Overclocker Cafe - Scythe Kamikaze HSF

Scythe Kamikaze Heatsink

Manufacturer: Scythe
Supplied by: Quiet PC
Street Price: $35

By Brian Tiller (1/16/2004)

Introduction

Cooling remains an integral part of computing, especially with CPU's, graphics cards, and memory going faster and faster. Even though it's been some time since I've gotten down and dirty with a heatsink review, I'm always looking for a good air cooling solution. Dean is the resident H2O dude, but I'll stick with good old air. That's why when Quiet PC contacted us and asked if we'd like to review one of their new heatsinks, I jumped at it. So, thanks to Quiet PC for the chance to put the Scythe Kamikaze cooler on the hot seat.

Specifications

Support for AMD up to 3400+ and Intel to 3.2GHz
Construction: Copper/Aluminum
Dimensions (sink): 70 mm x 70mm x 57mm
Fan dimensions: 80 mm x 80 mm x 25 mm
Variable speed fan: 1300 to 3400 RPM
Air flow: 13.6 to 34 CFM
Weight: 690 grams
Noise level: 16 to 37 dBA

Well, first off we see that it's designed to support both AMD and Intel chips. We've seen that before with some of the ThermalRight sinks, most notably the SLK-800U and 900U. So let's see how it looks and then how it works.

The box itself was of average size for a heatsink and covered with the "Kamikaze" name as well as various Japanese characters. Inside however were more items than I thought would have actually fit in the box.

In addition to the heatsink itself, there was a bag with some fasteners and paste, the rheostat with a PCI back plate attached to the fan, a set of instructions (always a good thing) and the P4 clamping kit.

Looking at the heatsink itself, it reminds us quite a bit of the Swiftech models but ESPECIALLY of the Alpha PAL 8045 that Dean reviewed a couple of years back. A much closer relationship to the Alpha than just kissing cousins also. As you can see, the Kamikaze uses vertical rods to cool, instead of the more standard fin design. The fan is attached directly over the rods with four screws and is easily removable.

There are approximately 500 of these cooling rods, which are made of an anodized aluminum coating pressed into a copper core base. One thing that makes this sink design so effective is that it is essentially open on all sides of the cooing area, which allows for a greater flow of air away from the core of the sink.

The base of the sink is shipped with a piece of film to protect the polished surface. Once the film is removed, we can see that the base is aluminum with a milled copper inlay center.

As you can see, the copper base is pretty smooth and shiny. It's not the absolute best we have ever seen, but it is still pretty darn good. It is smooth enough that it shouldn't need any lapping, as you can see from the last picture.