AMD Zen 2 Monster Gamin System

[Mousemagician]

Hi SFF enthusiasts!
The most difficult mini-ITX gaming system form me so far...
Based on the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X + the EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING, in the RAIJINTEK OPHION EVO!
I was inspired by one of the epic builds from the Optimum Tech

Many iterations since summer 2019 brought me to the final result here:

 

[Mousemagician]

...more details in the next days, stay tuned!

 

[Mousemagician]

The Build
I started with these components

Initial build (first attempt)

• Case: RAIJINTEK OPHION Series OPHION EVO, Aluminum / Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case with 3.0mm Tempered Glass (Newegg)
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X (Microcenter)
• MoBo: Gigabyte X570 Aorus AM4 mITX AMD (Microcenter)
• CPU AIO cooler: NZXT Kraken M22 120mm RGB Water Cooling Kit (Microcenter)
• VGA: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING, 11G-P4-2280-KR (EVGA)
• VGA AIO coolingg: EVGA HYBRID Kit for EVGA/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC/XC2/FE, 400-HY-1384-B1, RGB (EVGA)
• Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 4400 (PC4 35200) Desktop Memory Model PVS416G440C9K (Newegg)
• Storage (OS): SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 1TB NVMe PCI-Express 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-V6E1T0BW (Newegg)
• PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 1200 P2, 80+ PLATINUM 1200W, Fully Modular (EVGA)

Final Build

• Case addition: Alu. Side panel for RAIJINTEK OPHION EVO (0R10B00098) case (Newegg)
• PSU: CORSAIR SF750 CP-9020186-NA 750W SFX 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Power Supply (Newegg)
• Additional Storage (Games): Intel 660p 2TB SSD 3D NAND QLC M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive (Microcenter)
• CPU water cooling: Swiftech H220 (owned since 2012)
• GPU water cooling: Eiswolf 240 GPX Pro Nvidia Geforce RTX 2080/2080Ti black M02 (PPCS) - connected with the H220 system

In-between (failed attempts):

• CPU AIO cooler: Alphacool Eisberg 120 CPU (PPCS)

 

[Mousemagician]

Let's get started!

It was summer 2019, I placed orders at Newegg and the EVGA order for the GTX2080ti. I went to my local Microcenter on the day of the release of the Ryzen 9 3900X.

I was already broke after the CPU and VGA purchase!!!

First pass: installing MoBO, CPU, stock cooler, a RAM kit I had around (the Patirot Viper Steel has a 3-week TAT), the 2080ti with stock cooling (the hybrid liquid kit was back-ordered at EVGA), and my 1200W EVGA PSU.

As I thought, the stock AMD wraith prism cooler was too tall already

 

[Mousemagician]

...went straight to the M22 AIO.

I had some concerns about being able to properly cool the 3900X, so a lot of temp tests followed the install.

I swapped the stock NZXT fan with a Noctua NF-F12 IndustrialPPC-2000 PWM.

Total three of these in the system.

...with very tiny tolerance below the MoBo...

...and above

 

[Mousemagician]

It was clear from the beginning that the 1200W EVGA SuperNova PSU was fitting, but ridiculously so!

 

[Mousemagician]

When installing the 2080ti,

some mounting standoffs in the case were misaligned with the 16X extender!

...as a consequence, the GPU will stay suspended in the case, with only the two screws in the I-O panel holding to it.

 

[Mousemagician]

With the glass sides in place, the system is already a beauty!

 

[Mousemagician]

Finally, the new Patriot Viper Steel 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 4400 (PC4 35200) Desktop Memory Model PVS416G440C9K have arrived and swapped in!

 

[Mousemagician]

The real estate, weight, and cable management of the 1,200W EVGA SuperNova did not really make sense in this build, so I pulled the trigger and switched it with the teeny-tiny Corsair SF750 CP-9020186-NA 750W SFX 80 Plus Platinum.

The difference was impressive!

