Scythe Rolls Out SCY-920S Entry-level Tower-type CPU Cooler

[btarunr]

Scythe unveiled the SCY-920S, an entry-level tower-type CPU cooler meant as a quieter substitute to your stock CPU cooler, with a thermal load capacity of 95 W. Its design involves an aluminium heatsink base through which two 6 mm thick copper heat pipes pass, making direct contact with the CPU, which then fan out through the fin-stack. A 92 mm fan ventilates the fin-stack. Spinning between 500 to 2,000 RPM, this fan pushes 7.1 to 48.2 CFM of air, with 8.3 to 28.3 dBA noise output. Measuring 87 mm x 62 mm x 127 mm (DxWxH), the SCY-920S weighs about 280 g. Among the CPU socket types supported are AM4 and LGA115x. The cooler goes on sale around mid-December.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[biffzinker]

Nothing about price?

 

[dj-electric]

ok genuine non meme opinion this time.

There's a good reason we see less and less of this type of coolers around in recent years, and Scythe's cognitive dissonance from what the market actually needs sometimes show it.
we're in an age where:

1 - if you go with AMD you either get a "good enough" box cooler, or a straight up equal to better than this type of entry level towers (Wraith Prism).
2 - if you go Intel you make sure to at least put the minimum amount required for Tri-heatpipe 92MM tower designs, such as the ever-infamous Hyper 212, and lately Arctic's Freezer 34 is making a nice comeback.

"But dj, what if i have this 3-5 year old Intel quad core that needs a basic cooler beyond the box cooler it came with?" well... How cheap is cheap enough to create a whole category underneath those 20-something dollar 3-4 heatpipe towers? Will this Scythe cooler cost 15$ or less? possibly not, and if it will, there might just be a chance to create any viable market for this type of product.

Scythe used to be huge in the air cooler market in many countries, and in recent years they really really seem to fade away. I just hope they can adapt to the new CPU market and create more good designs in fair prices.

 

[Flanker]

ok genuine non meme opinion this time.

There's a good reason we see less and less of this type of coolers around in recent years, and Scythe's cognitive dissonance from what the market actually needs sometimes show it.
we're in an age where:

1 - if you go with AMD you either get a "good enough" box cooler, or a straight up equal to better than this type of entry level towers (Wraith Prism).
2 - if you go Intel you make sure to at least put the minimum amount required for Tri-heatpipe 92MM tower designs, such as the ever-infamous Hyper 212, and lately Arctic's Freezer 34 is making a nice comeback.

"But dj, what if i have this 3-5 year old Intel quad core that needs a basic cooler beyond the box cooler it came with?" well... How cheap is cheap enough to create a whole category underneath those 20-something dollar 3-4 heatpipe towers? Will this Scythe cooler cost 15$ or less? possibly not, and if it will, there might just be a chance to create any viable market for this type of product.

Scythe used to be huge in the air cooler market in many countries, and in recent years they really really seem to fade away. I just hope they can adapt to the new CPU market and create more good designs in fair prices.

I loved their Ninja and Mugen series. Personally I would get tower coolers with 12cm+fans or just something cheap to replace Intel's stock POS cooler. Basically what you said I guess.

I used to have a 92mm when I tried to cheap out but it felt so half-assed...

 

[natr0n]

Chipset cooler imo.

 

[bonehead123]

Hello Scythe, this is 2008 calling, and we want all our pathetic, el-cheapo-cloned 4 piper coolers back, cause they all are belong to us anyways .........

 

[Parn]

Surprised there is still a market for 92mm 2-pipe tower coolers.

AMD stock coolers have surpassed this level of performance I believe. And for Intel you really need a 120mm+ 3-pipe cooler if you want reliable turbo boost.

The only 92mm cooler I've used was the Thermalright Ultima 90. Now that was a true performer.

