Scythe hit a home run for SPCR with the original Ninja heatsink a couple of years ago. Since then, the competition has stiffened, and despite several updates, the Ninja lost some of its luster. Is the Ninja 2 another homer?
December 5, 2008 by Lawrence Lee
Product | Scythe Ninja 2 LGA775/K8/S478 CPU Cooler |
Manufacturer | Scythe |
Street Price | US$40~50 |
Though many excellent heatsinks have passed through the lab over the years,
we still have a soft spot for the original Scythe
Ninja. It may be the nostalgia associated with the excitement we felt about its unprecendented performance at the time, or it could simply
be how it looks. There’s something about its uniform design that tugs at our
geeky heart-strings. Despite its girth, it came off as elegant and unpresumptious.
It didn’t have staggered fins or heatpipes curving every which way or claim
in engrish to have reinvented thermodynamics — it just was.
Since then there have been many incarnations of the Ninja. The Ninja Plus included
a fan. The Ninja Plus Rev.B added AM2 support and LGA775 push-pin mounting (unfortunately).
The Ninja Mini was a cut-down
version for smaller cases. The Ninja
Copper was even heavier than the original, prompting Scythe to re-introduce
a backplate mount system, and, of course, its shiny copper construction left us
mesmerized. Now, Scythe has changed the design enough that they have proclaimed
this last Ninja as its true successor, the Ninja 2. Is it worthy of the title?
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Scythe Ninja 2: Key Features (from the product web page) | |
Feature & Brief | Our Comment |
Improved Performance Performance improvement has accomplished for this version 2 as 5% in fanless operation (TDP 65W at 25C/77F ambient temperature) and 15% in active cooling operation (TDP 130W at 25C/77F ambient temperature). Fin shape and fin pitch have been also modified to maximize the performance | Design changes have increased the fin surface area without extending beyond the original Ninja’s dimensions. |
Specially Tuned Scythe “Slip Stream” 120mm Case Fan To have the best optimized fan for Ninja 2 CPU Cooler, Scythe original designed “Slip Stream” 120mm case fan specifically tuned to 1000rpm to maximize the performance and low noise level. | Slip Streams are very smooth sounding fans. This one sits between the 800rpm and 1200rpm models in the retail lineup. |
Universal Socket Compatibility with Most Major Sockets Ninja 2 CPU Cooler is compatible for socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/AM2+ & LGA775. All in one solution for your PC system. | Along with LGA775 and K8 support, Scythe continues to offer S478 compatibility. |
Scythe Ninja 2: Specifications (from the product web page) | |
Model Name | NINJA 2 |
Model Number | SCNJ-2000 |
Manufacturer | Scythe Co., Ltd. Japan |
Overall Dimensions | 116 x 116 x 152mm / 4.57 x 4.57 x 5.98in |
Fan Dimensions | 120 x 120 x 25 mm |
Fan Speed | 1000rpm (±10%) |
Fan Noise Level | 20.50dBA |
Air Flow | 52.90CFM |
Bearing Type | Sleeve Bearing |
PHYSICAL DETAILS
Ninja 2 (left) vs. original Ninja (right). Both the heatpipe and fin design have been modified compared to the original. The heatpipes are spread further apart like the Mini and Copper versions, and the ends are capped. The fin spacing has also been decreased allowing for four extra fins. (Note: The caps of the original Ninja heatpipes were yanked off for some now-forgotten experiment.)
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INSTALLATION
When it comes to installation, the most critical thing is for
the heatsink to be securely mounted. The more firmly and securely it is installed, the
better the contact between the heatsink’s base and the CPU itself. Ease of installation is also important — a simple
mounting scheme means less time spent installing, and a reduced likelihood
of user error.
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Though the Scythe Copper had a back-plate, the Ninja
2 isn’t so lucky. It seems like a kilogram of CPU cooler is required to make
Scythe abandon the standard LGA775 push-pins they use on most of their heatsinks.
Without a backplate, the strain on the motherboard is enormous.
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LGA775 installation is difficult — with the corner slits
blocked off, there is no screw-driver access. You’d have to be a magician to install without removing
the board from the case. The bottom fin is so low you’ll be lucky to fit more
than a finger above the push-pins, and even then you won’t be able to see
anything unless you place the board at eye-level. Funny enough, applying enough
torque to turn the push-pins to the unlock position was far more difficult
than engaging them, even with good visibility. Without screwdriver access,
the push-pin system’s only advantage, convenience, is rendered moot. The AMD mounting clip is nothing
to write home about either, relying only on the strength of two notches on the
socket’s plastic retention module.
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TESTING
Some basic physical measurements have been
added to our test routine.
