Scythe Ninja 5

Introduction

Scythe Co., Ltd, began its operation and business in November 2002 as a distributor and a manufacturer of passive and low-noise PC components. Since then, Scythe is recognized for their excellent & affordable products.

Official product link:

http://www.scythe-eu.com/produkte/cpu-kuehler/ninja-5.html

Packaging and accessories

The cooler is packaged in a multicolored cardboard box. The front side showcases the cooler using a general image of it while on the upper part there are the manufacturer’s emblem next to the Ninja name and logo. On the lower side, there are listed the compatible sockets of the cooler.

The side of the packaging presents the features and specifications of the cooler in 7 different languages, while on the right the name and a small diagram are printed.

The back side of the packaging presents the warranty policy in 3 different languages. On the top side, there are the contact details for the tech support of the manufacturer.

Accessories

The product comes with the following accessories:
– 1x Manual
– 1x Phillips Screwdriver
– 1x 4-pin splitter
– 2x Mounting brackets
– 4x Fan clips
– 1x Backplate
– 1x Thermal-compound tube
– 4x Nuts
– 4x Screws X299
– 1x Rubber pad
– 4x Plastic spacers
– 4x Mounting screws
– 4x Plastic screw holders

Specifications

Model: SCNJ-5000
Supported sockets:
Intel: Socket LGA775, Socket LGA1150, Socket LGA1151, Socket LGA1155, Socket LGA1156m Socket LGA1366m Socket LGA2011 / 2011-v3 (Square ILM)m Socket LGA2066
AMD: Socket AM2, Socket AM2+, Socket AM3, Socket AM3+, Socket AM4, Socket FM1, Socket FM2, Socket FM2+
Heatsink:
Materials: Nickel-plated Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating
Dimensions: 138 x 155 x 180 mm (including fans)
Heatpipes: 6x – Ø6 mm
Weight: 1190 g including fan
Fan(s):
Model: Kaze Flex 120 PWM
Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 27 mm
Bearing type: Sealed Precision FDB
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): 300 ~ 800 rpm (±10%) (PWM-controlled)
Airflow: 16,6 ~ 43.03 CFM
Static pressure: 0,076 ~ 0,49 mmH²O
Acoustical Noise: 4 ~ 14,5 dBA
Connector: 4-Pin PWM
MTBF: 120.000 Hours (25°C)

Features:

– Easy installation thanks to H.P.M.S. III: The H.P.M.S. III is the latest version of the Hyper Precision mounting system which combines a solid platform with an easy and hassle-free installation process. Spring-loaded screws and a metal backplate assure even distribution of both weight and pressure on the CPU surface and socket. New plastic / rubber spacers align the mounting screws and secure the backplate during installation which further simplifies the process.
– High Memory Compatibility: The Ninja 5 CPU Cooler features a special fin design to improve memory compatibility without compromising the cooling performance. The lower fins are reduced in size to allow installation of RAM modules with heatsinks up to 55 mm in height. These fins are present on both sides of the cooler, thus offering memory clearance even for LGA 2066 mainboards with eight memory slots.
– Dual Fan Design with Push/Pull Setup: The Ninja 5 CPU Cooler features two Kaze Flex 120 PWM fans with a max. speed of only 800 RPM. This Dual Fan Design improves the cooling performance without sacrificing low noise levels. The corners of the fans are equipped with rubber shock absorbers to prevent transfer of any vibration. In addition, the shape of the headsink helps directing the airflow from one fan to the other, thus creating a better heat transfer and dissipation by using the Push / Pull principle.

Visual inspection

The main difference between the Ninja 5 and the previous model is the dual fan configuration. The cooler features two 120mm Scythe Kaze Flex 120 PWM fans that have a maximum speed of 800 RPM. The main materials used in the construction of the heatsink are nickel plated copper and aluminum.

The cooler features 6 nickel-plated copper heatpipes, each has a dimmeter of 6mm, in addition, these heatpipes are soldered to a plate made out of the same materials which makes direct contact with the surface of the CPU.

The base of the cooler is evenly brushed; the nickel surface is polished to give a reflexion similar to that of a mirror.

The cooler uses 40 aluminum fins, these are spread apart to allow for more airflow to pass through, this is especially important in the case of low speed fans.

On the lower side, the fins of the cooler are shaped in order to offer a better compatibility for high RAM heatsinks.

The two fans included in the package are fed through a 4-pin Molex connector, which is controlled through the PWM function by the motherboard. Also, the corners of the fans are rubberized to mitigate the vibrations produced by the rotation of the blades.

Testing

The following system was used to test the cooler:
– Processor: Intel i5 4690K @ 3.9 GHz and overclocked to 4.5 GHz
– Motherboard: MSI Z97 Gaming 9 ACK
– RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB DDR3 @ 2133MHz
– GPU: GeForce GTX 1070 Founder’s Edition
– SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB
– HDD: WD 1 TB Blue
– PSU: SeaSonic Snow Silent 750W
– Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe White
– Thermal compound: Arctic Cooling MX-4

Software used for testing the cooler:
– AIDA64 Extreme Version: 5.95.4500 (Nov 27, 2017)
– Intel Burn Test v2.54
– Prime95 29.1

The cooler was tested with the CPU at the default turbo frequency of 3.9 GHz and overclocked to 4.5 GHz with a core voltage of 1.187 V.
Also, the included fans have been used at their maximum speed.
The room temperature was approximately 26°C (78°F), with 2°C margin of error.
The idle test consists of the CPU sitting idle at the desktop for 30 minutes, the temperature was measured at the end of the test.
The settings of the software used are the following:

Intel Burn Test v2.54 – Stress level: Maximum
Prime95 29.1- small FFT
AIDA64 Extreme Version – Temperature monitoring.
Each test was conducted for 40 minutes.

The test results are as follows:

Idle

Full Load

The noise level was measured at three different distances from the fans (10cm, 20cm, 30cm.) the noise was measured with a margin of error of ± 5 db.

The cooler offers a good RAM compatibility due to the shape of the lower fins of the heatsinks.

Final thoughts

The Ninja 5 is a good step up from the previous version, thanks to the cooling performance and ease of use. The mounting system is one of the easiest to install that is available on the market right now. The time required to install the cooler on the CPU was less than two minutes from start to the full system boot sequence. Despite it’s size with the fans attached, the cooler does not occupy the first PCIe slot of the motherboard or touch the side panels of the case. 

The performance of the cooler is great considering the low speed fans that are included in the pacakge, in addition, the performance to noise ratio is excellent. The actual cooling performance is good, the Ninja 5 being in the top 10 coolers that we’ve tested, being close to full AIO liquid coolers that are more than double the price range.

With this cooler, Scythe prooved once again that a performance increase does not have to equal a higher price, especially when we look at the packaging and the acccessory bundle.

In conclusion, the Scythe Ninja 5 is one of the best choices for air cooling in 2018 so far, in fact, the cooler promotes Scythe in two ways, showing the cooling performance of the heatsink and the performance of the Kaze Flex series of fans. The only drawback of the Ninja 5 is the size of the heatsink which might not fit smaller systems, however most ATX based computers will accomodate this cooler just fine.

Scythe