CPU Coolers Roundup June 2008

Review Pages

1. Akasa AK-965BL
2. Evercool HPH-9525CU
3. Nexus HOC-9000
4. Nexus XiR-3500
5. Scythe Orochi
6. Scythe Shuriken
7. Scythe Zipang
8. Titan TTC-NK35TZPW
9. Methodology - testbed
10. Results - Price range $0~$30
11. Results - Price range $30+
12. Conclusion

Manufacturer	Scythe
Model	Orochi
Price	$59
Category	Overclockers

The Scythe Orochi is a CPU cooler designed to fulfil the overclocker's needs. It has massive dimensions of 120 x 194 x 155 mm and a more than 1.25kg of weight. As a result, due to the large dimension of this CPU Cooler, this product may not fit into all PC cases. Before buying it, check the dimension of your PC case and surrounding components to make sure this CPU cooler can fit into your system.

- Features

Super Low Noise CPU Cooler: Total 10 heatpipes and large heatsink surface enables this CPU cooler to enable the ultimate fanless operation for today’s PC system.
Large Sized Scythe Original 140mm Round Shaped Fan: Large sized 140mm and Scythe original round-shaped fan
10 Heatpipe: With total 10 x 6mm diameter heatpipe to provide the super ultimate silent cooling.
120mm Fan Mounting Compatibility
120mm fan can be attached to Orochi CPU Cooler using the Scythe 12cm Fan Clips.

- Full specifications

Model Name:	OROCHI CPU Cooler
Model Number:	SCORC-1000
Manufacturer:	Scythe Co., Ltd. Japan

Overall
Dimensions:	120 x 194 x 155 mm 4.7 x 7.6 x 6.1 inch
Weight:	1,285 g 2.84 lb

Fan
Dimensions:	140 x 140 x 25 mm 5.5 x 5.5 x 1.0 inch
Weight:	130 g 0.29 lb
Speed:	500 rpm (±10%)
Air Flow:	29.39 CFM
Noise Level:	10.8 dBA

- Retail package

Inside the retail box there is a printed manual, two cpu brackets for Intel/AMD platforms, a mobo backplate, two fan clips, thermal paste and of course mounting hardware.

We knew that the Scythe Orochi would be big, but we didn't expect to be that big! Looking at the cpu cooler, we can see the massive 10 heatpipes coming from the base up to the aluminum fins.

The included 140mm rotating fan @ 500rpm is virtually silent...

The bottom is almost perfect with a mirror finish...

- Installation

The installation process requires much attention and patience. Due to the cooler's massive volume and height, first you need to make sure that it will fit your case. Then you need to use the backplate and secure the two plates on the motherboard as shown below:

You need to attach the corresponding clip for your CPU and then try to secure the whole structure on the installed plates. We had to let the motherboard's plates lose in order to install the cooler properly.

The included 140mm rotating fan can be also easily installed.

Well, we had not realized the volume of this cpu cooler until we placed it on a middle sized case. However, with the rotating fan installed, the side panel of the PC case is very close to the fan, making us feel that this may affect the cooler's performance.