 

[Vayra86]

These things need to be top flow by default, a tower at this size makes zero sense

 

[notb]

There's a good reason we see less and less of this type of coolers around in recent years

Which only makes new launches more eagerly awaited.
There's a significant demand for low tower coolers because of SFF popularity.
Noctua D9L and U9S are among their best selling models (for $50-60). This Scythe would be a budget alternative.

1 - if you go with AMD you either get a "good enough" box cooler, or a straight up equal to better than this type of entry level towers (Wraith Prism).

But the fan in "good enough" box cooler will die eventually and it'll be hard to replace it with a 3rd party one. So most likely you're going to replace the whole cooler anyway.
And even if you get a stock cooler and you're fine with it's performance, you may simply want to replace it with a tower setup, since it's much more efficient in some cases.

2 - if you go Intel you make sure to at least put the minimum amount required for Tri-heatpipe 92MM tower designs, such as the ever-infamous Hyper 212, and lately Arctic's Freezer 34 is making a nice comeback.

This part is quite funny actually. With Intel you're getting a good enough cooler with most CPUs and it's been like that for years.
And this small Scythe tower will be a perfectly fine replacement for everything but 8-core and -K models.

"But dj, what if i have this 3-5 year old Intel quad core that needs a basic cooler beyond the box cooler it came with?" well... How cheap is cheap enough to create a whole category underneath those 20-something dollar 3-4 heatpipe towers? Will this Scythe cooler cost 15$ or less? possibly not, and if it will, there might just be a chance to create any viable market for this type of product.

Actually coolers in this segment are fairly expensive.
Cryorig M9, which would be a direct competitor, costs $30.

 

[Lorec]

omigosh who needs this

 

[Chrispy_]

I'm with Vayra.

These things need to be top flow by default, a tower at this size makes zero sense

If people are cost-cutting on the CPU cooler, they're almost certainly cost-cutting on the case airflow. There's a non-zero chance that the default one or maybe two case fans is all there is, so cooling VRMs and RAM with down-blowing coolers makes a whole lot more sense than a tower, and would actually increase the compatibility (larger market for more sales) by lowering the total height of the cooler.

If people spent an extra $25 filling out the empty fan bays in their case, then they can also afford to spend another $10 on a better cooler than this underwhelming budget offering.

 

[dj-electric]

Which only makes new launches more eagerly awaited.
There's a significant demand for low tower coolers because of SFF popularity.

SSF cases mostly enjoy C type and top-flow coolers, and less of the tower kind anyway. Absolutely no sizable market "eagerly awaits" for coolers like the one in the PR above.

But the fan in "good enough" box cooler will die eventually and it'll be hard to replace it with a 3rd party one. So most likely you're going to replace the whole cooler anyway.

Who said so? The fan on AMD's cooler is very easily replace-able (4 screws) with just about any desired fan of the same size.

With Intel you're getting a good enough cooler with most CPUs and it's been like that for years.

Intel's stock, old-fashioned cooler is in fact so bad with current CPUs, they decided with each generation to include less and less of them in the CPU line up. Its absolutely terrible in doing its job with just about any mid-range and upwards model of desktop CPU. The small metal heatsink needs to the fan to work extra.

Actually coolers in this segment are fairly expensive.

What segment, the 3-4 pipe tower segment? The market is absolutely bloated with great options under 30$, both in western, and asian markets of choice. Hell, some 17$ "Snowman" tower cooler is making a name for itself on the east for delivering close to 212 EVO performance.

 

[ppn]

I think it can cool 135 watt cpu just fine under 1000 rpm. but expensive, only if size is the key.

 

[Vayra86]

Which only makes new launches more eagerly awaited.
There's a significant demand for low tower coolers because of SFF popularity.
Noctua D9L and U9S are among their best selling models (for $50-60). This Scythe would be a budget alternative.

But the fan in "good enough" box cooler will die eventually and it'll be hard to replace it with a 3rd party one. So most likely you're going to replace the whole cooler anyway.
And even if you get a stock cooler and you're fine with it's performance, you may simply want to replace it with a tower setup, since it's much more efficient in some cases.

