INTRODUCTION

   AIO (all in one) liquid CPU coolers may currently be the weapon of choice for enthusiasts, gamers, overclockers and even professionals but CPU air coolers still hold a large percentage of the market mainly because of their somewhat better price/performance ratio. Now it goes without saying that most high-end CPU air coolers are based on large heatsinks paired with at least one 120/140RPM high-RPM fan so as expected noise levels are usually not that low. Take for example the Mugen 5 model by Scythe which we reviewed a while back, it offered very good cooling efficiency but with a maximum of 45.9dBA while at load it's not what we'd call inaudible. Scythe is well aware of that fact so they've begun re-launching all their latest CPU air coolers with low noise levels as their focus and the first one of those models is the Mugen 5 PCGH (PC Games Hardware) which we have with us today.

   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!

   As the name clearly states the Mugen 5 PCGH (PC Games Hardware) is based on the regular Mugen 5 CPU air cooler (the 9th release by Scythe to bear that name) but instead of a single mid-RPM Kaze Flex 120mm PWM fluid-dynamic bearing fan (1200RPM/51.17CFM/1.05mmH2O/24.9dBA) this time over they've paired it with two low-RPM Kaze Flex 120mm PWM fluid-dynamic bearing fans (800RPM/43.03CFM/0.49mmH2O/14.5dBA) mounted in push and pull configuration. By doing this the brand new Mugen 5 PCGH CPU air cooler should not only be considerably quieter compared to its predecessor the "regular" Mugen 5 but it should also produce roughly the same cooling efficiency.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large product picture is placed at the front of the box right beneath the company logo and product name.

The main product features are printed on the two sides of the box in German and English.

Warranty information is placed at the rear of the box in three languages.

The entire bundle is placed inside several pieces of cardboard.

Scythe bundles the Mugen 5 PCGH edition with two 120mm Kaze Flex PWM fan, 4 metal fan mounts, y-fan cable, thermal paste tube, backplate, backplate pad, installation guide and all the necessary mounting hardware for Intel LGA775/1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2+ mainboards.

THE MUGEN 5 PCGH

The main body (heatsink) of the Mugen 5 PCGH measures 130mm in width, 85mm in length and 154.5mm in height (weighs 761g).

Just like with the original Mugen 5 the PCGH version has two holes that pass through all the fins one used to remove/attach the mounting bracket onto the heatsink and the other to secure one of the two screws onto the mainboard/backplate.

The heatsink is made by a total of 39 aluminum fins.

Once again because of its asymmetric design the Mugen 5 PCGH features easy installation and zero clearance issues especially with memory modules.

Same as its predecessor the Mugen 5 PCGH features six 6mm nickel-plated copper heatpipes.

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

The two Kaze Flex PWM 120mm fans (11 blade design) can spin up to 800RPM to produce up to 43.03CFM of airflow and 0.49mmH2O if static pressure with just 14.5dBA of noise.

With both fans mounted the Mugen 5 PCGH now measures 133mm in length and weighs a total of 1020g.

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 takes a lot more time 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

   The original Mugen 5 by Scythe followed the same path as most of its predecessors so it offered very good cooling efficiency thanks to its combination of a large body and a mid-speed fan. Of course even a 1200RPM fan is not completely silent so in order to further improve the performance of the Mugen 5 in that specific area Scythe had to become a bit creative. The brand new Mugen 5 PCGH incorporates two low-speed fans to offer similar cooling efficiency while at the same time producing almost 15% less noise. Now I have to admit that this is not a game changer (especially since even the 45.9dBA at load recorded when testing the Mugen 5 is not a high number) but for people who are looking for a quiet yet high-performance CPU Air Cooler to use in their HTPC the Mugen 5 PCGH is obviously a better choice compared to its predecessor.

   Currently the Mugen 5 PCGH CPU cooler by Scythe retails for 55.98Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which lands it roughly 6-8Euros over the “regular” Mugen 5 model. Personally I think that both models are very good at their job with the first slightly better in terms of cooling efficiency and the second slightly quieter. At the end of the day it all comes down to what your needs are so if you’re looking for a high-performance yet inaudible CPU cooler and size is not an issue then the Mugen 5 PCGH is for you and that’s also why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Very Good Performance
- Zero Clearance Issues with Most Mainboards
- Easy Installation (H.P.M.S II)
- Almost Inaudible (Even At Load)
- Dual Fan Solution

CONS

- Size (For Some)