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Product:
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Scythe MINE CPU Cooler |
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Price:
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$59 (CDN) / $54 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Scythe
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Author:
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Skaal-Tel
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Date:
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May 15th, 2006
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Rating:
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Click image for larger view
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Aside from the heatsink, within the package are the instructions, a collection of retainer hardware, a 3-pin to Molex and RPM
monitor cable, and a plastic thermal paste package. Since this particular heatsink will be attached to a 939 AMD processor, I
will be using the AMD mounting brackets for testing.
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Click image for larger view
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The instructions, while a little confusing with both English and Japanese all over the place, are really very easy to follow and
have crystal clear pictorial directions. Simply apply the thermal paste provided (or use Arctic Silver 5 like I did) and attach
the correct retainers to the heatsink. The retainers snap into place with a bit of effort, and I was not worried about them coming
back out on their own.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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This is the kind of heatsink which you could install without removing the motherboard, but since I was removing my faithful Zalman 7000 for
the review, I had to return the stock AMD bracket system to the A8N-SLI motherboard. These pictures easily illustrate the massive
size of this cooler. Despite its gargantuan nature, there is plenty of clearance all around for motherboard components.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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In these pictures you can see the true genius of this design. Instead of working against the rear exhaust fans, this cooler could
probably work without any fan present inside it at all. Many cases on the market come with a 120mm exhaust fan in the rear as
pictured on this Antec P-150. Even if your case doesn’t have a fan present, there is usually some kind of ventilation, providing a
quick exit for heated air and creating good case airflow. Be careful when placing the heatsink to align the fan's airflow with the
rear of the case since the side of the fan with bracing on it is the side the airflow moves out of.
When placed upright I was initially slightly alarmed by the drooping of the heatsink failing to observe any catastrophe it is
apparent the AMD socket system can handle the load. One further issue to mention is that if your case is very narrow this
heatsink will not fit at all since it almost reaches out of the case. If you have a case window this particular heatsink could
be made to look particularly impressive with a couple well placed LEDs or even a lighted fan in place of the original.
Testing:
The heatsink I replaced in this system with the Scythe MINE CPU Cooler was a still fairly new Zalman CNPS7000-CU. I wanted to see
if I could improve on performance with similar or lesser noise levels.
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At idle with the Zalman, Asus PC probe reported an essentially ambient temperature. Since it is impossible to reach lower than
room temperature with any cooling solution short of phase-change, I couldn't have been happier. Under full load via Prime-95
torture testing, temperatures climbed to 40 degrees and held steady, which isn't too bad, considering that the fan speed is kept
low via the motherboard's built in fan controller. With the Scythe MINE CPU Cooler installed, I read 29 degrees at idle and under
smart fan control no earthshaking changes here. Under load and smart fan control, 39 degrees which is a staggering 1 degree
improvement! Desperate to see if this heatsink was capable of more, I de-activated smart fan and went for broke and achieved
exactly the same temperature. The fan when provided with a full 12V is rated to spin at 1500 RPM, which I can confirm using PC Probe.
At this speed, the fan is barely audible over the rear exhaust and temperature remains a constant 39 degrees. It is difficult to
draw a conclusion from these results which bares the question if the design is so effective that it does not require a powerful fan
to remain steady at 39 degrees? Or is the design incapable of shedding more heat to the air than it does with a half-speed fan?
Nonetheless, it suits my needs perfectly. Nearly noiseless and solid cooling even under 100% load, with a 9 degree over ambient
temperature increase is nothing to sneeze at.
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Conclusion:
If you seek a quiet and relatively powerful heatsink, this is a quality design you may wish to seriously consider.
Despite its large size, it does not interfere with motherboard mounting. Compatible with all 3 currently available
processor types and with clear cut instructions, it should work with almost any system so long as the case is wide
enough. Noise levels are very low, and cooling capacity does not suffer at lower fan speeds. If you want, or should
the fan fail, it is a straightforward procedure to replace the fan with one of your choosing. The finish on the base of
the Scythe MINE CPU Cooler is mirror quality and could not possibly be improved upon. The heatsink is kind of heavy,
while lightweight for its size, and probably shouldn’t be put into a computer case you move around all the time. It
is also not the cheapest design around, so be sure to weigh the pros and cons for yourself. Myself, I am happy to
award the Scythe MINE CPU Cooler a final rating of 9 out of 10.
The heatsink has definitely earned its place inside my rig. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to
visit the Scythe website for more information or discuss them in
our forums.
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Pros:
- Unique heat pipe design
- Low noise with low RPM fan
- Compatible with most systems
- Base finish is mirror perfect
- Contributes positively to case airflow
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Cons:
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