Scythe Mugen SCINF-1000

Ever since Heatpipe Direct Touch (HDT) technology was first introduced in exposed copper heatpipe coolers such as the Zaward VIVO, Xigmatek HDT-S1283, and OCZ Vendetta, overall heatsink sizes have been reduced while the cooling performance has dramatically improved. Not eveyone is a believer in the new cooling technique, and some manufacturers have stuck by their tried-and-true designs. Benchmark Reviews has received the Scythe Mugen 5-Heatpipe CPU Cooler SCINF-1000, and the practice of "bigger is better" will be put to the test.

Over the summer of 2007 Benchmark Reviews was hard at work testing some of the best CPU coolers on the market. Nearly every product we tested fell into one of three categories:

• Very efficient design with small footprint
• Large inefficient design with large footprint
• Everything else in-between

Probably the largest air-cooled solution of the bunch was the Scythe Mugen 5-Heatpipe CPU Cooler SCINF-1000.

Marketed as a "Quad-Core Ready" cooling solution, Scythe offers the heavyweight Mugen to tame temperatures with five independent heatpipes and up to four 120mm cooling fans.

About the company: Scythe USA

Here is the company outline as it is presented from the Scythe website:

Selected PC Parts for DIY PC Experts

So who is Scythe? What do they do? Many of you are asking this question while surfing our website. Scythe Co., Ltd. (Registered & incorporated in Tokyo Japan) originally started in Akihabara Electric Town located in Tokyo Japan, where visitors can find the latest electric products from computer parts and accessories to the world's most advanced cellular phones with video camera capabilities, small displays and the ability to play movies!

Scythe Co., Ltd., began its operation and business in November, 2002 as a distributor and manufacture of PC parts & gaming devices for "DIY PC Experts!". For more information about Scythe Japan HQ, please visit the website at: www.scythe.co.jp (If you read Japanese!). Scythe's first venture was to manufacture a super powerful YET super quiet CPU cooler (Scythe Kamakaze CPU cooler), and with the great success of this Kamakaze CPU cooler, Scythe became recognized as the leading CPU cooler supplier in Japan's Akihabara Electric Town. Shortly there after, due to popular demand, Scythe began exporting products all over the world.

In April of 2004 Scythe USA began local operations by establishing an office in Northern California. In October of 2004 Scythe USA moved operations to LA in order to work more closely with manufactures and streamline logistics to better service our US based partners. Have you seen/heard anything interesting, from Japan's Akihabara electric town that you'd like us to import to the US? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you!

Features & Specifications

The Scythe Mugen 5-Heatpipe CPU Cooler SCINF-1000 is made from aluminum fins and copper heatpipes feeding into a copper base housed inside a smaller aluminum heatsink.

Model Name: MUGEN CPU Cooler (originally named "Infinity")
Model Number: SCINF-1000
Manufacturer: Scythe Co., Ltd. Japan
Dimensions: 125 x 116 x 160mm
Gross Weight: 960g

Closer Look: Scythe Mugen

You can't resist being amazed by how large the Scythe Mugen is when you remove it from the retail package. The first thing I thought about was how heavy this cooler is, and if it would somehow warp my motherboard with the uncommon load hanging from the side. Thankfully I had previously tested the Ultra ChillTec TEC CPU Cooler ULT33186, which in comparison is actually slightly heavier, and it never caused me any problems. After dismissing my false fear, I tried to break myself from clinging onto the massive size. When you make a 5-Heatpipe CPU Cooler capable of holding four 120mm cooling fans, you don't think small - and Mugen SCINF-1000 is far from it.

Scythe has used a unique design in their Mugen CPU Cooler. While copper heatpipes mounted to a copper base is nothing new, I don't recall too many others products with a heatsink attached to the base. SCINF-1000

Looking closely at the lower heatsink, my imagination slips and begins to see an old LGA370 or Socket 7 heatsink nestled under the large alternating aluminum fins. I suppose that if the possibility of having four 120mm cooling fans creating a tornado-like turbulence around the Scythe Mugen isn't enough for you, then there just might be enough space to put another slim 40mm cooling fan atop the lower heatsink.

