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.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Two product pictures are placed at the front of the box along with a few words about its height and the used fan.

The contents of the bundle are listed on the left side of the box right above 3 pictures showcasing the available mounting hardware.

Some product features are listed on the right side.

You can find a detailed list of specifications at the rear of the box in 6 languages.

Contained in the box is the Shuriken Rev.B CPU cooler with the 100mm PWM fan already mounted, small plastic pouch with thermal conductive material, installation guide and mounting hardware for Intel LGA 478/775/1150/1151/1155/1156/1366 and AMD 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2/FM2+ mainboards.

THE SHURIKEN REV.B

The Scythe Shuriken Rev.B is a compact low-profile CPU cooler that weighs 470g and measures 116mm in depth, 105mm in width and 64mm in height.

A low-profile (12mm thick) 100mm PWM fan is mounted at the top of the cooler. This fan can reach speeds of up to 2200RPM to produce airflow levels of up to 31.91CFM with up to 31.67dBA of noise.

Aside the main body of the cooler that has a total of 56 aluminum fins the Shuriken Rev.B also has a large heatsink placed on its base.

All three 6mm copper heatpipes leave the base and go through all of the aluminum fins.

The nickel plated copper base is smooth, flat and has a nice mirror-like finish.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   As we have stated in the past the Intel I7-3770k system is not placed in our lab and so it's obviously not our primary choice when testing CPU Coolers. Still since HTPC oriented 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

   The Shuriken Rev.B low-profile CPU cooler by Scythe already counts 7 years in the market and that means it’s several generations behind compared to most low-profile models in the market today (although technology has remained pretty much still in that part of the industry). Still even so as you can tell from our charts it can still go up against the likes of the AXP-200 without producing more noise so that’s not bad at all. Newer models like the NH-D9L by Noctua and the Macho 90 by Thermalright do outperform the Shuriken Rev.B and are obviously recommended for more demanding users but as you will all see next they are also quite more expensive.

   Scythe has always done a great job keeping the price of their CPU coolers down to earth and with a current price tag set at USD34.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 35Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the Shuriken Rev.B (SCSK-1100) is priced roughly 25-30% cheaper compared to the CPU coolers we mentioned earlier. At the end of the day the Shuriken Rev.B by Scythe may not be among the top low-profile CPU coolers in the market today but even after roughly 7 years around it still offers a very good price/cooling efficiency ratio and for that it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality
- Low-Profile (64mm In Height)
- Good Cooling Efficiency
- Socket Compatibility
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Already 7 Years in the Market (Update?)