Cable management was much better, with room to spare!

 

[Mousemagician]

The Ophion Evo is VEEERY tiny!
It is almost unnoticeable on the left of my 42-inch 4K screen.

 

[Engr62]

What are your CPU temps under 100% (24-thread) load? I'm very interested to know since I'm getting ready to put a 3900X into my NCASE M1.

 

[Mousemagician]

I'll post a large set of temp tests and benchmarks later on. For now, it may suffice to say that a CineBench R20 with the M22 peaks at 80C, and 90C with the stock cooler. However, it never goes beyond 70C with the H220.
Hope it helps.

 

[Mousemagician]

Trying the Alphacool Eisberg 120 CPU...
BAD IDEA!

Bought it from PPCS.

First, I discovered that it needed an adapter for AM4

Bought the AM4 adapter (it took two additional weeks)

...BUT, the pump was very noisy!
Here a clip with the PC running at idle:

 

[Mousemagician]

NEED FOR A NEW PLAN!!!

The reason for getting a 1 x 120 mm radiator AIO for the CPU, was to water-cool the GPU as well.
The Ophion Evo can fit either 2 x 120 mm rads or 1 x 240 mm single read, 3 cm thick.

I was not happy about the cooling potential of the M22 (temps reports upcoming in the future posts). The Eisberg 120 CPU was too noisy.

For now, I went ahead and swapped the EVGA HYBRID Kit for EVGA/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC/XC2/FE, 400-HY-1384-B1 in the EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING, 11G-P4-2280-KR

1. Disassembled the factory heatsink
   
   
   
2. Installed the GPU block frame and the two heatsinks
   
   
   
   
3. Then, the GPU block, with new thermal paste
   
   
   
   
   
4. Applying the top cover
   
   
   
5. Finally, backplate and Noctua fan to the radiator
   
   

Here, the glorious installation in the case:

It's dead silent, max 66C in intense triple A gaming.

Again, please stay tuned for a full set of benchmarks.

 

[Mousemagician]

TRANSITION TIME: GPU Hybrid Water Cooling with stock Ryzen Wrait PRISM
...with no side glass...

...while another solution is in the works...

 

[Skott]

When I saw that 1200 psu in the beginning I was like WTF?? lol

 

[Bankie]

Nice build. I was dead set on getting this case but ended up jumping on a H210 due to it being able to house either a big air cooler and an AIO or both a 280mm AIO and a 120mm AIO while being only slightly larger.

EVGA said that the Hybrid kit won't fit on the 2080Ti Black so I went with the NZXT G12 bracket and a Corsair H55. Looking at the pictures it seems to fit fine?

 

[Mousemagician]

When I saw that 1200 psu in the beginning I was like WTF?? lol

Hi Skott,
I was shocked that it even fit!
The Ophion Evo can truly fit a big PSU, but you loose the possibility to install a 240 mm radiator, only a fan can stay on the front top of the case.
The Corsair SF series are a better fit, and thus you can install a radiator on the top too (that I did).

 

[Mousemagician]

Nice build. I was dead set on getting this case but ended up jumping on a H210 due to it being able to house either a big air cooler and an AIO or both a 280mm AIO and a 120mm AIO while being only slightly larger.

EVGA said that the Hybrid kit won't fit on the 2080Ti Black so I went with the NZXT G12 bracket and a Corsair H55. Looking at the pictures it seems to fit fine?

Hi Bankie,
I was concerned about it too. Despite what EVGA states, it is a perfect fit!
Now, the Hybrid cooling is not installed anymore in my 2080ti, and I am thinking to sell it or keep it for another build.

 

[Mousemagician]

Adding some storage here and there

Wanted to add some space for my games, so I added a 2TB M.2 Intel 660p...

...where? In the back of the Mobo, of course!

...and, just since I had a 500GB Samsung 860 EVO lagging around, I installed it in the top front 2.5" bay

for a total of 3.5 TB of storage for my "things"

 

[Mousemagician]

Time to get to the Final Setting!!!

