Page 2: Testing, Conclusion
<B>Testing</B>:
My test setup includes a P4 2.4C at 2400MHz and at 2800MHz. The heatsink was tested against the stock 2.4GHz Intel heatsink. Other components include a Radeon 9500 Pro, some Dual Corsair RAM and a Maxtor 120GB hard drive. Not that it matters, but I used Win2k with SP4 for testing.
Before I go into the hard numbers, let me just tell you what I went through trying to get this heatsink to perform at its peak. I have found that using my Xoxide X-Turbine case that the heatsink fan is better blowing on it that sucking from it. This is due to the other three case fans near it also sucking out air. That being fixed, I also noticed that when the heatsink was screwed in tightly (as stated in the directions), the heatsink performed MUCH worse than the stock Intel one. This lead me to believe that the heatsink was sitting flush on the CPU. Sure enough, I was correct. I released the screws until the heatsink and the CPU sat flush, I had to keep the computer on so I could see the temperature change. You'll need to do this as well to get the best cooling possible. I also noticed that with my case, the cooler does nearly as well as the stock Intel heatsink. Once I removed the side of the case, the cooler did extremely well. This means that I'd have to redesign the airflow of my case using this heatsink. These are some things that you'll need to consider when purchasing this heatsink.
Let's see about the idle numbers. This is at the default 2400MHz. Ambient was 25 - 26 C
Intel Stock: 31.5 C
Scythe Kamakaze Fast: 30 C (But with the case open it dropped to 27 C)
Scythe Kamakaze Slow: 33 C (But with the case open it dropped to 30 C)
And at load...
Intel Stock: 42 C
Scythe Kamakaze Fast: 41.5 C (But with the case open it dropped to 36.5 C)
Scythe Kamakaze Slow: 52 C (But with the case open it dropped to 46 C)
Now for 2800MHz (233MHz system bus) and idle.
Intel Stock: 32 C
Scythe Kamakaze Fast: 31.5 C (But with the case open it dropped to 28 C)
Scythe Kamakaze Slow: 34 C (But with the case open it dropped to 30 C)
And loaded...
Intel Stock: 45 C
Scythe Kamakaze Fast: 45 C (But with the case open it dropped to 39 C)
Scythe Kamakaze Slow: 58 C (But with the case open it dropped to 49 C)
The test shows that with proper airflow, this heatsink can be great. I recommend using it at full fan speed all the time. I could barely hear it. I really couldn't hear it over my case fans though. In this sense, the Kamakaze is great. It is good cooling and quiet.
<B>Conclusion</B>:
<a href="http://ase.dealtime.com/dt-app/SE/KW-scythe+kamakaze/FD-0/linkin_id-3002062/NS-1/GS.html">Priced around $32</a>, you too can have this heatsink. If you are using a Pentium 4, make sure your case has good airflow and you have to be able to modify it when you get the heatsink. Given the right conditions, the heatsink is great and I do recommend it if you like to tweak things. If you're more of a plug-in-and-go person, look elsewhere.
I'd like to thank Will from <a href="http://www.scythe-usa.com">Scythe</a> for sending this product for review.
My test setup includes a P4 2.4C at 2400MHz and at 2800MHz. The heatsink was tested against the stock 2.4GHz Intel heatsink. Other components include a Radeon 9500 Pro, some Dual Corsair RAM and a Maxtor 120GB hard drive. Not that it matters, but I used Win2k with SP4 for testing.
Before I go into the hard numbers, let me just tell you what I went through trying to get this heatsink to perform at its peak. I have found that using my Xoxide X-Turbine case that the heatsink fan is better blowing on it that sucking from it. This is due to the other three case fans near it also sucking out air. That being fixed, I also noticed that when the heatsink was screwed in tightly (as stated in the directions), the heatsink performed MUCH worse than the stock Intel one. This lead me to believe that the heatsink was sitting flush on the CPU. Sure enough, I was correct. I released the screws until the heatsink and the CPU sat flush, I had to keep the computer on so I could see the temperature change. You'll need to do this as well to get the best cooling possible. I also noticed that with my case, the cooler does nearly as well as the stock Intel heatsink. Once I removed the side of the case, the cooler did extremely well. This means that I'd have to redesign the airflow of my case using this heatsink. These are some things that you'll need to consider when purchasing this heatsink.
Let's see about the idle numbers. This is at the default 2400MHz. Ambient was 25 - 26 C
Intel Stock: 31.5 C
Scythe Kamakaze Fast: 30 C (But with the case open it dropped to 27 C)
Scythe Kamakaze Slow: 33 C (But with the case open it dropped to 30 C)
And at load...
Intel Stock: 42 C
Scythe Kamakaze Fast: 41.5 C (But with the case open it dropped to 36.5 C)
Scythe Kamakaze Slow: 52 C (But with the case open it dropped to 46 C)
Now for 2800MHz (233MHz system bus) and idle.
Intel Stock: 32 C
Scythe Kamakaze Fast: 31.5 C (But with the case open it dropped to 28 C)
Scythe Kamakaze Slow: 34 C (But with the case open it dropped to 30 C)
And loaded...
Intel Stock: 45 C
Scythe Kamakaze Fast: 45 C (But with the case open it dropped to 39 C)
Scythe Kamakaze Slow: 58 C (But with the case open it dropped to 49 C)
The test shows that with proper airflow, this heatsink can be great. I recommend using it at full fan speed all the time. I could barely hear it. I really couldn't hear it over my case fans though. In this sense, the Kamakaze is great. It is good cooling and quiet.
<B>Conclusion</B>:
<a href="http://ase.dealtime.com/dt-app/SE/KW-scythe+kamakaze/FD-0/linkin_id-3002062/NS-1/GS.html">Priced around $32</a>, you too can have this heatsink. If you are using a Pentium 4, make sure your case has good airflow and you have to be able to modify it when you get the heatsink. Given the right conditions, the heatsink is great and I do recommend it if you like to tweak things. If you're more of a plug-in-and-go person, look elsewhere.
I'd like to thank Will from <a href="http://www.scythe-usa.com">Scythe</a> for sending this product for review.