Scythe Infinity: 5 Heatpipes and Silent 120mm Fan
by Wesley Fink on February 26, 2007 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Final Words
The question we asked in the beginning of this review was whether the Scythe Infinity would live up to the legend status that many users have bestowed on that product. The answer to this question has many parts and ranges from an enthusiastic yes to a "yes, but..." It is very clear that Scythe paid a lot of attention to lower noise in the latest version of the Infinity, and they succeeded in producing a CPU cooler with some of the lowest noise levels we have seen - particularly at higher overclocks where other coolers have to crank up their fans.
However, it is also clear than the current stock Infinity is not quite as good as the original models in reaching very high overclocks. The maximum overclock we could reach with stability using a stock Infinity fan setup was 3.83GHz - decent, but average among top heatpipe towers.
We fared better with a more powerful fan, reaching 3.85GHz at the price of a little more noise. The most effective solution, though, was to use two stock Scythe "silent fans" in a dual push-pull cooling configuration.
Using that setup, the Scythe matched the top-performing Tuniq Tower 120 in overclocking this CPU at a stable 3.90GHz. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact it did this at very low noise levels with two fans. The Tuniq was still cooler at 3.90GHz, but it was also noisier. The Scythe Infinity was still barely a whisper, even at 3.90GHz with two fans. We suspect if we combined two Tuniq fans, for instance, that we would get even better cooling - more in line with the Tuniq - but at the price of a bit more noise. We also found a single more powerful fan was still not as effective as two silent fans, which is very interesting.
Scythe also deserves praise for their effective design that allows easy installation on any current CPU socket. The tool-less socket adapters are cleverly designed and work very well. Our only real complaint here is that Scythe does not really address the massive weight of the Infinity in any way. It mounts the 2.2lbs - 1000 grams - in the same way stock coolers mount on the 775, 478, AM2, and 754/939/940. There is absolutely no doubt the installation is easy and effective, but we get very nervous with 2.2 pounds hanging on a vertical board with just four pop clips on a 775 Intel install.
This Scythe cooler is good enough that it deserves a more secure mounting system. This is particularly true since the multi-fan setup is the best performer and that weighs even more than the already massive 960 gram stock cooler. We sincerely hope Scythe will do a redesign of the Infinity mounting that finds some way to more securely mount this heavy HSF.
While they are at it, Scythe might also find a way to raise the fin cage a bit. It is impossible to pop in 775 clips in the mounting holes with the board mounted in a case. The clearance is just too tight to slip in a thumb and push the clips home. In the current design users need to mount the cooler before installing the motherboard in the case; It saves lots of frustration and prevents getting sliced by the sharp cooling fins. A little more cage clearance might allow mounting the Infinity on a motherboard that is still installed in the case.
These few complaints should be considered suggestions for improving a product that is impressive in its current performance. Our suggestion would be to run two Scythe silent fans in a push-pull arrangement as we did, or you could use two fans like the more powerful but still silent Silverstone FN121. The two fan option cooled better and allowed for higher overclocking. This moved the Infinity from average performance in our heatpipe tower tests to one of the best results in overclocking, cooling and low-noise that we have yet seen in our cooler reviews.
To return to our initial question, the Scythe Infinity is legendary in cooling with low noise. It is one of the quietest coolers we've tested with the single silent fan. The Infinity is also a decent performer in overclocking, but the stock cooler is average in performance among top heatpipe towers - at least with the single "silent fan" Scythe currently ships with the Infinity.
To move to the category of one of the best requires an Infinity with two fans in a push-pull setup. With that, the Infinity matches the highest overclock we have seen with this CPU. The two fans also seem to have few penalties to exact, particularly if the fans are Scythe "silent fans". The dual-fan Scythe is not yet a legend, but our performance tests indicate this push-pull configuration should be on the short list of anyone shopping for a CPU cooler.
The question we asked in the beginning of this review was whether the Scythe Infinity would live up to the legend status that many users have bestowed on that product. The answer to this question has many parts and ranges from an enthusiastic yes to a "yes, but..." It is very clear that Scythe paid a lot of attention to lower noise in the latest version of the Infinity, and they succeeded in producing a CPU cooler with some of the lowest noise levels we have seen - particularly at higher overclocks where other coolers have to crank up their fans.
However, it is also clear than the current stock Infinity is not quite as good as the original models in reaching very high overclocks. The maximum overclock we could reach with stability using a stock Infinity fan setup was 3.83GHz - decent, but average among top heatpipe towers.
We fared better with a more powerful fan, reaching 3.85GHz at the price of a little more noise. The most effective solution, though, was to use two stock Scythe "silent fans" in a dual push-pull cooling configuration.
Using that setup, the Scythe matched the top-performing Tuniq Tower 120 in overclocking this CPU at a stable 3.90GHz. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact it did this at very low noise levels with two fans. The Tuniq was still cooler at 3.90GHz, but it was also noisier. The Scythe Infinity was still barely a whisper, even at 3.90GHz with two fans. We suspect if we combined two Tuniq fans, for instance, that we would get even better cooling - more in line with the Tuniq - but at the price of a bit more noise. We also found a single more powerful fan was still not as effective as two silent fans, which is very interesting.
Scythe also deserves praise for their effective design that allows easy installation on any current CPU socket. The tool-less socket adapters are cleverly designed and work very well. Our only real complaint here is that Scythe does not really address the massive weight of the Infinity in any way. It mounts the 2.2lbs - 1000 grams - in the same way stock coolers mount on the 775, 478, AM2, and 754/939/940. There is absolutely no doubt the installation is easy and effective, but we get very nervous with 2.2 pounds hanging on a vertical board with just four pop clips on a 775 Intel install.
