INTRODUCTION

   Up until recently whenever manufacturers decided to further upgrade existing CPU cooler models their primary goal was to optimize cooling efficiency either by using different or even more than one fan (sometimes at the cost of increased noise levels) or by performing changes to the heatsink itself. As mentioned in previous reviews such changes include increasing the total surface area of the fins, adding more (and if possible larger - that depends on the total fin area) heatpipes and even changing the type of the copper base (direct touch or regular). In an effort to gain a larger market share however lately manufacturers have been upgrading existing models with another thing in mind, RGB lighting. The brand new Mugen 5 Black RGB by Scythe is one such example and today it's on our test bench.

   Scythe Co., Ltd., (Registered and incorporated in Tokyo Japan) originally started its business operation in Japan's famous "Akihabara Electric Town" located in the metropolitan Tokyo, where visitors can find a variety of products from the latest computer parts to the world's most advanced high-tech electric devices. Scythe Co., Ltd., began its operation and business since November, 2002 as a distributor and the manufacturer of passive and low-noise PC parts. Since then, the company has established the R&D facility in Taiwan & China for production and quality control, and the USA office (in Los Angeles, California) & European office (in Hamburg, Germany) for customer care and sales support. At Scythe, we believe that the best ideas for product come simply from knowing customers' needs and their expectations. Based on this philosophy, the PC enthusiasts working at Scythe know what to develop because that is exactly what we would like to have for ourselves too! We offer products with 100% quality assurance and total pride, and if the product has the Scythe name on it, you can rest assure that its quality will be up to the "Zero Tolerance" standards!

   Scythe is clearly focused on one thing lately, to enrich its product lines with RGB lighting and after doing exactly that with their fans next are their CPU coolers. So, the Mugen 5 Black RGB is nearly identical to the original Mugen 5 model (review here) but with two differences/additions, a black anodized top aluminum fin and an Kaze Flex 120 RGB PWM fan (compatible with mainboard RGB sync technologies such as ASUS Aura Sync, ASRock Polychrome Sync, MSI Mystic Light and the GIGABYTE RGB Fusion 2.0). Now the good news is that aside the identical heatsinks according to Scythe both the regular Kaze Flex 120 PWM fan and the new Kaze Flex 120 RGB PWM fan also share the same exact specifications (1200RPM/51.17CFM/1.05mmH2O/24.9dBA) so the new Mugen 5 Black RGB should produce roughly the same cooling results as the "regular" Mugen 5 model. Time to see if that's the case.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

At the front of the box we see a large product picture surrounded by the mainboard compatibility list, the RGB compatible technologies and the company logo.

The main product features are listed on the left side of the box whereas on the right side we find the product specifications printed in 6 languages.

Warranty and warning information can be found at the rear of the box in 3 languages.

The bundle is placed inside a cardboard box as seen above.

Inside the box you will find the Mugen 5 Black RGB heatsink, Kaze Flex 120 RGB fan, 4 fan clips (you can use a 2nd fan in push & pull), Philips screwdriver, thermal paste tube, installation guide, backplate and all the necessary screws, standoffs and brackets to mount the cooler onto Intel LGA 775/1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2+ mainboards.

THE MUGEN 5 BLACK RGB

Just like the regular Mugen 5 the main body (heatsink) of the Mugen 5 Black RGB measures 130mm in width (136mm with the fan clips), 85mm in length and 154.5mm in height (weighs 761g).

The top black anodized aluminum fin at the top is the only difference found on the heatsink.

As with previous models these two holes are where you will insert the bundled screwdriver in order to secure the H.P.M.S II mounting system.

Once again, we see that the heatsink is made by a grand total of 39 aluminum fins.

The asymmetric design of the cooler allows for easy installation and zero clearance issues with both mainboard components and memory modules.

According to Scythe the design of the fins should increase airflow inside the heatsink.

As with the original Mugen 5 the Mugen 5 Black RGB features a total of six 6mm nickel-plated copper heatpipes.

The large copper base features a mirror like finish (nickel plated) as you can see from the above picture.

Scythe has used their brand new Kaze Flex 120 RGB PWM fan which can spin up to 1200RPM to produce up to 51.17CFM of airflow and 1.05mmH2O if static pressure with just 24.9dBA of noise.

This fan also features rubber vibration absorbing pads on each of its 4 corners.

With the Kaze Flex 120 RGB PWM fan installed the Mugen 5 Black RGB now measures 110mm in length and weighs 890g.

Here you can see some of the colors of the Kaze Flex 120 RGB PWM fan.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan, we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally, it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures, we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded, we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure is more time consuming than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here, we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   Being identical with its predecessor the original Mugen 5 the Mugen 5 Black RGB had a specific number it had to hit in our charts and even though it didn’t a difference of just over 1 degree Celsius is far from a game breaker. As expected, the same applied for the Kaze Flex 120 RGB PWM fan since it scored almost the same number as the fan used in the Mugen 5. So overall there’s nothing to complain about th Mugen 5 Black RGB. Yes, it may not look as good as the Mugen 5 ARGB Plus (nor does it perform the same) but it’s a single fan solution aimed towards people who don’t want a light show in their towers.

   At the time of this review the Mugen 5 Black RGB CPU Cooler by Scythe counts less than two weeks in the market (announced less than a month ago) and currently retails for around 50Euros inside the EU (unfortunately USA availability seems to be close to zero right now) giving it a very good price/performance ratio. All in all, the Mugen 5 Black RGB may not be the best CPU cooler out there currently but it's just as good as its predecessor with the addition of RGB lighting and that's why it comes highly recommended by us, especially for consumers on a relatively low budget.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Good Performance
- RGB Lighting (Mainboard & Manually Adjusted)
- Zero Clearance Issues with Most Mainboards
- Easy Installation (H.P.M.S III)

CONS

- Size (For Some)
- Current Availability