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POSTSCRIPT: Scythe Musashi Dual Fan GPU Cooler, Updated
Nov 29, 2009 by Lawrence Lee
After originally reviewing the Scythe Musashi, members of our forum mentioned
that the issue of the voltage regulators overheating could be solved by utilizing
the stock cooling plate. The fan and GPU heatsink can be removed on the reference
ATI stock cooler of the 4870/4890, and the metal plate underneath which cools
the memory chips and voltage regulators can be left on and used in conjunction
with third party GPU coolers.
Not only was this an excellent suggestion to solve the VRM problem, but it
would also improve our testing methodology. It's a more convenient option as
we would not need to remove the seperate memory and VRM heatsinks if there are
any clearance issues — the stock cooling plate is as low profile as it
gets. In addition, it allows us to use a hotter card, the HD 4890, which we
originally abandoned in favor of the HD 4870 because its VRMs became so hot,
we could not cool it quietly with any of the heatsinks we tested.
So without further ado, we present the updated test results for the Zalman
VF1000, Accelero S1, and Scythe Musashi using the HD 4890 stock cooling plate.
Updated Test Results
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Test Results: HIS 4890 Turbo Stock Cooler
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Fan Voltage
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SPL@1m
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Avg. Core Temp
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Avg. VRM Temp
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|
Auto
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26 dBA
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82°C
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94°C
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|
Ambient temperature: 23°C
Ambient Noise Level: 11 dBA
(12 dBA with the test system on)
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First up, for reference we tested the HD 4890 stock cooler. The system produced
26 dBA@1m when placed on load, with core and VRM temperatures registering at
82°C and 94°C respectively.
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Test Results: Zalman VF1000 LED
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Fan Voltage
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SPL@1m
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Avg. Core Temp
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Avg. VRM Temp
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12V
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22 dBA
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91°C
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121°C
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10V
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22 dBA
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96°C
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133°C
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9V
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20 dBA
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100°C
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139°C
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8V
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19 dBA
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102°C
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145°C
|
|
7V
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17 dBA
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106°C
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152°C
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Ambient temperature: 23°C
Ambient Noise Level: 11 dBA
(12 dBA with the test system on)
|
We were previously unable to re-test the VF1000 at all on the HD 4870 due to
VRM cooling issues, but with the stock cooling plate, it wasn't an issue at
least until the fan voltage was dialed down to 7V. As one would expect from
a single fan cooler, the VF1000 struggles to keep the HD 4890 cool at noise
levels of 20 dBA@1m and below, with the core temperature exceeding 100°C.
VRM cooling was particularly poor, almost reaching the failing point of 155~160°C
when the fan was set to 7V.
The VF1000's acoustics are rough, due to the poor undertones of the fan utilized.
It is only quiet at 7V but close up, the character is dreadful. You may notice
that we measured the same noise level with the fan at both 12V and 10V — this
is not a typo. At 10V, the pitch of the fan increases dramatically resulting
in a similar A-weighted SPL as the fan running at 12V.
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Accelero S1 (2 x Nexus 92mm 1500rpm)
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|
Fan Voltage
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SPL@1m
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Avg. Core Temp
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Avg. VRM Temp
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12V
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16 dBA
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85°C
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114°C
|
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10V
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15 dBA
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91°C
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128°C
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Accelero S1 (2 x Scythe 100mm 1500rpm)
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12V
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21 dBA
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93°C
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116°C
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11V
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19 dBA
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94°C
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117°C
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10V
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17 dBA
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96°C
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123°C
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9V
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16 dBA
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97°C
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126°C
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8V
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15 dBA
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98°C
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132°C
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Ambient temperature: 23°C
Ambient Noise Level: 11 dBA
(12 dBA with the test system on)
|
The Accelero S1 does a much better job, but cooling a HD 4890 is still a serious
challenge. With a pair of Scythe 100mm 1500rpm fans strapped to it, core temperatures
were in the 90's. VRM temperatures were 20~30°C better than the VF1000 though,
so the advantage of having a second fan is clear.
Paired with Nexus 92mm fans, gave us an almost unreal increase in performance.
At the 16 dBA level it defeated the Scythe 100mm fans by more than 10°C
in both core and VRM cooling. At 15 dBA, the results were closer, but the dominance
of the Nexus fans continued. The acoustics of both sets of fans are beyond reproach.
|
Scythe Musashi
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|
Fan Voltage
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SPL@1m
|
Avg. Core Temp
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Avg. VRM Temp
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|
12V
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23 dBA
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85°C
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109°C
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10V
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19 dBA
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90°C
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117°C
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9V
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17 dBA
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93°C
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125°C
|
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8V
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15 dBA
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97°C
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131°C
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7V
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14 dBA
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102°C
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142°C
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Ambient temperature: 23°C
Ambient Noise Level: 11 dBA
(12 dBA with the test system on)
|
The Scythe Musashi delivered a slight improvement over the S1 paired with Scythe
fans. Its pair of slim 100mm fans are also very smooth with a benign character.
Comparisons
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Test Results @ 19 dBA
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|
GPU Cooler
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SPL@1m
|
Avg. Core Temp
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Avg. VRM Temp
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Scythe Musashi @ 10V
|
19 dBA
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90°C
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117°C
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Accelero S1 @ 11V
(2 x Scythe 100mm)
|
19 dBA
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94°C
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117°C
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Zalman VF1000 @ 8V
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19 dBA
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102°C
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145°C
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At the 19 dBA level, the Musashi pulls slightly ahead of the S1 with Scythe
fans. The VF1000 which is deficient in acoustic quality to begin with, also
falls behind in performance, particularly if you look at the VRM temperatures.
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Test Results @ 15 dBA
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|
GPU Cooler
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SPL@1m
|
Avg. Core Temp
|
Avg. VRM Temp
|
|
Accelero S1 @ 10V
(2 x Nexus 92mm)
|
15 dBA
|
91°C
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128°C
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Scythe Musashi @ 8V
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15 dBA
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97°C
|
131°C
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Accelero S1 @ 8V
(2 x Scythe 100mm)
|
15 dBA
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98°C
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132°C
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With limited airflow producing 15 dBA of noise, the S1 paired with Nexus fans
is an easy winner, beating the Musashi by 6°C in core temperature and 3°C
in VRM temperature. The S1 paired with Scythe fans performs similarly to the
Musashi — it would seem the Musashi is preferable with higher speed fans.
Final Thoughts
The Scythe Musashi acquited itself quite nicely, equaling the performance of
the Accelero S1 with Scythe 100mm fans with low airflow, and pulling ahead slightly
with high airflow, all while taking up less physical space. It cannot compete
with the S1 paired with smaller 92mm Nexus fans though — that combination
amazingly dominated the field. The superiority of Nexus fans continues to amaze
us.
The Zalman VF1000 isn't in the same league as either of the aforementioned
heatsinks, but managed to keep the HD 4890 stable, though at fairly high temperatures.
With only a single fan, it's out of its element. To cool today's hottest graphics
cards, two fans is really the way to go.
It should be noted that even with the ATI stock cooling plate, VRM temperatures
of all the competitors were much higher than the 4890 stock cooler. Still, with
a good dual fan heatsink, you can run a HD 4890 fairly quietly while keeping
the VRMs about 30°C from their failure point, even in a restricted airflow
environment.
Fortunately, the release of the HD 5000 series has brought overall power consumption
down. If you plan on using one of these new cards, with the exception
of the 5870 or dual GPU 5970, its unlikely high temperatures will be even close
to a problem with a cooler of the Musashi's caliber.
Discuss
this article in the SPCR forums.
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