This Scythe cooler is good enough that it deserves a more secure mounting system. This is particularly true since the multi-fan setup is the best performer and that weighs even more than the already massive 960 gram stock cooler. We sincerely hope Scythe will do a redesign of the Infinity mounting that finds some way to more securely mount this heavy HSF.
While they are at it, Scythe might also find a way to raise the fin cage a bit. It is impossible to pop in 775 clips in the mounting holes with the board mounted in a case. The clearance is just too tight to slip in a thumb and push the clips home. In the current design users need to mount the cooler before installing the motherboard in the case; It saves lots of frustration and prevents getting sliced by the sharp cooling fins. A little more cage clearance might allow mounting the Infinity on a motherboard that is still installed in the case.
These few complaints should be considered suggestions for improving a product that is impressive in its current performance. Our suggestion would be to run two Scythe silent fans in a push-pull arrangement as we did, or you could use two fans like the more powerful but still silent Silverstone FN121. The two fan option cooled better and allowed for higher overclocking. This moved the Infinity from average performance in our heatpipe tower tests to one of the best results in overclocking, cooling and low-noise that we have yet seen in our cooler reviews.
To return to our initial question, the Scythe Infinity is legendary in cooling with low noise. It is one of the quietest coolers we've tested with the single silent fan. The Infinity is also a decent performer in overclocking, but the stock cooler is average in performance among top heatpipe towers - at least with the single "silent fan" Scythe currently ships with the Infinity.
To move to the category of one of the best requires an Infinity with two fans in a push-pull setup. With that, the Infinity matches the highest overclock we have seen with this CPU. The two fans also seem to have few penalties to exact, particularly if the fans are Scythe "silent fans". The dual-fan Scythe is not yet a legend, but our performance tests indicate this push-pull configuration should be on the short list of anyone shopping for a CPU cooler.
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Zoomer - Thursday, March 1, 2007 - link
Could you try adding more than two fans, or perhaps blocking the sides of the heatsink so that air can't escape and see if it helps?I'm very interested. It appears that this unit requires a high(er) static pressure to work well.
yyrkoon - Monday, February 26, 2007 - link
These coolers, are all fine and dandy, but what about low profile coolers, that dont weight as much as the Golden Gate bridge ?Me, my personal case, is an Lian Li PC-G50 (silver, if you must know . . .), and the PSU sits right_above about half of the CPU. Silent is great, higher overclocking potential, is better still, but the bigger question is, why arent these companies working on anything that doesnt require special cases, or at the very least, cases that are so huge, you can not put them any place without having large amounts of room.
My case: 15" tall, looks great, is very functional, its just a terrible shame, that no one seems to be making low profile coolers, that would help me eek out a 310mhz + CPU on my ABIT NF-M2 nView + AM2 Opteron 1210 (which I have actually achieved, just wouldnt do much other than BSoD within windows).
Lem - Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - link
Have you checked the Thermalright "SI-type" coolers? I have been happy with a Thermalright SI-120 + 120mm 1200rpm fan (PAPST 4412F/2GLL). I am not much into overclocking though. I only raised the frequency of my X2 3800+ to 2.4GHz because it was a nice round number that my RAM could handle.The newer SI-128 seems to support AM2-socket as well. I prefer that design over these for obvious reasons.
My Lian Li PC-61 is somewhat bigger than your case but I do not think that there would be any problems with PC-G50 either.
BigLan - Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - link
"why arent these companies working on anything that doesnt require special cases"Erm, your case is the special one. These coolers generally fit in standard atx cases, with the regular atx-approved layout (height might be an issue in mid-atx cases.) I think that having the psu above the cpu is ok for micro-atx, but that is still pretty specialized - you might want to look into server coolers (specifically 1-u coolers.) m-atx-style normally requires smaller fans, which have to spin much faster to move the same amount of air, and are very, very noisy (does anyone remember the old 60mm delta screamers?) You're also limited to fin area, which also hurts performance. There are some reasonably good btx coolers which overcome these problems though, but they're often proprietary (built into dell cases etc.)
cujo - Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - link
i love big cases. lots more room to work inside and lots more room for quiet 120mm fans.yyrkoon - Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - link
Good for you. My case also has silent 120mm fans, the system is so quiet in fact, I have to turn something else on, so I can sleep ( I require white noise to sleep ).arswihart - Monday, February 26, 2007 - link
I disagree with using overclocking as a measure of a heatsink's performance. You should focus on noise and temps, it's that simple. I don't know why anyone would even pay attention to that data you are presenting.Wesley Fink - Monday, February 26, 2007 - link
Temperatures at stock speeds are reported on p. 4. However, contrary to your assumption, coolers that perform best at cooling at a stock 2.93GHz are not always the same coolers that enable the highest overclock. Temperature rises as a CPU is overclocked, and coolers that perform well at stock speeds do not always remove heat as well at higher temperatures.Since the OC that can be achieved does not matter to you, the data on p.4 - temperature at stock speed - should give you what you are looking for.
arswihart - Monday, February 26, 2007 - link
Idle and Load temps for stock / OC. No need to look at 50Mhz differences to rank the heatsinks is my point.arswihart - Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - link
To further make my point, you see a 7 C difference between the single and dual fan configs on the Infinity, and only a 70Mhz difference in OC. To me, the 70Mhz difference is negligible, while the 7 C difference is quite striking.Relatively speaking, the difference in temps is much more drastic (12%), and much mnore relevant, than the difference you are seeing in OC (2%).
Do you still want to argue about it?
Sure it makes for interesting reading, so I guess I can't blame you too much, and the audience at Anandtech surely eats it up. I would just tell you I'd rather not have reviews cluttered up with this rather petty data.