Viewing page 3 of 5 pages.
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next
FAN DETAILS
In order to accommodate the wide range of fans — 60-140mm — the conventional
methods of mounting a fan could not be used. Including screw holes for 60, 70,
80, 92, 100, 120, and 140mm fans would have been impractical if possible at
all, and it is just as hard to imagine a wire clip that could accommodate every
size.
Instead, the Mine uses a clamp to hold the fan in place. The clamp consists
of a pair of aluminum plates that hook on to the frame of the fan, and two screws
that pull the plates together, squeezing the fan between them. The photograph
below shows how the system works.
Two screws pull a pair of aluminum plates together, effectively clamping
the fan in place.
Despite the obvious possibility of swapping the fan, we didn't bother to try.
The heatsink is designed to work best with the included 100mm fan, which was
acceptably quiet even at 12V. A 120mm fan would protrude beyond the boundaries of the fins, while a 90mm fan would not provide airflow to the entire fin area. Given the dearth of other 100mm fans on the market,
we don't see why anyone would swap the fan.
The fan itself is a medium speed Scythe
Kaze-Jyu ("Ten Winds"), model SY1025SL12M. It has a smooth sleeve
bearing and, despite its medium speed billing, would probably be classed as
low speed by most manufacturers. A slower 1,000 RPM model and a faster 2,000
RPM model are also available. Scythe specifies the noise level as 22 dBA, with
no measurement distance given.
INSTALLATION
Simple installation: Insert the appropriate clip, and mount on
standard motherboard heatsink bracket.
Scythe's recent heatsinks have become easy to install. As mentioned, the
Mine's mounting system is identical to the one used in the
Samurai Z (Follow the link for more detailed photographs). The only exception
is a good one. Unlike the Samurai Z, the base of the Mine is not used as a secondary
heatsink, so the fragile fins that broke so easily are no longer needed. The
sockets for the mounting gear are much sturdier, and should stand up to more
wear.
The system is simple: Each of the three common mounting systems (K8, Socket
478, and Socket 775) has its own set of clips that all fit onto the heatsink
in the same way. Choose the appropriate clips, attach them to the heatsink,
and mount the heatsink on the stock retention bracket in the system. No access
to the underside of the motherboard is required. Most AM2 motherboards are reported
to work using the standard K8 clips, but Scythe
has an FAQ question that describes which AM2 systems will not work. Scythe's explanatory illustration is shown below.
Apparently there are two variants of AM2 HS retention brackets in use.
The incompatible one has a bit more plastic around the screw housing, thus blocking the Mine's clip.
A bit of work with a file on the incompatible retention bracket might make it compatible.
One issue is that the mounting system only allows the Mine to be installed in one orientation. With some motherboards, the fan will blow towards or away from the PSU (assuming the PSU is in the conventional location); with other motherboards, the fan will blow towards or away from the back panel. In most cases, the latter is preferred, as it allows the case fan to do the work of evacuating the hot air, rather than the power supply. Like many other HS, the user is at the mercy of the motherboard / HS retention bracket orientation for the fan to be oriented the preferred way. The Ninja does not have this limitation, as its fan can be mounted on any of the 4 sides.
| Help support this site, buy from one of our affiliate retailers! |
|
