Scythe Katana 3: Same slant, new version

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MikeC
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Scythe Katana 3: Same slant, new version

Post by MikeC » Fri Jul 03, 2009 11:39 am


Shamgar
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Post by Shamgar » Sat Jul 04, 2009 5:57 am

Looks to be aimed as a competitive replacement for the stock cooler for average citizens. In the so called "mom and pop" segment, or perhaps more accurately "those who upgrade for mom and pop" segment, AC Freezer 7/Pro 64 PWM is the most well known and trusted. Interesting whether Scythe and their unusual designs and marketing can make any ground in this mainstream market.

The lowest current price I can find in my locality is AUD$59. For ~50 I can get a Xigmatek HDT-S1283 or any number of its derivatives. For ~45 or less I can get a good number of top-down coolers. And for ~35 there is the aforementioned AC Freezer 7/Pro 64 PWM.

PartEleven
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Post by PartEleven » Sat Jul 04, 2009 7:40 am

I noticed a few errors. The table for comparing the Katana 3 to the "best of the best" doesn't actually have a line for the Katana 3. I don't know if this was intentional, but it makes it difficult to compare if you have to switch between that chart and the testing results above.

Otherwise, great review! I'm glad SPCR hasn't got caught on the high-end train and hasn't forgotten about budget solutions like these.

MikeC
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Post by MikeC » Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:45 am

PartEleven wrote:I noticed a few errors. The table for comparing the Katana 3 to the "best of the best" doesn't actually have a line for the Katana 3. I don't know if this was intentional, but it makes it difficult to compare if you have to switch between that chart and the testing results above.

Otherwise, great review! I'm glad SPCR hasn't got caught on the high-end train and hasn't forgotten about budget solutions like these.
It's intentional -- no way to compare, different fan, different measurement points. A quick look at the best/worst of the Katana 3's test results should be enough to show that it can't compete with any of the best.

Vibrator
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Post by Vibrator » Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:48 pm

The reason I question the supposed merits of Scythe's Fast-Phase Structure is that heatpipes are phase change devices that work best with high temperature differentials between the evaporator end and the condensor end. The hotter one end gets, the faster the internal liquid boils and turns to vapor, moving to the condenser end. Conversely, the cooler the other end gets, the faster the vapor turns back to liquid and moves down to the evaporator end. The extruded aluminum piece (FPS) is on the hot or evaporator end. Rather than being transferred up into the liquid of the heatpipes, some of the heat will go up to the FPS and be dissipated by airflow. This would reduce the total amount of heat going into the heatpipes, and it would have the effect of slowing down rather than speeding up the phase change process in the heatpipes. Have I missed something? Or has Scythe's marketingspeak gone one step too far?
Well they wouldn't add extra metal for no reason would they?

I'm thinking the heatpipes still work well because the heat has to hit the heatpipes first before the small heatsink

Image

Something like that. I think the small heatsink is meant to add surface area.

MikeC
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Post by MikeC » Sat Jul 04, 2009 6:34 pm

Vibrator wrote:Well they wouldn't add extra metal for no reason would they?

I'm thinking the heatpipes still work well because the heat has to hit the heatpipes first before the small heatsink.

I think the small heatsink is meant to add surface area.
article wrote:Having said all that, if the mass of the FPS was converted into more fins on the main tower stack, the difference in CPU cooling would probably be marginal. The improvement in phase change speed would be offset by the absence of cooling via the extruded aluminum piece. It's just that Fast-Phase does not accurately describe the role of the secondary aluminum piece.

strongbad
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Post by strongbad » Sun Jul 05, 2009 5:33 pm

Even though the AMD clip doesn't allow for heatsink or fan rotation, on most AMD boards, the fan will end up blowing in the right direction, toward the back case exhaust fan.
On my 780G board, the heatsink I'd like to direct air over is the northbridge, below the CPU--not behind it. So for my purpose the fan tilts the wrong way.

I probably need the Scythe Shuriken.

Sooty
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Post by Sooty » Thu Aug 26, 2010 6:02 am

530g (with fan and mounting brackets)
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article957-page4.html

Heatsink: 495g (without accessory)
Fan: 115g
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Scythe_Katana3

So ‘without accessory’ is including fan, but not brackets?

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