From the angled side view above you get a good idea of how dedicated Scythe is to their design. I have seen a lot of CPU coolers in my time, and after the past ten cooler reviews I have not seen one single manufacturer create individually bent heatpipes for their product. At least not until I saw the Mugen SCINF-1000.

So Scythe has demonstrated that the Mugen 5-Heatpipe CPU Cooler uses all the key ingredients for a successful cooling solution: copper heatpipes and base, many large aluminum fins, and plenty of fans.

Continue on to the next section where the SCINF-1000 gets examined up close and we begin our performance testing.

SCINF-1000 Detailed Features

Continuing on with our detailed look at the Scythe Mugen, we begin with a nice shot of the mating surface. The SCINF-1000 utilizes a pure copper base to mate the five heatpipes to the CPU surface. This base is perfectly smooth, and polished to a mirror finish. Some extremists might think that additional surface treatment would be necessary, but I assure you that no amount of lapping or polishing will offer any additional cooling performance.

Scythe took a unique approach when they designed the Mugen. Most poeple probably won't even notice the alternating placement of the aluminum fins which comprise the large finsink, but Scythe has even gone a step further by giving this design a name: IIFS (Infinity Interleave Fin Structure). By alternating the placement, Scythe has created an enormous cooling surface for the SCINF-1000.

Built into the outline of each aluminum finsink plate is an indention for the wire bracket which holds the 120mm cooling fan(s). The SCINF-1000 ships with one fan, but if that's not enough to create a jetstream inside your case you can use the SCY-12FC fan clips to add another three.

Another unique feature is the heatpipe end-caps. While I at first thought this was a bit extreme for a cooler, I later came to appreciate the extra effort, since the aluminum plates on the last three coolers I have reviewed (Zaward VIVO, Xigmatek HDT-S1283, and OCZ Vendetta) all seem to lift off without much effort. It's great that Scythe has built the Mugen to last. Sadly, I wish other manufacturers would take product longevity into consideration more often. Perhaps they can read this and take a cue from Scythe's extra effort.

Scythe has included everything you need to get the Mugen CPU Cooler installed and cooling your processor. A single set SCY-12FC fan clips is included with the SCINF-1000, along with retaining clips for installation into Intel socket (T) LGA775, 478, and AMD's socket AM2, 940, 939, and 754. Scythe decided that this cross-platform compatibility deserved a name: VTMS (Versatile Tool-free Multi-platform System). Phew! Okay, that's the last of Scythe's acronym names, I promise.

Scythe has also included a small pouch of silicon oxide-based thermal interface material. This sort of TIM would work great with most coolers, especially those with aluminum or alloy base materials. However it becomes a mess when applied to copper, as the metal is instantly oxidized and created a dark paste as soon as it's smeared. This doesn't really decrease the TIM's effectiveness, but it doesn't help it either.

Fan Specifications:

• Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25 mm
• Noise Level: 23.5 dBA
• Air Flow: 46.5 CFM
• Speed: 1,200rpm (±10%)

The Mugen 5-Heatpipe CPU Cooler receives forced air cooling from a special Scythe SY1225SL12M 120mm cooling fan. This fan uses a curved blade design which reduces wind noise while improving airflow. The fan operates under 0.30A, which makes it one fierce little cooler.

In our next section, Benchmark Reviews pits the monstrous Mugen against our best competitors. We'll see if all the muscle really equals might.

CPU Cooler Testing Methodology

Testing was conducted at a series of temperature intervals, with the ambient room temperature measuring the same for each cooler's reading. Lavalys EVEREST rounds up temperature readings to the nearest whole number, however all ambient temperatures were recorded and accurate to one-tenth of a degree Celsius.

