INTRODUCTION

   They may not be the number 1 choice of gamers, enthusiasts and professionals all over the globe when building a brand new rig (and certainly not mine either) but micro-ATX and mini-ITX sized systems do have one advantage over all else, size. Now we don't see that many low-profile hardware components and peripherals designed specifically for use with micro-ATX and mini-ITX cases but the few we do see are quite good at what they are designed to do. The same of course applies for CPU coolers and Scythe together with their Shuriken line has always been among the strongest supporters of consumers looking to build such a system. One of the latest members to join the Shuriken line of CPU coolers is the Big Shuriken 3 and today we're checking it out.

   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 released two variants of the new low-profile Big Shuriken 3 model, one with a "non-RGB" Kaze Flex Slim fan and one with an RGB fan which we'll probably be testing out later on. Of course, just like any other low-profile CPU cooler the highlights of the brad new Big Shuriken 3 is its height (just 69mm) and its zero clearance with both mainboard components (like heatsinks) and RAM modules. The former was achieved by using a Kaze Flex Slim 120 PWM fan (just 17mm thick - can be replaced with a 25mm thick model/fluid dynamic bearing/1800RPM/50.79CFM/1.35mmH2O/30.4dBA) whereas the latter was possible by shifting the base plate to the right and by using a new asymmetrical design for its fins. The "package" complete 5 nickel plated all-copper heatpipes, Scythe's 3rd generation hyper precision mounting system and a nickel plated copper base.