Scythe Mugen
Scythe is a Tokyo, Japan based company that has been manufacturing high performance heatsinks since 2002. Although they started with just one heatsink in 2002, they have dozens under their belt today with nine currently in production — not to mention a plethora of fans and other accessories. Scythe is very well known for heatsinks like the Ninja Plus as well as the Scythe Infinity.
You may think the Scythe Mugen looks strikingly similar to the Scythe Infinity — you are right. The two are actually identical with the exception of the included fan being different. For those wondering, the word Mugen actually means “Infinity” in Japanese. The Scythe Mugen is of the tower variety, employing five heatpipes and a unique “Interleaving fin structure” that increases fin density around the heatpipes where it is needed most. The Mugen is compatible with all modern sockets including LGA775, AM2, 939/754/940 and even Intel 478. Scythe has always been very good at ensuring backwards compatibility without the need to purchase additional mounting hardware. Everything you’ll need for these sockets is included in the box. Scythe was kind enough to include a 120mm fan. Although a sleeve bearing model, it has a unique nine-blade design with a 46.5CFM output at only 23.5dBA.
Scythe Mugen Specifications
From: www.scythe-usa.com
- Combined Dimensions: 125 x 116 x 160mm
- Weight: 960g
- Fan Dimensions: < 120 x 120 x 25mm
- Noise Level: 23.5dBA
- Air Flow: 46.5CFM
- Speed: 1,200rpm
There is a huge list of supported sockets and processors detailed on the Scythe web site. Let’s just say that the Mugen can support everything from a Core2 Quad to a socket 754-based Sempron.
Fans mount to the Mugen using clips. Although the Mugen’s clips provide a secure mount, they restrict your fan selection to 25mm thickness fans only. There are several possible fan configuration options, including dual fans in a push-pull setup. Even four fans in a compound fan can be mounted for those feeling very brave. Unfortunately, the Mugen is already quite heavy without a fan. Scythe clearly warns that special care must be taken when mounting four fans — I would whole-heartedly agree. In the case of a single fan, Scythe indicates that best performance is achieved in the standard front-mount configuration as pictured above. Kudos to Scythe for putting polished caps on the heatpipe ends. Let’s face it — heatpipes can look rather rough at the ends at times.
Upon unpacking the Mugen, I was amazed by its size. Simply put, the Mugen is huge. It carries some significant weight and just feels “Big.” Although appearing to have ten heatpipes, there are actually five “U” shaped pipes that appear on opposing sides of the heatsink. This heatsink will definitely not fit in any compact cases but should be short enough to fit into most mid-towers. A big benefit of the tower design is that you need very little clearance between the top of the heatsink and the side of the case. Downdraft, or top-mounted, fan coolers need at least a few centimetres for adequate airflow.
The “Interleaving fin structure” increases fin density around the heatpipes where it is needed most.
The five U-shaped heatpipes make good contact with the base and fins.
Although heatpipes are very effective at transferring heat away from the base, the small, passive sink on top allows for greater dissipation. This is a good design consideration in principal, but there is little to no airflow provided by the 120mm fan in this area. I was pleased to see that this sink was secured very well to the base and heatpipes.
The base quality of the Mugen is very high. It is somewhat polished and very flat as was verified with our glass pane test and straight edge tests. The image of the base was actually taken during the glass pane and water test. As you can see, there is no sign of the water — a very good indicator of the base’s quality.
The Mugen is a “Tool-free” heatsink. Accessories are included for the various mounting systems. It mounts using the OEM style push down clips. Although there are disadvantages to this type of mount, it removes any issues you may have with backplates, which is a common problem these days with the VRM placement on mainboards. A backplate would probably have been beneficial with the Mugen simply because of its weight, but it is a tradeoff: better compatibility chosen over stability. A single set of fan clips is included and additional clips can be purchased separately for other fan configurations.
Socket 775 Installation
Installing the Mugen on our Intel test bed was actually easier than I had expected. I have never been a fan of the OEM-style push down clips, but they got the job done. This observation extends to the retail Intel heatsink as well but special attention must be taken to ensure the posts are “Locked.” Do not even think of trying to install the Mugen while your mainboard is in the case — trust me, take the time to remove it. Inspect the rear of the mainboard with the Mugen installed to ensure the barbs have fully protruded the PCB and are locked. Not only will your temperatures be off the charts if one of the posts is not secured correctly, but you risk having the 1KG Mugen come crashing down inside your case. The mounting posts are much more accessible with the mainboard outside of the case as well. Once all four posts are mounted securely, the Mugen fits snugly on the board. It does not rotate or budge unless significant force is applied.
What a monster! Looks are not always an indication of performance, but I will admit that I have high expectations of the Mugen based on its appearance.
There is approximately 2mm of clearance between the first DIMM slot and the 25mm thick fan — thankfully, they do not touch.
Although it was very tight, the Mugen fit our P5K-E perfectly. It’s almost as if they were designed for each other — there is very little clearance all around, but it fits just fine. Accessing the 8-pin CPU connector was the only challenge once we had the board back in the case. With a little patience, we had it connected. You can see that the board bends quite a bit with the Mugen mounted — as I mentioned earlier, a backplate would have been ideal.
Socket AM2 Installation:
With our board removed from its case, installing the Mugen was a piece of cake. It was unfortunate that I could not mount the Mugen to exhaust towards the rear of the case. This is not a fault of the Mugen, rather AMD’s retention module that cannot be rotated. Nonetheless, the Mugen mounts without issue at this angle. The RAM slots are clearly overhung, but not unusable. You’ll definitely want to install your RAM before mounting the Mugen if your mainboard layout resembles the DFI NF570-M2/G.
There is plenty of clearance between the first PCI-E slot and the fan. Surprisingly, the mount felt nice and secure. The Mugen is so large that it fits perfectly into the confines of the OEM retention module and is actually kept from rotating by the plastic. Again, a backplate would have been nice but I was pleased with the mount regardless.
There is lots of clearance around the socket components. AMD boards generally keep the socket area clear of VRM components. Intel boards, especially the new ones, cram just about everything but the kitchen sink around the socket.
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