EVEREST Ultimate Engineer Version 4.20.1170 was utilized to measure all CPU temperatures. It should be noted that temperatures obtained through software most always reflect the thermistor readings as recorded by the BIOS. All of the units compared in the results were tested on the same motherboard using the same BIOS. These readings are not absolute or correct, but they are relative since every BIOS is programmed differently.

Test System

For each test, the computer system was powered on and left idle for ten minutes prior to recording the idle temperature with EVEREST. After idle temperatures have been recorded, two console versions of the Folding @ Home client were simultaneously run to create full load on both CPU cores. After ten minutes of full load, the temperature was again recorded. This process was identical for all cooling solutions used in this test, and was repeated for each ambient temperature interval.

Scythe Mugen Results

Up first are the results under idle load. The CPU temperature is listed vertically along the left-hand side of the chart, and the ambient room temperature is displayed for each group along the bottom. In this test battery, the OEM cooler provided by Intel with the Core 2 Duo E6600 was used as a reference, which offered a high-temperature baseline reading.

When I tested each cooler, I made certain to keep the hardware settings identical across the entire test platform. I used the same front side bus and clock speeds, which would enable me to clearly compare the performance of each product under identical conditions. As the ambient room temperature would increase, all of the coolers I have ever tested would also record higher readings (all except for the Ultra ULT33186 Chilltec TEC CPU Cooler). Since the OEM cooler supplied by Intel was the first unit to be tested, there was quite a difference between the ambient room temperature and the temperature of the cooler (41° C idle at 23° C ambient room temperature).

At idle, the Scythe Mugen 5-Heatpipe CPU Cooler SCINF-1000 was recording results around 9° C over the ambient room temperature, which is good. The average temperature of 33° C recorded at 23° C ambient was exceptional, but nowhere near the Ultra Chilltec, and a few degrees warmer than the Zaward VIVO, OCZ Vendetta, and Xigmatek HDT-S1283 which all use the HDT technology. But the heat had just started to be applied, and once I completed tests on the other coolers it would be time for real cooling under serious load.

Under full load, the Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 began to create tremendous heat. The little Intel OEM cooler, despite its inserted copper base, gave the worst results anyone could suffer recording, registering 59° C at full load while the room's ambient temperature remained 23° C. But that's what you come to expect from a bundled cooler, right? Sadly this must be the case, because I still hear of many users (even some gamers and hardware enthusiasts) which still use the stock reference cooler. I feel for those of you in this situation, I really do...

...but there are some very good reasons to evolve, or at least save up your money and upgrade. Previously, the very expensive Ultra ULT33186 Chilltec TEC CPU Cooler held the crown for cooling, if only by a very small margin. In all honesty, the Zaward Sylphee ZCJ003 CPU Cooler was the real king of the hill prior to these tests, since it is roughly half the size of everything here. current champion "Champion of Cool" is the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 Exposed Copper Heatpipe CPU Cooler, which defeated all challengers with a maximum recorded temperature of only 39° C in a 23° C ambient room temperature and at full load. But what about the Scythe Mugen?

To my disappointment all of that extra cooling surface and those five copper heatpipes were not enough to secure a top-three position in our rankings. While the Scythe Mugen was not a top finalist, it certainly was good enough to rank among the top-ten. I think this is all the proof I needed to be convinced that Heatpipe Direct Touch designs are going to be the next standard for CPU coolers. If coolers like the Zaward VIVO PCJ004 and OCZ Vendetta can outperform the Mugen with half the footprint or more, it seems evolution has made up its mind.

Final Thoughts

Scythe Mugen 5-Heatpipe CPU Cooler SCINF-1000

When I started my testing on the Scythe Mugen 5-Heatpipe CPU Cooler SCINF-1000, I was just finishing the last of four Heatpipe Direct Touch (HDT) CPU coolers. It was difficult not to be a little disappointed to see a product the size of an air-conditioning unit not be able to outperform products more comparable to a table-top fan. But I forged ahead, and did my job. Scythe isn't going to like reading this, as it means the dawn of a new era which doesnt have a place for nearly their entire product line of CPU coolers.

