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.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large product picture along with the company logo, the fan used and the mainboard/CPU compatibility are placed at the front of the box.

Warranty information is printed on the left side and on the right, we see a few words about both the heatsink and the Kaze Flex Slim 120 PWM fan used.

Five product drawings are located at the rear of the box and are used to showcase the product specifications.

The bundle is placed inside another cardboard box located on top of the cooler.

Along with the Big Shuriken 3 you will also receive a tube with thermal conductive material, double-sided 3M tape, backplate, installation guide and all the bits and pieces required to mount the cooler onto Intel LGA775/1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2+ mainboards.

THE BIG SHURIKEN 3

The Big Shuriken 3 is a mid-sized low-profile CPU cooler that measures 122mm in length, 122mm in width and 69mm in height with a weight of 475g.

This time over Scythe has placed a black shroud/cover around the cooler which has their logo at the front.

Scythe has equipped the Big Shuriken 3 with a Kaze Flex Slim 120 PWM fluid dynamic bearing fan that can hit speeds of up to 1800RPM to produce up to 50.79CFM of airflow and 1.35mmH2O of air-pressure with 30.4dBA of noise.

From the sides we can see that the heatsink is made out of 68 aluminum fins (and of course the black shroud which improves cooling efficiency by keeping air between the fins).

Taking a look at the belly/underside of the cooler it's easy to see what steps Scythe took (asymmetrical design) in order to make the Big Shuriken 3 a zero-clearance model.

Five 6mm nickel-plated all-copper heatpipes pass through all of the fins.

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

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   As we have stated in the past the Intel I7-3770k system is not located in our lab and so it's obviously not our primary choice when testing CPU Coolers. Still since HTPC/SFF models shouldn’t be used with our overclocked Core I7-3930k we have decided to take this path whenever one such model lands at our doorstep. As always our first concern is ambient temperatures so once again we keep the room temperature to around 21-23 degrees (not really hard but unfortunately not 100% accurate as in our lab) and as always to successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application (for around 6-10 minutes) to push the processor to its limits so we can record its temperatures. After that is done, 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 was then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results were off. As many of you have pointed out time and again this procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures are 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.

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   It so happened that the same time we tested the NH-L9i Chromax.Black by Noctua we also tested the Big Shuriken 3 by Scythe and so if you saw both coolers next to each other you’d see that the name of the latter is well justified. Because of its size however (not the largest low-profile CPU cooler in the market but also far from the smallest one also) and the high-speed 120mm fan used the Big Shuriken 3 produces cooling efficiency levels not many low-profile models can. On top of that its slim 120mm fan is no more audible than the 90mm fan used with the NH-L9i something which I expect will matter quite a bit for people who are looking to equip their HTPC system with a new CPU cooler.

   At the time of this review the Scythe Big Shuriken 3 CPU Cooler (SCBSK-3000) retails for USD46.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 48Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which is just about right for what you’re getting. Yes, there are better low-profile CPU cooler models in the market currently like the Shadow Rock LP model by be quiet! but they are also larger and so if size is an issue for you the Big Shuriken 3 could be your way out and that’s why we strongly recommend checking it out.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Cooling Efficiency
- Low Profile (69mm)
- Zero Interference (Mainboard Components / RAM)
- Noise Levels

CONS

- Overall Size (Compared To Other Low Profile Models)