Scythe Ninja-PLUS Rev B Heatpipe Cooler, with 120mm fan Ultra

One thing we like about Scythe’s CPU coolers is that their product names always bring a smile to our face. Their latest fanless cooler is no exception: the Ninja! This product is not especially good at being an agent of espionage or assassination, but it does excel in one area of specialism - it provides cutting-edge cooling performance!

The Ninja represents the holy grail of a quiet computer because it can be an entirely passive heatsink, so from a noise point of view it is totally silent. It manages this through its clever arrangement of a multiple-layer fin design, combined with no less than six heatpipes. Because of this, it is one of the most efficient heatsinks we sell. The downside of this design is that is makes the heatsink fairly large, meaning that it is unsuitable for use in restricted-space applications such as HTPC cases.

Scythe Ninja-PLUS Rev B Heatpipe CPU Cooler

As with all fanless coolers, use of the Ninja is restricted by the type of CPU you are intending to use with it. We recommend using this cooler fanless if your CPU is a Pentium 4 Northwood (any speed), or an Athlon 64 3500+ or lower. If you intend to use the cooler with a socket 775 processor or a CPU faster than an Athlon 64 3500+ then we recommend you install the supplied 120mm fan. The Ninja-PLUS is supplied with two retaining clips and a 120mm fan for use with a high-end CPU, like Intel’s and AMD’s new dual core processors.

It is imperative that after installation you monitor your CPU temperature very closely, making sure that you are happy with the results. If you believe your CPU temperature is too high (say 70C or above), try to increase the airflow through the system. If the CPU temperature is still too high then please cease using the Ninja and contact us for advice. However, as long as you do not run your PC with the CPU flat out for many hours continuously, there should be no reason why you can’t enjoy the silence of this cooler.

Alternatively you can always use the supplied 120mm fan to provide direct airflow to the heatsink; And if you purchase Zalman’s Fanmate 2 at the same time you will be able to adjust the speed of the fan to give you the best balance between noise and cooling.