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COMPARISONS
Two other inexpensive heatsinks
were chosen for the comparison: The Arctic
Cooling Super Silent 4 Ultra TC, and Scythe's
own Kamaboko. These heatsinks can be had for US$30 or less, and
they use 92mm fans. The data for the comparison comes from the two reviews linked
to above. Note that neither the Super Silent 4 nor the Kamaboko was tested using
the Nexus fan, so the comparison is between each of these heatsinks in stock
form. To make a fair comparison, data points close to
22 dBA/1m were chosen.
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Heatsink Comparison by Noise
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Heatsink
|
Noise
|
°C Rise
|
°C/W MP
|
°C/W TDP
|
Airspeed
|
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Scythe Katana
|
22 dBA/1m
|
27
|
0.34
|
0.39
|
16 CFM
|
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Scythe Kamaboko
|
20 dBA/1m
|
34
|
0.43
|
0.49
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16 CFM
|
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Arctic Cooling Super Silent 4 Ultra TC
|
22 dBA/1m
|
39
|
0.49
|
0.57
|
N/A
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The Katana is clearly superior to either of the other two heatsinks at this
noise level. However, it is worth noting that the Super Silent 4 Ultra TC is
thermally controlled, so it will increase the fan speed — and noise —
as necessary to keep the processor cool.
It is also interesting to note that the airflow and fan voltage are the
same for the two Scythe heatsinks, suggesting that the two fans are identical.
Listening to the recordings of the two heatsinks side by side reveals that they
have slightly different noise signatures, however. The stock fan on the Kamaboko
may be very slightly quieter at 7V than the Katana.
NOISE RECORDINGS
Scythe Katana with Stock Fan:
MP3:
Scythe Katana - 12V - 25 CFM / 33 dBA/1m
MP3:
Scythe Katana - 9V - 21 CFM / 26 dBA/1m
MP3:
Scythe Katana - 7V - 16 CFM / 22 dBA/1m
MP3:
Scythe Katana - 5V - 11 CFM / ~19 dBA/1m
Recordings of Comparable HSF:
MP3: Nexus
92mm Fan - 12V - 23 dBA/1m
MP3: Nexus
92 Fan - 7V - <19 dBA/1m
MP3: Arctic
Cooling Super Silent 4 Ultra TC, 22 dBA/1m
MP3: Scythe
Kamaboko - 7V - 20 dBA/1m
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HOW TO LISTEN & COMPARE
These recordings were made with a high
resolution studio quality digital recording system. The microphone was 3" from
the edge of the fan frame at a 45° angle, facing the intake side of the fan to
avoid direct wind noise. The ambient noise during all recordings was 18 dBA or
lower. It is best to download the sound files to your computer before listening.
To set the volume to a realistic level (similar to the original), try playing this Nexus 92mm case fan @ 5V (17 dBA/1m)
recording and set the volume so that it is barely audible. Then don't
reset the volume and play the other sound files. Of course, all tone
controls and other effects should be turned off or set to neutral. For
full details on how to calibrate your sound system playback level to
get the most valid listening comparison, please see the yellow text box
entitled Listen to
the Fans on page four of the article
SPCR's Test / Sound Lab: A Short Tour.
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FINAL CONCLUSIONS
The Scythe Katana is a worthy addition to the
Scythe line. It does
well in comparison to some of the other sub-$30 heatsinks we've tested.
Its stock fan is very quiet once it is slowed down, making it a decent choice
for a midrange system. For hot high-end processor, however, a bigger,
more expensive heatsink is probably required.
Apart from its cooling and noise performance, there are a number of notable features.
- The light
weight of the heatsink makes it totally safe to transport while mounted on a motherboard in a system. The Katana could find a good home in a
midrange gaming system for LAN parties, althought it is too tall to fit
most SFF systems.
- It's probably the best heatsink currently made for socket A / 370. Fit could be a problem in some motherboards, but it looks reasonably compatible with a lot of socket A and 370 boards.
As with most Scythe heatsinks, the main problem with the Katana is the complex installation procedure. Installing
it on our test system proved to be quite tedious thanks to the awkwardly placed
mounting screws and the need to use that tiny supplied wrench to tighten it. In fact, the mounting system (for all the platforms except socket 370 and socket A) could be described as the Katana's Achilles' Heel.
The Katana is a good choice for a silent midrange system,
where money is a concern. The only drawback is that a Zalman Fanmate may need
to be included in the cost so that the fan can be slowed down.
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Pros
* Stock fan undervolts well
* Low price
* Universal socket compatibility
* Light weight
* Cooling for voltage regulators
* Heatsink can be installed in most any orientation
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Cons
* Fiddly installation;
* Possible bad access to mounting screws on many modern motherboards
* Instruction sheet poorly laid out
* Fan clips prone to stretching
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Much thanks to Scythe
USA for the Katana sample.
* * *
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