Introduction

I would like to thank Scythe for supplying the tested cooler.

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<th scope="row">Model Name</th>
<td scope="row">SCSMZ-1000</td>
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<th scope="row">Compatibility Intel</th>
<td scope="row">Celeron (socket 478) all speeds<br>
Pentium 4 (socket 478) all speeds<br>
LGA775 (socket 775) all speeds</td>
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<th scope="row">Compatibility AMD</th>
<td scope="row">Sempron (socket 754) all speeds<br>
Athlon 64 (socket 754) all speeds<br>
Athlon 64FX (socket 754) all speeds<br>
Opteron (socket 939) all speeds<br>
Opteron (socket 940) all speeds</td>
</tr>
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<th scope="row">Fan Dimensions</th>
<td scope="row">92 x 92 x 25mm</td>
</tr>
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<th scope="row">Combined Dimensions</th>
<td scope="row">128 x 85 x 98mm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan Speed</th>
<td scope="row">2000rpm (±10%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan Noise Level</th>
<td scope="row">23.5 dBA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Air Flow</th>
<td scope="row">32.4 CFM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Weight</th>
<td scope="row">360g</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Bearing Type</th>
<td scope="row">Sleeve Bearing</td>
</tr>
</table>

Packaging

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Box contents:

CPU Cooler
Mounting clips for Socket 775
Mounting clips for Socket 754, 939, 940
Mounting clips for Socket 478
Thermal grease
Instruction manual

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The cooler's base plate is protected by a plastic foil which is easily removed. However, I found that a bit of the adhesive glue remained on the cooler's base. This should not affect cooling performance.

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The contact area of the heatsink base is super flat, you can barely make out scratches or other imperfections. I cleaned the heatsink base using Arctic Silver ArctiClean. As you can see the surface improves a little bit.

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The cooler is relatively small in its size. It seems that it is possible to change the included 92mm fan to another one.

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A metal clip holds the fan in place.

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If you look under the cooler you see that under the heatsink for the heatpipe is another small heatsink which dissipates some heat as well.

Installation

The installation of the Samurai Z could not be easier. Depending on your target system there are metal clips which have to be attached to the cooler.
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Just plug in the clips into the heatsink. They make a very solid connection. To remove them you have to press two metal tabs together, then it can be easily removed.

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For motherboard installation, here on Socket939, you hook the clips into the tabs from your retention kit and move two small metal levers. Done.

Performance

<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">AMD Athlon64 3000+ (S939; 1MB; Venice)</td>
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<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">Clock speed:</th>
<td scope="row">9 x 200 MHz = 1800 MHz, Memory at DDR-400</td>
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<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">Sapphire PI-A9RX480<br />ATI RX480</td>
</tr>
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<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 256MB Generic PC-3200</td>
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<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI Radeon 9000 PCI</td>
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<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">WD Raptor 360GD 36GB</td>
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<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
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<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 6.1</td>
</tr>
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Temperature data was obtained by directly reading the Athlon64 thermal diode with a MAX6655 reader which offers an accuracy of 0.125°C. The CPU, cabling, diode reader setup has been calibrated in a water bath over a 0°C - 75°C range. Room temperature was kept at 20°C, data has been normalized if necessary.

Idle means Windows sitting at the desktop for 30 minutes. Load is after 30 minutes of Prime95. The different clock/voltage settings are representative of an un-overclocked, medium overclocked and heavily overclocked system.

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Cooling performance on all three load settings is not stellar. However, as long as the temperatures stay in an acceptable range and the system is stable at the high load setting, I see no reason to be worried about that. There is probably room for improvement when a more powerful fan is used. But this would make the Samurai Z a louder heatsink.

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Here the Samurai Z can excel. The fan is very quiet. In a normal case you will not hear it spinning over the other noises from HDD and PSU. If you really want to quiet it even further, you could slow down the fan by running at a lower voltage. Then the cooler completely redefines the meaning of "quiet".

Value and Conclusion

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Scythe is selling the Samurai Z for about $35, which is a good price.

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Very quiet
Wide compatibility
Easy to install
Light-weight

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Cooling performance could be improved

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<tr><th>8.6</th>
<td>While the Scythe Samurai Z is not a highest-performance overclocker's cooler, I must say I still love it. The installation is very easy, does not require any tools and can be completed in a few seconds. With support for Socket 478, 775, 754, 939 and 940 the compatibility could be called universal. I also like that mounting kits for all these platforms are included, other manufacturers will make you pay extra for that.<br />
On the cooling performance side the Samurai Z is a bit weak. However, while the temperatures might be higher, our test system was stable at all times. In return for higher temperature you get a very quiet fan.<br />
I recently moved my medium overclocked, watercooled Socket 478 system into a new case and was worried how I could install all the watercooling stuff there without major surgery. Right in the nick of time I got this heatsink and decided to completely get rid of watercooling. I'm using the Samurai Z on my P4 2.4C @ 3.1 and the system is quieter than before.</td></tr>
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