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10,614 Posts
A Kuhler Mod for 2
Hey all. It has been just short of a year since I first started this mod. It is time for some updates.
First the cheap hardware store tubing eventually did cloud over with the enemy of all appearances, plasticizer. I've just recently replaced all my tubing with Duerelene.
In all honesty the Watts tubing from my local hardware store worked perfectly. Even when I pulled it out of the system the water was still clear, and despite plasticizer build up it wasn't terrible. No mountains of plastic gunk on my radiators or even in the Kuhler blocks. It was just ugly. Hopefully this new tubing will fair a bit better!
I like to think a year with the same build is pretty good though!
Here are some new pictures using the 920 block pumps I was gifted ever so generously. They are still working perfectly to this day with zero leaks
.



What you see on my GTX 780 is OCN's own Richie with his Bright Light backplate mod! He was really brought a lot of useful tools to use in incorporating a AIO to a GPU.
I plan to add my second 920 block that you see idling on the bottom of my case to my GPU, but I ran into heat problems with the VRM's and so am working on a more unique solution.

I'm also in the process to publishing a off hand video of when I redid my whole loop. From start to finish, with zero preparation, you'll see just how easy or hard it is to do exactly what I did.
Complete with blood, sweat, and salty tears! of joy of course. Stay tuned!
Modding the 620
Setting up the dual loop
Video of initial testing of the dual loop 620!
How it all Began!
Step one: How to Properly Mod a Kuhler 620.
Hey all. It has been just short of a year since I first started this mod. It is time for some updates.
First the cheap hardware store tubing eventually did cloud over with the enemy of all appearances, plasticizer. I've just recently replaced all my tubing with Duerelene.
In all honesty the Watts tubing from my local hardware store worked perfectly. Even when I pulled it out of the system the water was still clear, and despite plasticizer build up it wasn't terrible. No mountains of plastic gunk on my radiators or even in the Kuhler blocks. It was just ugly. Hopefully this new tubing will fair a bit better!
I like to think a year with the same build is pretty good though!
Here are some new pictures using the 920 block pumps I was gifted ever so generously. They are still working perfectly to this day with zero leaks

What you see on my GTX 780 is OCN's own Richie with his Bright Light backplate mod! He was really brought a lot of useful tools to use in incorporating a AIO to a GPU.
I plan to add my second 920 block that you see idling on the bottom of my case to my GPU, but I ran into heat problems with the VRM's and so am working on a more unique solution.
I'm also in the process to publishing a off hand video of when I redid my whole loop. From start to finish, with zero preparation, you'll see just how easy or hard it is to do exactly what I did.
Complete with blood, sweat, and salty tears! of joy of course. Stay tuned!
Modding the 620
Setting up the dual loop
Video of initial testing of the dual loop 620!
How it all Began!
Some of you are like me. We jumped on that AIO fiasco like white on rice because it offered something our 2 ton blocks couldn't.
AIO's gave us good cooling with little noise and space. For some it was even affordable.
Myself, I purchased the Antec Kuhler 620. Why did I purchase it? Was it because I thought I could overclock my CPU to new heights? Nope.
Someone figured out how to stick that hot plate on that hot Firmi and cool that hot head down. I stuck that puppy right on my GTX 470.
You can read all about that Ghetto Fabulous Mod right here - http://www.overclock.net/t/1215339/my-ghetto-khuler-620-mod-some-hd-pics#post_16465310
Then I added another 470... and another Kuhler 620
Sometime after a period of some kind of time frame one of the 470's died, then the other one followed suit (RMA came back successful!) and in that period of Darkest Of Days I was running this...

If you don't know what that is, that is the embedded GPU of my i7-3770k. Thus were not many a graphically intensive game was even played. - though I did try. But then a miracle happened. I got my paycheck.
Then another miracle happened.

Oh yeah! That EVGA GTX 780 SC with that lovely ACX cooler, and thus x2 Sparse Grid Super Sampling did welcome me with open arms.
Life was good. Too good in fact because I then realized something that every enthusiast eventually goes through.

Man I was thirsty. So I began my journey with Google to look into the enlightened world of water cooling. Everything was looking great, I had an understanding of what I would need, rad capacity, fans, a snazzy looking block for my CPU, those awesome twisted reservoirs, and a full block from EVGA for my GTX780.
It then occurred to me, as I was playing around with the clocks of my GTX 780. Oh right... I just bought a GTX 780, there are no more funds.
But wait! I still have those Kuhler 620's just sitting there, collecting dust, not cooling. Now how to make them abide to my wishes, and on basically zero funds. So let us be realistic with this. What is the least amount of cash I will need to pull together to get these perfectly working pumps and radiators cooling my system. Could I have just stuck them in there as is, with full warranty, and been perfectly happy with the result? Yes. Is that acceptable? Definitely Not! My system already runs cool and quiet on regular air, this is not about just working, this is about making it work so I can gloat about it, because honestly, am I going to break world records with the low flow of a Kuhler pump/block combo? Maybe!
So what do I have? Well, a perfectly functioning 3770k setup running a GTX 780 in a 300R. Cool.
I have two Antec Kuhler 620's, so two blocks with pumps, and two 120mm radiators, and 2 fans. - and something that resembles tubing.