This part is quite funny actually. With Intel you're getting a good enough cooler with most CPUs and it's been like that for years.
And this small Scythe tower will be a perfectly fine replacement for everything but 8-core and -K models.

Actually coolers in this segment are fairly expensive.
Cryorig M9, which would be a direct competitor, costs $30.

Its quite amazing how you seem to find non-arguments to counter every statement that the rest of the world simply feels is undoubtedly true.

Such wisdom! Did you order by the pallet? I mean, these are supposed to be expensive and the demand will skyrocket because of all those SFF cases that really love towers.

 

[ShurikN]

Intel's stock, old-fashioned cooler is in fact so bad with current CPUs, they decided with each generation to include less and less of them in the CPU line up. Its absolutely terrible in doing its job with just about any mid-range and upwards model of desktop CPU. The small metal heatsink needs to the fan to work extra.

They also get very loud if you load the CPU with any meaningful work

 

[notb]

SSF cases mostly enjoy C type and top-flow coolers, and less of the tower kind anyway. Absolutely no sizable market "eagerly awaits" for coolers like the one in the PR above.

There exist SFF cases that do (front-to-rear directed cooling).
No offense, but you're extremely confident in your ideas. You think you know the global cooler market better than Scythe's analysts?

Who said so? The fan on AMD's cooler is very easily replace-able (4 screws) with just about any desired fan of the same size.

All 4 of them?
Anyway, e.g. Wraith Spire has 80mm screw spacing, so you'll end up with a smaller fan or having to shoose from a very limited choice of fitting models.

Intel's stock, old-fashioned cooler is in fact so bad with current CPUs, they decided with each generation to include less and less of them in the CPU line up.

Can you explain that part? AFAIK nothing has changed and all box non-K CPUs are bundled with a cooler.

Its absolutely terrible in doing its job with just about any mid-range and upwards model of desktop CPU. The small metal heatsink needs to the fan to work extra.

Yes, it's very cheap and loud. But it works. And it's super cheap.

What segment, the 3-4 pipe tower segment? The market is absolutely bloated with great options under 30$, both in western, and asian markets of choice. Hell, some 17$ "Snowman" tower cooler is making a name for itself on the east for delivering close to 212 EVO performance.

Segment of low tower coolers.

 

[dirtyferret]

remember when cooler master launched the 212 evo and stated the direct touch heat pipes were there for better performance and lots of people bought that marketing talk...then Cooler Master had to admit it was just a cost cutting measure...that's what I think of every time I see direct touch heat pipes...

 

[Vayra86]

There exist SFF cases that do (front-to-rear directed cooling).
No offense, but you're extremely confident in your ideas. You think you know the global cooler market better than Scythe's analysts?

All 4 of them?
Anyway, e.g. Wraith Spire has 80mm screw spacing, so you'll end up with a smaller fan or having to shoose from a very limited choice of fitting models.

Can you explain that part? AFAIK nothing has changed and all box non-K CPUs are bundled with a cooler.

Yes, it's very cheap and loud. But it works. And it's super cheap.

Segment of low tower coolers.

K CPUs used to come with coolers too. Its only until Intel decided to redefine what's possible within stated TDPs that we've seen those vanish. And with that, the demand for small towers vanished in a similar way.

And about global cooler market... there are tons of examples of companies that have stuck to old ways and are now history, or nearly history. So yes, we dó think we know better, and yes, there are many companies that are managed in a way these kinds of failures make shelves and keep doing so until money runs out.

Also look at the trend with Scythe. I have never EVER seen them make anything noteworthy other than heatsink+same ol' black fan.

 

[TesterAnon]

So Freezer 12 and Hyper T2 market?
Unless its really cheap i fail to see why buy it against other cheap heatsinks.
Freezer 12 already has 3 heatipies.

 

[notb]

K CPUs used to come with coolers too. Its only until Intel decided to redefine what's possible within stated TDPs that we've seen those vanish. And with that, the demand for small towers vanished in a similar way.

