Scythe Ninja Plus Rev.B, Infinity,
and Andy Samurai Master Coolers

Contents

1. Technical properties
2. Test results, stock configurations
3. Test results, configurations with Scythe S-Flex and Minebea fans,
   dual-fan assemblies. Bottom line

Technical properties

Although relatively new to the market, Scythe, which first began its United States business operations in 2004, has already introduced a number of products that have been quite popular among PC enthusiasts. To secret to Scythe's success is a pretty simple formula; offer a product with a simple design that offers solid performance. Although many of Scythe's product aren't as flashy as other manufacturers, its high-class coolers are able to compete with leading products from Cooler Master, Thermaltake, and Zalman.

In recent years Scythe has undergone rapid expansion, an achievement that can be attributed to the companies' successful strategy. Scythe has grown into a leading company in the PC cooling industry due to it aggressively creating new products for both the high-end and entry-level markets and by carefully choosing the price of its products.

Today we are taking a looking three top model from Scythe: the Ninja Plus Rev.B, the Infinity, and the Andy Samurai Master.

Ninja Plus Rev.B (SCNJ-1100P)

Our review starts with the Ninja Plus Rev.B (SCNJ-1100P), the successor to the well-configured and legendary Ninja cooler.

The design of the Ninja Plus Rev.B is almost exactly the same as its forefather. It is based on the same "tower" layout and consists of six copper heat pipes, each of which is 6 mm in diameter, and a section of 23 aluminum fins (approximately 0.4 mm thick, 110x110 mm). The heatsink is spiced up with a thermal bonificator, which is an aluminum 65x54x25 mm heatsink that is attached to the base of the cooler in order to offload heat from the hottest parts of the heat pipes and channel more heat from the main fin section.

The new cooler also inherits all of the technical traits of the Ninja series. In the first place, just like previous versions of the cooler, the Ninja Plus Rev.B has an interesting fin configuration. The fin configuration is designed to minimize hydraulic resistance of the heatsink and increase the heat transfer efficiency - fins with four diagonal cut-outs and one central cut-out, a longer fin step (4 mm).

The heat exchange surface is also quite good and is 4500 cm2. This is especially impressive considering the already present heat exchange elements on the cooler. The increased number of contact segments between the fins and heat pipes creates 12 heat exchange elements. This also combines with optimized finning allowing the use of almost the entire surface of the Ninja Plus Rev.B for heat exchange. We should also mention that the heat pipes are joined quite solidly with the fins through quality soldering, ensuring thermal contact and reducing the overall thermal resistance of the cooler.

Ninja and Ninja Plus Rev.B Heatsinks

Perhaps the only new feature in the Ninja Plus Rev.B (compared to the Ninja and Ninja Plus) is its support for Socket AM2 - the cooler is equipped with a modified heatsink (50x38 mm, 32x38 mm base) and a modified retention module (supports Intel Socket 478, LGA775 and AMD Socket 754/939/AM2).

This new retention module not only expands compatibility of the cooler, but at the same time also noticeably improves the installation experience of the new Ninja cooler over previous versions. You don't have to remove the motherboard from the PC case when you install the cooler on LGA775 sockets. All that is required is for installation is to place the retention bracket on the base using four screws and fix the heatsink in place with the standard mounting clips; after that, the cooler is installed. It isn't any more difficult installing the cooler on AMD-based motherboards; just take the AMD retention bracket, screw it to the base, and latch the cooler using the levers to the socket. From every viewpoint the installation process isn't difficult, even for beginners.

Contents

1. Technical properties
2. Test results, stock configurations
3. Test results, configurations with Scythe S-Flex and Minebea fans,
   dual-fan assemblies. Bottom line