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The smoothness and flatness of the base was excellent, calling to mind the
best of the Swiftech, Zalman and Alpha HS products.
Smooth flat copper base.
In case there is any question of size... Clockwise, from left:
Scythe Ninja , Scythe NCU-1000, Zalman 7000, Arctic Cooling Freezer, Thermalright
XP120, stock Intel HSF. And standard size mouse.
Another view of the bits & pieces. The metal parts for socket 775
are exceptionally nice.
Much better than the similar plastic parts for the Thermalright XP-120.
Unidirectional Airflow Design
A notable aspect of the Ninja design is that unlike all the other tall, horizontal airflow heatsinks, it allows for a fan to be mounted blowing up or across regardless of motherboard type or how the HS mounting frame on the motherboard is configured. With all the other tall tower heatsinks I am aware of, this is not the case. The airflow directionality of the heatsink is fixed, usually because the fins are open on only two of the four sides. This means that the direction of the airflow is fixed, and it is entirely dependent on the configuration of the motherboard's heatsink mounting frame. The CoolerMaster Hyper 6 or the Scythe FCS-50 are examples of this type of limitation. In the Scythe NCU (1000, 2000 and 2005) series, the base can be separated and rotated to change the directionality of the airflow through the heatsink, but this is a more complication solution to the problem.
INSTALLATION
The unit was installed on SPCR's socket 478 testing motherboard
in under a minute without tools. This is despite the board not being particularly
friendly for big HS. The Thermalright XP120, the Zalman 7000/7700, Scythe's
earlier models ? all were more trouble to get on. The Ninja was much easier.
Easy to install despite the large size.
It was also installed on an Intel 775 board, pictures of which
are missing, but again, the installation process was straightforward and painless
once the 478-adapter brackets were mounted. The board had to be out of the case
for the adapter brackets, because you need access to the underside of the board,
but this is true for most of the other performance HS, too. Getting the brackets
on was easy.
It is advisable to keep the motherboard out of the case until
the HS is fully installed, because access all around the HS is needed, and it's
easier without being hampered by the confines of the case. This is true for
most big HS.
Although I have not tried using the aforementioned large heatsinks
on a large number of motherboards, my impression is that the Ninja wins hands
down for ease and safety of installation on both 478 and 775 sockets. There's
no reason to think it would not be the same for K8. The tension on the clips
is not so awkwardly (dangerously?) high as in the Thermalright XP120, and despite
its large size, the clearance near the base of the Ninja is excellent. Unless
you have a very restrictive motherboard, the Ninja should be a fairly safe and straightforward
installation.
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