I had a Swiftech H220 (first model, not the "X" one) from a older ITX system, I guess from 2011 or so.
This is a no-frills AIO, with a 240 mm radiator (29 mm thick), a powerful but silent 1,200-3,000 PWM pump within the CPU block. No fancy RGB, but an all-black EXPANDABLE AIO.

However, even in this case I needed an AM4 adapter:
Swiftech Ap-xl-amd4-bkt AMD Socket Am4 Mounting Hardware

The expandable aspect was what convinced me to change my plans:

• The H220 would give cooling to the CPU
• The 240 mm radiator from the H220 goes to the top case panel, with two Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-2000 PWM as exhaust
• An Alphacool Eisblock GPX-N Plexi NVidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti M01 goes to replace the EVGA Hybrid kit in the EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING, 11G-P4-2280-KR

...still, some experiments to find the right fit

...vertical fittings are a no-go
But 90-degree ones are just fine!

...all fitted, circuit filled with new liquid

Nice and... BLACK!

 

[Mousemagician]

Final Step: Switching the Glass Sides with Aluminum Panels

This is a gaming monster, no need for fancy RGB stuff!
Thus, the glass panels are just an air trap for me.
When, finally, Newegg had the aluminum side panels in stock, I ordered them!
Now, it is truly a all black ITX gaming monster!

Temps are also very good.
Next post is about them!

 

[Mousemagician]

Temperatures!!!

There are 3 settings that I have tested so far:

1. AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with NZXT M22 & EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING 11G-P4-2280-KR with stock heatsink -> 1 x 120 mm radiator from the M22
2. AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with stock heatsink & EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING 11G-P4-2280-KR with EVGA HYBRID Kit for EVGA/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC/XC2/FE, 400-HY-1384-B1 -> 1 x 120 mm radiator from the EVGA HYBRID Kit
   
3. AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with Swiftech H220 block/pump & EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING 11G-P4-2280-KR with Alphacool Eisblock GPX-N Plexi GeForce RTX 2080 Ti M01 -> 1 x 240 mm radiator from the Swiftech H220

All benchmarks are from long gamin sessions (F1 2018 or Shadow of the Tomb Raider) at 4K. VGA is clocked to stable settings for the cooling.

Setting 1:
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with NZXT M22 & EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING 11G-P4-2280-KR with stock heatsink -> 1 x 120 mm radiator from the M22

• GPU Clock: 2,050 MHz
• Memory Clock: 1,800 MHz

The GPU clock and VDDC rapidly throttle, while reaching 89C. The CPU ranges between 62C and 84C, mostly in the low 70Cs.

Setting 2:
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with stock heatsink & EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING 11G-P4-2280-KR with EVGA HYBRID Kit for EVGA/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC/XC2/FE, 400-HY-1384-B1 -> 1 x 120 mm radiator from the EVGA HYBRID Kit

• GPU Clock: 2,050 MHz
• Memory Clock: 1,950 MHz

The GPU says longer around the ~1,900 MHz, while the temperature stays in the low 60Cs! The GPU power consumption increased to 290W.
The CPU jumps between 53C and 73C. This is the common way an air cooler tried to tame a beast like the 3900X. The M22 gave more stable CPU temps, but not impressive.

Setting 3:
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with Swiftech H220 block/pump & EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING 11G-P4-2280-KR with Alphacool Eisblock GPX-N Plexi GeForce RTX 2080 Ti M01 -> 1 x 240 mm radiator from the Swiftech H220

• GPU Clock: 2,050 MHz
• Memory Clock: 1,950 MHz

The GPU clock stayed longer in the 2,000 MHz range, with a more stable VDDC and a GPU temperature never higher than 58C. This was impressive!
The CPU was in the 60C for most of the time, with rare peaks at 78C. Even this was impressive, most of all considering that the CPU and GPU share the same radiator.