That ended with Haswell Refresh in 2014. And it's been very coherent since then.
So I'm still waiting for the "they decided with each generation to include less and less of them in the CPU line up" explanation. ;-)

And about global cooler market... there are tons of examples of companies that have stuck to old ways and are now history, or nearly history.

There are also many examples of companies that stuck to old ways and survived. And there are countless examples of "innovative startups" that vanish every year. And it proves absolutely nothing.

So yes, we dó think we know better, and yes, there are many companies that are managed in a way these kinds of failures make shelves and keep doing so until money runs out.

Yeah... if you think you know this business better than the companies that make a living there... I don't really see any way to comment on that.

Also look at the trend with Scythe. I have never EVER seen them make anything noteworthy other than heatsink+same ol' black fan.

Scythe has been making high-quality products for a very long time.
It's really down to how you define noteworthy.

Their products don't have a "mass-market" feeling. They're hardly a global brand. They have a poor distribution network.
Their boxes look like if they contained an anime action figure.

Honestly, I don't think they're focusing on the mainstream coolers. That's why their 160mm towers aren't standing out. And no RGB!
But they have very interesting products for specific scenarios - often with no serious competition. Coolers like Big Shuriken or Kozuti have been ruling their niches for a very long time.

 

[Vayra86]

That ended with Haswell Refresh in 2014. And it's been very coherent since then.
So I'm still waiting for the "they decided with each generation to include less and less of them in the CPU line up" explanation. ;-)

There are also many examples of companies that stuck to old ways and survived. And there are countless examples of "innovative startups" that vanish every year. And it proves absolutely nothing.

Yeah... if you think you know this business better than the companies that make a living there... I don't really see any way to comment on that.


Scythe has been making high-quality products for a very long time.
It's really down to how you define noteworthy.

Their products don't have a "mass-market" feeling. They're hardly a global brand. They have a poor distribution network.
Their boxes look like if they contained an anime action figure.

Honestly, I don't think they're focusing on the mainstream coolers. That's why their 160mm towers aren't standing out. And no RGB!
But they have very interesting products for specific scenarios - often with no serious competition. Coolers like Big Shuriken or Kozuti have been ruling their niches for a very long time.

Fair points, but none of them explain where the market really is for this one. I really struggle to see it here. Even that niche these are supposed to cater to - its just not there if you know the least about cooling and cases nowadays. There is always something that will perform equal or better at equal or lower price no matter how it is twisted here.

 

[notb]

So Freezer 12 and Hyper T2 market?
Unless its really cheap i fail to see why buy it against other cheap heatsinks.
Freezer 12 already has 3 heatipies.

The important question is: why not buy it?

It's a new niche for Scythe, so they have nothing to lose. They had the fan, they made an extremely simple heatsink design.
Whatever market share they'll take from other companies will turn into almost sure profit.

Moreover, it's easy to say that "but Freezer 12 has 3 heatpipes" when you're writing a post on an internet forum.
But can you buy a Freezer 12 in every country? And for how much?

Scythe's home market is Japan.
Arctic doesn't even have an official distributor there: https://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/where-to-buy/
A single dealer mentioned is Amazon:

Amazon.co.jp

$63

 

[Keullo-e]

If it's like 20 eur/usd, then why not. Still better than the stock coolers what are bundled with those lower-TDP CPUs.

 

[xrror]

Hell, some 17$ "Snowman" tower cooler is making a name for itself on the east for delivering close to 212 EVO performance.

I had to look that up, and yea... the "SNOWMAN" looks pretty damn competent actually:

22.03US $ 5% OFF|Snowman Cpu Cooler Master 4 Direct Contact Heatpipes Freeze Tower Cooling System Cpu Cooling Fan With Pwm Fans - Fans & Cooling - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

It's like... you pretty much have to assume that the included fan might not be the longest lived, but for $19 shipped I'd run that ;p