Scythe Ninja 2: Approximate Physical Measurements | |
Weight | 700g (heatsink alone) 740g (including mounting hardware) 860g (including mounting hardware and stock fan) 870g (including mounting hardware and reference Nexus fan) |
Fin thickness | 0.39 mm |
Fin spacing | 3.68 mm |
Vertical Clearance | 44 mm (measured from the PCB surface) |
Horizontal Overhang | 8 mm (measured from the edge of the heatsink to the top edge of our test motherboard’s PCB) |
Comparison: Approximate Fin Thickness & Spacing | ||
Heatsink | Fin Thickness | Fin Spacing |
Scythe Ninja | 0.31 mm | 3.95 mm |
Scythe Ninja 2 | 0.39 mm | 3.68 mm |
Thermalright HR-01 Plus | 0.45 mm | 3.15 mm |
Noctua NH-U12P | 0.44 mm | 2.63 mm |
Noctua NH-C12P | 0.47 mm | 2.54 mm |
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 | 0.33 mm | 1.96 mm |
Zerotherm Zen FZ120 | 0.37 mm | 1.80 mm |
Thermalright Ultra-120 | 0.45 mm | 1.42 mm |
Testing was done according to our
unique heatsink testing methodology, and the reference fan was profiled
using our standard fan testing
methodology. This is the first time the Nexus 120mm fan has been measured for SPL in the anechoic chamber. The numbers are lower than obtained before; the actual fan noise hasn’t changed. A quick summary of the components, tools, and procedures
follows below.
Key Components in Heatsink Test Platform:
- Intel
Pentium D 950 Presler core. TDP of 130W; under our test load, it measures
78W including efficiency losses in the VRMs. - ASUS
P5LD2-VM motherboard. A basic microATX board with integrated graphics
and plenty of room around the CPU socket. - Samsung MP0402H
40GB 2.5″ notebook drive - 1
GB stick of Corsair XMS2 DDR2 memory. - FSP Zen 300W
fanless power supply. - Arctic Silver
Lumière: Special fast-curing thermal interface material, designed
specifically for test labs. - Nexus 120 fan (part of our standard testing methodology; used when
possible with heatsinks that fit 120x25mm fans)
Nexus 120 fan measurements in anechoic chamber | ||
Voltage | Noise | RPM |
12V | 16 dBA@1m | 1100 RPM |
9V | 13 dBA@1m | 890 RPM |
7V | 12 dBA@1m | 720 RPM |
5V | 11 dBA@1m | 530 RPM |
Measurement and Analysis Tools
- Seasonic
Power Angel for measuring AC power at the wall to ensure that the
heat output remains consistent. - Custom-built, four-channel variable DC power supply, used to regulate
the fan speed during the test. - PC-based spectrum analyzer:
SpectraPlus with ACO Pacific mic and M-Audio digital
audio interfaces. - Anechoic chamber
with ambient level of 11 dBA or lower - Various other tools for testing fans, as documented in our
standard fan testing methodology. - SpeedFan
4.32, used to monitor the on-chip thermal sensor. This sensor is not
calibrated, so results are not universally applicable. - CPUBurn
P6, used to stress the CPU heavily, generating more heat than most
real applications. Two instances are used to ensure that both cores are stressed. - Throttlewatch
2.01, used to monitor the throttling feature of the CPU to determine
when overheating occurs.
Load testing was accomplished using CPUBurn to stress the processor, and the
graph function in SpeedFan was used to make sure that the load temperature was
stable for at least ten minutes. The stock fan was tested at various voltages
to represent a good cross-section of its airflow and noise performance.
TEST RESULTS
Cooling Results
Scythe Ninja 2 w/ reference Nexus 120mm fan | ||||
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Fan Voltage | SPL @1m | Temp | °C Rise | °C/W |
12V | 16 dBA | 38°C | 17 | 0.22 |
9V | 13 dBA | 39°C | 18 | 0.23 |
7V | 12 dBA | 41°C | 20 | 0.26 |
5V | 11 dBA | 44°C | 23 | 0.29 |
Load Temp: CPUBurn for ~10 mins. °C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient (21°C) at load. °C/W: based on the amount of heat dissipated by the CPU (measured 78W); lower is better. |
The Ninja 2 performed very well during testing. Thermal rise was only 17°C
above ambient at 12V and 23°C at 5V, which is not a lot of difference considering
at 5V, the Nexus fan spins at just above 500 RPM. Despite the decrease in fin
spacing, the Ninja 2 is excellent when airflow is limited and makes a good choice
as a passive CPU cooler. The Nexus fan is usually inaudible at 9V or less unless
the ambient noise level is very low as it is in our anechoic chamber.