 

[Mousemagician]

Now it's time for benchmarks!!!

F1 2018 - Hungarian GP Benchmark, Dry - 4K

Setting 1:
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with NZXT M22 & EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING 11G-P4-2280-KR with stock heatsink -> 1 x 120 mm radiator from the M22

• GPU Clock: 2,050 MHz
• Memory Clock: 1,800 MHz

Setting 2:
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with stock heatsink & EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING 11G-P4-2280-KR with EVGA HYBRID Kit for EVGA/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC/XC2/FE, 400-HY-1384-B1 -> 1 x 120 mm radiator from the EVGA HYBRID Kit

• GPU Clock: 2,050 MHz
• Memory Clock: 1,950 MHz

Shadow of The Tomb Raider - Game Benchmark - 4K

Setting 2:
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with stock heatsink & EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING 11G-P4-2280-KR with EVGA HYBRID Kit for EVGA/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC/XC2/FE, 400-HY-1384-B1 -> 1 x 120 mm radiator from the EVGA HYBRID Kit

• GPU Clock: Stock
• Memory Clock: Stock

• GPU Clock: 2,050 MHz
• Memory Clock: 1,800 MHz

Setting 3:
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with Swiftech H220 block/pump & EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GAMING 11G-P4-2280-KR with Alphacool Eisblock GPX-N Plexi GeForce RTX 2080 Ti M01 -> 1 x 240 mm radiator from the Swiftech H220

• GPU Clock: 2,050 MHz
• Memory Clock: 1,950 MHz

 

[Mousemagician]

Thoughts in the aftermath

At the end, this monster ITX system came out quite nice: excellent temps, great gaming sessions at 4K! Not noisy, except that when gaming fans and pump ramp-up, but good with my headset.

I am mostly impressed that my 8-year old Swiftech H220 is still kicking-in like a charm.

Here the original build with the H220. Man, it was looooong ago!

If I had to change it, I would go with the Swiftech Apogee Drive II (AM4), as recommended in this video from Optimum Tech



Lastly, a comment about the aluminum side panels: it's the only way I would use the Ophion Evo!

If you read up to here, thank you very much!

 

[Mousemagician]

To the SFF community:

I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to move this thread from here to the SFF Gallery.
I am under the impression that the SFF Gallery is a better place for posting SFF builds like this one.
Can anybody help?​

Thanks

 

[ZeqOBpf6]

This is awesome

 

[Mousemagician]

This is awesome

Thanks, ZeqOBpf6!
I am very happy, but there is now a little evil voice inside me that says: what about a Threadripper 3 system?
It does not make sense even thinking about it, I just need a good gaming system... but the nerd roots are deep in my soul. Please, help!

 

[Mousemagician]

Finally, the VGA sits properly!

Raijintek offered to solve the mis-positioning of the VGA standoffs.
They shipped me a plate from Taiwan on Jan 3rd 2020, and I received it on Jan 8th 2020 (in USA). This is a real fast international shipping!

Thanks a lot to BR from the Raijintek customer service!

Some pics about how to position the new plate.
Here how it was before:

Then, the re-positioned plate:

...and the final result, just right!

Now, I am a happy camper!

 

[N4CR]

Impressive build dude! Amazed you got it all fitting in there, love the case too.

 

[Mousemagician]

Impressive build dude! Amazed you got it all fitting in there, love the case too.

Yup!
And it was fun too, once I understood how to do it.

 

[IdiotInCharge]

Great SSF builds are difficult to pull off -- it takes dedication to get the details right, congratulations on an inspiring finished product!

 

[Mousemagician]

Great SSF builds are difficult to pull off -- it takes dedication to get the details right, congratulations on an inspiring finished product!

Thanks!!!
I know we share the same passion for good challenges.
To full disclosure, the Optimum Tech YouTube videos are really inspiring and have triggered my build.