But as they say in America (and probably everywhere else): "If you can't beat them, join them". I hope this will become the situation, and the good people at Scythe who have provided us with high-end cooling solutions for the past several years will again regain their position as the King of Cool. For now though the mighty Mugen can run with the best, but it can't beat them. And when you're a product that costs more, weighs more, and is far larger than the best, this is a recipe for doom.

Conclusion: Scythe Mugen

Scythe offers the Mugen SCINF-1000 is an eye-catching retail package which has marketing catch-phrases scattered in both English and Japanese. With such a large product inside there's still a lot of room left over for product specifics, and plenty of product imagery.

When it comes to the product appearance summary, I am am left with very little more to say that already hasn't been throughout this article. The Scythe Mugen is huge. It's probably the largest CPU cooler I have seen to-date. With five copper heatpipes traveling up through more aluminum fins than any other CPU cooler I have ever reviewed, the SCINF-1000 is impressive. Even with only one 120mm cooling fan the Mugen is a monster; so just imagine how it would look on a system with fans on every side.

Where Scythe struggles in some areas, it excels in others. The construction of the Mugen is second to none. Let me repeat that: Scythe's Mugen is absolutely the best made CPU cooler I have seen. For every bit of size, it offers even more rugged durability. If you're rough with your equipment, then the Mugen is perfect for you.

The downside to being so much larger than the average CPU cooler is that everyone expects you to be that much better. In terms of functionality, this just doesn't hold true for the Mugen. The SCINF-1000 cooler did perform well, but nowhere near the level of HDT coolers. With the enormous size, I begin to wonder if heatpipe efficiency is to blame for the poor results? Perhaps it's time for Scythe to redesign their product platform with some new technology, because throwing copious amounts of metal into a product isn't solving the problem.

At the time of this writing, the Scythe Mugen (also named Infinity) has been on the market for one year. Still available to enthusiast for $40.99, the price point is in-line with performance. Still, since smaller products offer better performance at a better price, it's difficult to see the value in a product like the Mugen SCINF-1000 unless your application clearly calls for the extra size.

In conclusion, I find myself delivering a sad verdict for the Scythe Mugen CPU Cooler. It's time to retreat and regroup, and come back with something that competes with the Heatpipe Direct Touch design that seems to be dominating the performance results across the web. Can I recommend the Mugen SCINF-1000? Not unless you have a special circumstance that requires a massive cooler to handle extreme heat situations, such as a massive overclock attempt. Otherwise you're better off looking elsewhere.

Pros:

+ High-quality construction
+ Respectable cooling performance
+ Best for extreme temperature projects
+ Attractive design
+ Five copper heatpipe rods
+ Mounts up to four 120mm cooling fans

Cons:

- Motherboard removal is required
- Very large footprint
- Difficult product installation and removal
- Silicon TIM material supplied oxidizes copper surface

Ratings:

• Presentation: 8.75
• Appearance: 9.0
• Construction: 10.0
• Functionality: 8.00
• Value: 7.75

Final Score: 8.7 out of 10.

Questions? Comments? Benchmark Reviews really wants your feedback. We invite you to leave your remarks in our Discussion Forum.

Related Articles:

• Xigmatek Achilles S1284 HDT CPU Cooler
• Xigmatek XP-S964 Copper Heatpipe 92mm CPU Cooler
• Best CPU Cooler Performance - Q2 2008
• Best CPU Cooler Performance - Q1 2008
• Kingwin RVT-12025 HDT CPU Cooler
• NZXT HAVIK 140 CPU Cooler
• Best CPU Cooler Performance LGA775 - Q4 2008
• Xigmatek HDT-S1283 Exposed Copper Heatpipe CPU Cooler
• Thermaltake MaxOrb CL-P0369 CPU Cooler
• Zaward Sylphee ZCJ003 CPU Cooler