So far on my water cooling setup I have a combined cost of $96 USD. Each 620 cost me $48 USD.
Now here is where I made a decision. I could probably sell both 620's for (lets be generous) $35 USD. I looked into a kit like the XSPC 240 or even a 360! That would be great. However the block for my GTX 780 would run me at the cheapest ~ $65 USD, or $150 USD for a full block. Whelp there goes that idea... So, back to the 620's. I'm already $96 invested into two blocks and 2 rads.
First up I definitely want to run a reservoir. I could bleed the system and re-run it as a full closed loop again (soon to come!) but that isn't any fun at all! I want to feel like I'm actually running a custom loop here.
So first up the smallest reservoir I could find. a Swiftech Micro Res! ($22). For tubing I stopped by my local store and got over 20ft of tubes for a mere $6.00. Thus the mod began...

AIO's gave us good cooling with little noise and space. For some it was even affordable.

Myself, I purchased the Antec Kuhler 620. Why did I purchase it? Was it because I thought I could overclock my CPU to new heights? Nope.

Someone figured out how to stick that hot plate on that hot Firmi and cool that hot head down. I stuck that puppy right on my GTX 470.
You can read all about that Ghetto Fabulous Mod right here - http://www.overclock.net/t/1215339/my-ghetto-khuler-620-mod-some-hd-pics#post_16465310
Then I added another 470... and another Kuhler 620

Sometime after a period of some kind of time frame one of the 470's died, then the other one followed suit (RMA came back successful!) and in that period of Darkest Of Days I was running this...
If you don't know what that is, that is the embedded GPU of my i7-3770k. Thus were not many a graphically intensive game was even played. - though I did try. But then a miracle happened. I got my paycheck.

Oh yeah! That EVGA GTX 780 SC with that lovely ACX cooler, and thus x2 Sparse Grid Super Sampling did welcome me with open arms.
Life was good. Too good in fact because I then realized something that every enthusiast eventually goes through.
Man I was thirsty. So I began my journey with Google to look into the enlightened world of water cooling. Everything was looking great, I had an understanding of what I would need, rad capacity, fans, a snazzy looking block for my CPU, those awesome twisted reservoirs, and a full block from EVGA for my GTX780.
It then occurred to me, as I was playing around with the clocks of my GTX 780. Oh right... I just bought a GTX 780, there are no more funds.

But wait! I still have those Kuhler 620's just sitting there, collecting dust, not cooling. Now how to make them abide to my wishes, and on basically zero funds. So let us be realistic with this. What is the least amount of cash I will need to pull together to get these perfectly working pumps and radiators cooling my system. Could I have just stuck them in there as is, with full warranty, and been perfectly happy with the result? Yes. Is that acceptable? Definitely Not! My system already runs cool and quiet on regular air, this is not about just working, this is about making it work so I can gloat about it, because honestly, am I going to break world records with the low flow of a Kuhler pump/block combo? Maybe!

So what do I have? Well, a perfectly functioning 3770k setup running a GTX 780 in a 300R. Cool.
I have two Antec Kuhler 620's, so two blocks with pumps, and two 120mm radiators, and 2 fans. - and something that resembles tubing.
So far on my water cooling setup I have a combined cost of $96 USD. Each 620 cost me $48 USD.
Now here is where I made a decision. I could probably sell both 620's for (lets be generous) $35 USD. I looked into a kit like the XSPC 240 or even a 360! That would be great. However the block for my GTX 780 would run me at the cheapest ~ $65 USD, or $150 USD for a full block. Whelp there goes that idea... So, back to the 620's. I'm already $96 invested into two blocks and 2 rads.
First up I definitely want to run a reservoir. I could bleed the system and re-run it as a full closed loop again (soon to come!) but that isn't any fun at all! I want to feel like I'm actually running a custom loop here.

So first up the smallest reservoir I could find. a Swiftech Micro Res! ($22). For tubing I stopped by my local store and got over 20ft of tubes for a mere $6.00. Thus the mod began...
Step one: How to Properly Mod a Kuhler 620.
