or you're low on health, pop your Crystal Shell Diamond Skin. If you have plenty of Arcane Power and your Hydra is still up, stand your ground and keep Torrenting! Only in desperation (such as when Diamond Skin wears off) start kiting.
When low on Arcane Power, kite w/ Magic Missle.
Build Philosophy/Justification:
The backbone of the build is Temporal Flux, which essentially makes all the attacks in this build as effective as vanilla Ray of Frost for CC. With the splash Arcane damage from the Hydras and the Penetrating Magic Missle, the CC on this build is surprisingly effective.
The primary spam skill is Arcane Torrent w/ Disruption. I'm surprised how many people overlook the +15% damage from Torrent with Disruption. Yes, its only for Arcane damage, but that's the only kind of damage I'm dealing :-)
Diamond Skin w/ Crystal Shell is extremely helpful in this build. Crystal Shell is often overlooked in favor of Enduing Skin. However, in Hell, packs swing so hard the extra 2 seconds from Enduring Skin won't make a difference when the damage limit is reached. Crystal Shell doubles the damage limit, and therefore makes it last ultimately twice as long as any other Diamond Skin rune.
Magic Missle w/ Penetrate is a (very)-poor-man's Disintegrate :-) With Temporal Flux, it becomes a useful CC skill, with decent damage as well for when low on Arcane Power.
I could preach about Arcane Hydra all day; it's a kiter's dream. A champion pack giving you trouble? Throw down your Hydras and run around; you'll keep doing damage while avoiding getting hit, regenerating Arcane Power, and/or waiting for the Diamond Skin cooldown. The splash damage is great, and coupled with the CC from Temporal Flux makes Arcane Hydra incredibly useful in both offense and defense.
Magic Weapon w/ Force and Force Armor are obvious choices. +15% damage and a small chance to Knockback is huge, especially for the Hydra damage. +65% armor is something you just can't live without. I'll consider going Prismatic Armor when I get to level 60.
I use Critical Mass to help lower Diamond Skin's cooldown. Usually I hit my Diamond Skin while Torrenting, and I get maybe 2-3 crits right off the bat. This isn't even counting my Hydra's crits which make it possible to have a 2-4 second reduction in cooldown. However, this is the one slot in the build that could very safely be modified. I sometimes put in Prodigy or Power Hungry to help fuel my Torrent'ing. Blur is always a strong choice as well, and Evocation might make for a more consistent cooldown reduction.
Solution 4:
I have to agree with plee on the Shock Pulse with Piercing Orb rune. I spent countless hours trying to get the right build. I'm level 58 and I finally I found a build that works for me with devastating power against mobs. Elites it is still quiet powerful but since I'm a wizard I cannot sustain too much damage so kiting is necessary with this build. Here is my build and my skill rotation. This build you have to go into your options and select elective mode to customize.
Primary Skill: Shock Pulse (Rune - Piercing Orb) - Like stated in earlier threads. Large AOE damage through multiple targets
Force: Blizzard (Rune - Snowbound) - Huge amount of AOE dmg to mobs with reduced arcane power cost +20% passive boost
Defensive Skill: Diamond Skin (Rune - Enduring Skin) - Simply stated more time to Spam Shock pulse then run like hell
Force: Hydra (Rune - Venom Hydra) - +18 for mob and little green puddle help with additional damage
Defensive Skill: Teleport (Rune - Wormhole) - No explanation needed
Conjuration: Energy Armor (Rune - Force Armor) - Obvious choice to use until nerfed
Passive Skill: Cold Blooded - Always need the +20% boost for frozen which works with blizzard and Shock Pulse
Passive Skill: Galvanizing Ward - Give me life :)
Passive Skill: Glass Cannon
Keep Hydra and Energy Armor active whenever you are fighting.
Use Teleport as a means to escape enemies.
Use Blizzard to help kite enemies around.
Use Diamond Skin to negate oncoming damage for up to 8 seconds.
Use Shock Pulse on enemies going through Blizzard.