INTRODUCTION

   Although i will probably never end up replacing my full-sized systems with small micro-ATX and mini-ITX HTPC ones (or even smaller) i can't overlook the fact that many of the people i know have either started using such systems or already have for many years now. Certainly people who decide on using such systems have a much shorter list of available CPU coolers (low-profile ones) to choose from but one could argue that there's simply no need for more since overclocking is not really on the table (at least not for the majority of users). Now every once in a while we happen to come across a somewhat old product which we never had the chance to test (for a variety of reasons) and the Shuriken Revision B by Scythe is one such product so today we'll be testing it out to see if it can still compare to some of the latest low-profile CPU coolers to hit the market.

   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!

   The Scythe Shuriken Revision B has been around for roughly 6-7 years and is yet another top-down (C-type), low-profile and quite compact CPU cooler just like the AXP-100/200 line by Thermalright so right from the beginning it's clear that this is not a powerful solution and certainly not ment for high-end (high-TDP) CPUs and overclockers. Still thanks to a very low-profile (12mm) 100mm PWM fan (2200RPM/31.91CFM/31.67dBA) the Shuriken Rev.B measures just 64mm in height (weighs 470g with the fan) and so it can fit inside pretty much any case in the market today including the smallest mini-ITX ones. The Shuriken Rev.B also features 3 all-copper 6mm heatpipes, all-copper nickel plated base and a total of 56 aluminum fins. Let's see how it performs.