We discuss the features and performances of
two CPU coolers which have very reasonable prices. What are the capabilities of
these moderate-looking products?
Air CPU coolers testing is taking a lot of
our time in the X-bit labs. In 2012, 26 of them are tested and judged by the
new product announcements. The year of 2013 is going to be not that diligent.
However, we have to admit that what we are mostly focused on are expensive and
large coolers, whose performances and efficiency highly exceed most of the
users’ need for their practical applications.
Less costly and fairly small coolers, which
are able to ensure the acceptable CPU temperatures compared to those so-called
boxed ones with the lower noise level, would be more popular. In this part,
therefore, we will consider two of such products, which are called Scythe
Katana 4 and Thermalright TRUE Spirit 90.
The
coolers
Although just being launched recently, they
are available in many stores. Their heatsinks have similar size and type, as
well as their cost. That is why we choose them to make our comparison.
Testing components
Scythe
Katana 4 (SCKTN-4000)
Our first cooler Scythe Katana 4
(SCKTN-4000) is transported in small cardboard on which there are all kinds of
information about this Japanese brand.
Scythe
Katana 4 (SCKTN-4000)
There is one compartment of the box
containing many screws, fasteners, thermal grease, a special key and detailed
installation instruction.
Accessories
containing box
Manufactured in Japan, the cooler’s price
is $29 with the 2-year warranty.
The fourth version of Katana still have the
tower-shape but much larger than the third one. With the dimension of 143x102x100
mm and the weight of 480 gram, the cooler is less tilted than before.
The key enhancement in Katana 4 is the
triple-array heatsink and each of those does have its dedicated heat pipe.
The
triple-array heatsink
This solution improves balance of the heat
distribution between the heatsink fins and optimizes the air flow, although the
resistance to this airflow is more likely to be higher.
Each part of the heatsink includes 42
aluminum plates. Each is 0.3 mm thick and the gap between the press-fitted on
the heatpipes is 2 mm.
Three
heat pipes
The three heat pipes’ diameters are all 6
mm. Their ends are covered with figure caps and soldered to a 38x38 mm
nickel-plated square of copper in the base of the cooler.
The
38x38 mm nickel-plated square of cooper
The quality of the finished products is so
perfect that everything could be reflected in it like a mirror.
The contact surface of the cooler is flat,
but it is strange that the thermal grease suggests the opposite thing that it
does not press down on the CPU uniformly.
The
thermal grease
It must be because of the pressing
mechanism, which is not very powerful. However, the CPU heat-spreader is almost
entirely covered by the cooler.
The Scythe Katana 4 is equipped with a
7-blade 92x25 mm PWM-regulated fan.
The
Kama Flow 2 fan
Through the shape of the blades, it is the
Kama Flow 2 fan but its notable difference from what we can see from what is
showed on the official website of the company: SY9225SL12M-P. In the range of
300 to 2,500, the fan’s rotation speed is set automatically to create the air
flow from 6.7 to 55.6 CFM and still pressure of 0.75 to 2.29 mm of water at the
noise level of 7.2 to 31.1 dBA. The heat-spreader has enough space for the
second fan, but there are no additional screws for them in the box. The usage
life of the fan is unidentified.
Despite its low price, Scythe Katana can be
installed on any contemporary platform. It supports the mainboards with the
processors of Intel LGA775 and AMD’s Socket 754/939/940, so it really is a
wide-spread cooler.
The process is very simple, starting with
the mounting bracket attachment into the cooler’s base:
The
attachment on the AMD | Intel 775/1155(6)/1366 and Intel LGA 2011 respectively
After that, you just need to install the
cooler and fasten its steel or plastic fasteners. If you have already had the
LGA 2011 platform, a cooler which is secured by screws.
The
steel or plastic fasteners
It is because of the pressure force and
reliability that screws become preferable, but as you can see in the picture
about the thermal grease, the perfect fastening is not always ensured.
The gap between Scythe Katana 4 and the
mainboard is 42mm, which is adequate to avoid the conflict with the tall
heatsink on the power components or memory modules.
The
gap between the last edge and the mainboard
The cooler looks surprisingly neat and
compact with the system.
Scythe Katana 4 (SCKTN-4000) specs
·
Dimension of the cooler (fan): 143x103x100
(92x92x25 mm)
·
Weigh: 480g
·
Heatsink material and design: Tripe-array tower
heatsink of aluminum fins on three copper heatpipes 6 mm in diameter going
through the nickel-plated copper base
·
Heatsink fins: 126 (42 x 3)
·
Heatsink fin thickness: 0.3 mm
·
Gap between the fins: 2 mm
·
Fan type and model: Scythe SY9225SL12M-P
·
Fan rotation speed 300 – 2500 RPM (PWM)
·
Airflow: 6.7 – 55.6 CFM
·
Noise: 7.2 – 31.1 dBA
·
Static pressure: 0.75 – 2.29 mmH2O
·
Fan bearings: 1 slide bearing
·
Nominal/ startup fan voltage: 12V
·
Fan current: 0.18 A
·
Approximate max fan power consumption: 2.2 W
·
Supported CPU sockets: LGA 775/1155/1156/1366/2011,
Socket 939/AM2(+)/AM3(+)/FM1(2)
·
Additional: Fan with PWM control, Scythe thermal
paste
·
Recommended price: $29
