FrostyTech.com Mk.II Synthetic Thermal Heatsink Test Results Results based on readings from a 38x38mm copper interface die with 125W heat load on the Mk.II Test Platform. Thermal Test values for each heatsink were calculated by determining the rise over ambient temperature at time of test. Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here. Socket 939/940/754 compatible CPU heatsinks
manufacturer:	model no.:	*fan speed:	125w thermal test (°c)	noise level (dba)
Noctua	NH-U12		17.5	45.4
Gigabyte	G-Power Pro	high	18.6	71.9
Noctua	NH-U9		18.8	58.4
Coolermaster	Hyper6	high	20.5	54.7
Thermaltake	Venus 12	high	21.7	68.1
ASUS	Starice	high	22.8	67.4
Arctic Cooling	Freezer 64 Pro		23.2	50.9
Coolermaster	Aquagate Mini	high	23.2	59.2
Thermaltake	Polo 735	high	23.4	68.0
Cooljag	SFO-H	high	23.6	60.6
Alpha	PAL-8150		23.7	58.9
Zalman	CNPS9500LED (clip parallel)	high	23.8	50.3
AVC	Z7U3301001 (stock 939)	high	24.6	59.9
Gigabyte	3D Cooler-Ultra	high	24.8	63.0
Scythe	Shogun	high	26.0	45.9
EKL	V8	high	26.3	57.5
Gigabyte	3D Rocket-Pro	high	26.9	56.7
Gigabyte	3D Cooler-Pro	high	27.0	62.5
Spire	SP601B3		28.3	48.9
Ajigo	MF064-074	high	28.8	60.3
Gigabyte	3D-Rocket		28.9	50.7
Vantec	Mach1	high	29.2	56.9
CoolJag	SFO-D(18SC)		29.6	64.0
Arctic Cooling	Alpine 64		30.5	43.9
Zalman	CNPS7000A-Cu	high	30.3	45.2
Dynatron	SK-V24		30.3	56.4
Zalman	CNPS7000-Cu	high	31.0	45.2
Coolermaster	Hyper48		31.7	43.6
Scythe	Kama SCKK1000		31.9	47.5
Scythe	Samurai SCSM1000	high	32.1	51.6
Zalman	CNPS7000B-CU	high	32.3	44.9
Thermaltake	Silentboost K8		32.3	49.7
Jetart	JAX801		33.2	53.5
Dynatron	A22		34.5	44.5
nPowertek	NPH K8-1		34.6	52.2
Ajigo	MF043-044 (stock 754)		35.0	45.4
Verax	Quattro 1		36.9	30.9
Arctic Cooling	Silencer 64 Ultra TC		37.5	55.5
Gigabyte	NeonCooler 8-BL		37.7	42.0
Titan	TTC-K8ATB/825/SC		38.7	63.1
Evercool	K802-715		42.1	51.5
Spire	SP741B3		43.2	45.6
Evercool	Magic Cooler		46.6	55.5
Scythe	Samurai SCSM1000	low	50.9	30.9
ASUS	Starice	low	92.4+	34.4
			125w thermal test (°c)	noise level (dba)
*heatsinks are ranked according to the 125w thermal test results column (rise over ambient temp.). low temperatures with low noise levels are considered best. for reference heatsinks with variable-speed fans, only the high speed (12v) fan test result is included in the comparison sheet; more detailed results reside in each specific heatsink review.

The results of the Scythe SCSM-1000 Samurai heatsink on the 125W FrostyTech K8 synthetic thermal test platform clearly indicate that it is a very poor low noise heatsink.

Such is the design of the Scythe Samurai, that it basically starves for airflow when the fan speed is dialed all the way down to 1300RPM. Under these conditions, the Scythe SCSM-1000 generates a very poor rise above ambient temperature result of 50.9°C.

The picture is much better when the 80mm fan is rotating at its full 3400RPM, and here we find the rise above ambient temperature result rests at 32.19°C. The difference in noise levels between the two fan speed settings is pretty large (30.9 dBA vs. 51.6 dBA at full speed), but the heatsink is not entirely a vacuum cleaner either. Overall, the Scythe SCSM-1000 really doesn't offer an improvement over the stock K8 heatsink.

Related Articles:

For more reviews on the latest heatsinks and cooling solutions, rely on FrostyTech's inventory of 350+ heatsink reviews. Here are a few other articles that you might enjoy as well...

1. Scythe Shogun Low Noise Heatsink Review
2. Spire DiamondCool II SP741B3 AMD Athlon64 Heatsink Review
3. Gigabyte 3D Rocket Cooler Pro Heatsink
4. Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro Athlon64 Heatsink Review
5. Arctic Cooling Silencer 64 Ultra TC Athlon64 Heatsink
6. Spire VertiCool II SP601B3 AMD Athlon64 Heatsink
7. Arctic Cooling Alpine 64 Heatsink Review
8. Noctua NH-U9 Low Noise Heatsink Review
9. Coolermaster Hyper48 KHC-L91 Heatsink Review