X-bit labs

New Coolers from Scythe: Katana II and Kama Cross Review

Category: Coolers

by Sergey Lepilov

[ 07/02/2007 | 03:58 PM ]

Two new coolers from the Japanese firm have come our way. Specifically optimized to work quietly and cool the mainboard’s round-the-socket components, what CPU cooling performance do they deliver? Read in our review today!

Table of contents:

• Katana II (SCKTN-2000)
  
• Package and Accessories
  
• Design
  
• Installation Tips
  
• Kama Cross (SCKC-1000)
  
• Package and Accessories
  
• Design
  
• Installation Tips
  
• Technical Specification
  
• Testbed and Methods
  
• Thermal Performance
  
• Noise Level
  
• Conclusion
  

The Japan-headquartered Scythe has been steadily updating its air cooler line-up. They announced the second version of the "samurai sword" - Katana 2 - in April and then rolled out a cooler with a totally new design idea - Kama Cross - at the end of May. The former is an improved version of the original Katana while the latter is an absolutely new cooler with unique design.

Besides being new products, these coolers have one more common trait. Their heatsinks are designed in such a way as to drive the airflow from their fans towards the mainboard’s elements around the CPU socket. And while the Katana II represents a simple solution (the heatsink consists of tilted ribs), the Kama Cross embodies a more radical approach to the problem.

Let’s see how good these two models are.

Katana II (SCKTN-2000)

Package and Accessories

The new cooler from Scythe is shipped in a small colorful box, all covered with text and pictures.

The blue label saying “Quad Core Ready” caught my eye right away. That’s exactly what I need. Besides the model name the box shows a list of supported CPU sockets, cooler specifications in a few languages, and a detailed description of the four key features of the new product:

Those features are:

• Oval Fin Contact Structure means an oval region of contact between the heatsink plates and the heat pipes to ensure a larger contact area and a more efficient transfer of heat
• Versatile Fan Mounting System allows easily replacing the stock 100x100x25mm fan with any other fan that has a thickness of 25 millimeters
• 4-Way Mounting System is the ability of the cooler to be oriented on any mainboard in either possible direction for the most efficient heat dissipation
• Wide Range RPM Cooling Optimization is related to VFMS and allows using fans of different form-factors thanks to the specially optimized heatsink

The box is divided into two compartments one of which stores the following accessories:

• Fastening frame for LGA775 mainboards
• Cooler fastening frame for Socket 478 mainboards
• Cooler installation manual in several languages
• Cooler fastening frame for Socket 754/939/940/AM2 mainboards
• Four screws to fasten the frames to the cooler’s base
• A 1g pack of SilMORE thermal grease