Comparison: Ninja 2 vs. Previous Ninjas | ||||||
Fan Voltage | SPL @1m | °C Rise Above Ambient Temperature | ||||
Original | Ninja 2 | Copper | Rev.B (bolt-thru) | Rev. B | ||
12V | 16 dBA | 15 | 17 | 17 | 21 | 25 |
9V | 13 dBA | 16 | 18 | 18 | 22 | 27 |
7V | 12 dBA | 19 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 30 |
5V | 11 dBA | 21 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 32 |
All results generated with our reference Nexus 120mm fan. |
While the Ninja 2 did not improve on our original, enigmatic Ninja sample,
it did match the Copper’s performance despite its mostly aluminum composition.
It is much superior to the Ninja Rev. B, even when a bolt-thru kit is used with the latter.
Comparables | ||||||
Fan Voltage | SPL @1m | °C Rise Above Ambient Temperature | ||||
HDT-S1283 | Zen FZ120 | Ninja 2 | Ninja Copper | Hyper Z600 | ||
12V | 16 dBA | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
9V | 13 dBA | 15 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
7V | 12 dBA | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 21 |
5V | 11 dBA | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 25 |
All results generated with our reference Nexus 120mm fan. |
The Ninja 2 posted test results identical to the Ninja
Copper. While it does not perform better overall than
some of the newer, smaller heatsinks like the Xigmatek
HDT-S1283 and Zerotherm
Zen, it holds an impressive advantage when very low airflow is applied.
For example, the HDT-S1283 is 6°C worse at 5V compared to 7V, while Ninja
2 is only 3°C worse. We postulate that if airflow is decreased
further, the Ninja 2’s performance advantage would increase.
MP3 SOUND RECORDINGS
These recordings were made with a high
resolution, lab quality, digital recording system inside SPCR’s
own 11 dBA ambient anechoic chamber, then converted to LAME 128kbps
encoded MP3s. We’ve listened long and hard to ensure there is no audible degradation
from the original WAV files to these MP3s. They represent a quick snapshot of
what we heard during the review.
These recordings are intended to give you an idea of how the product sounds
in actual use — one meter is a reasonable typical distance between a computer
or computer component and your ear. The recording contains stretches of ambient
noise that you can use to judge the relative loudness of the subject. Be aware
that very quiet subjects may not be audible — if we couldn’t hear it from
one meter, chances are we couldn’t record it either!
The recording starts with 10 second segments of room ambience, then the fan
at various levels. For the most realistic results, set the volume so that
the starting ambient level is just barely audible, then don’t change the volume
setting again.
- Nexus
120mm Real Silent Case fan at one meter
— 5V (11 dBA@1m)
— 7V (12 dBA@1m)
— 9V (13 dBA@1m)
— 12V (16 dBA@1m)
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Ninja 2 is basically the equivalent of the Ninja
Copper, which it is poised to replace. The Copper version seems
to have been discontinued — it is no longer available at most retailers.
Ninja 2 is a very good heatsink, but isn’t quite elite (e.g. top 5). Where it excels
is with very limited airflow; for instance, as a
passive cooler in a system with heavily undervolted fans. If you plan to
actively cool it, they include a fan from the Slip Stream line. While we
weren’t able to test this fan personally, it likely has the same excellent acoustic properties as the other Slip Streams.
Unfortunately, Scythe has decided to stick to their guns for mounting,
insisting that the stock mounting systems are adequate, even with tall
and heavy heatsinks like the Ninja line. While the push-pin system is not ideal, we had gotten
used to it… now the Ninja 2 comes along and makes it even worse. Previously,
LGA775 installation could be done without removing the motherboard — this is impossible with the Ninja 2, unless you also happen to be able to turn
water into wine and stone into bread. With convenience no longer a factor, implementing
a more secure mounting system should be a no-brainer. Scythe instead offers a “CPU
Cooler Stabilizer” kit with a back-plate as an accessory that we’ve seen advertised for nearly $20 at some web shops. In contrast, Thermalright offers a perfectly nice bolt-through kit for $7.
So is it worth your hard-earned money? For moderate to high airflow systems,
it’s questionable. Some smaller, cheaper heatsinks can
do a better job, such as the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 (and its clones), and the Zerotherm
Zen FZ120. As a very low airflow or passive CPU cooler, the Thermalright
HR-01 Plus and Noctua NH-U12P are excellent choices, but they are more expensive. That’s where the Ninja 2, with its lower price tag and included fan, has a clear advantage. Ultimately
however, the question is whether the money you save is worth the agony
associated with the way it mounts.
Scythe Ninja 2 | |
PROS * Very good performance, especially with low airflow | CONS * Enormous |
Our thanks to Scythe
for the Scythe Ninja 2 heatsink sample.
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