Scythe Ninja 5 in the test – cooling colossus with space problems

The cooler in today’s article is a real exotic, also in the Scythe range. With almost gigantic dimensions (almost the width of an ATX mainboard) and no consideration of the compatibility of other components, the Ninja 5 has many interesting aspects, not just the surprisingly low price. In the following article you can find out how the big brother of the Fuma 2 fares in the test:

Packaging & scope of delivery

As for the size of the box, only the Deepcool Assassin III come to similar dimensions, air coolers are rarely seen in such boxes. The outsides are mostly black with some red accents for text boxes. The front is dominated by the usual product image, the most important features are briefly listed on the back.
To the side is a table of specifications and pictures with the dimensions.

I also seem to have a quite up-to-date version here and not an old slow-moving, a note on the front advertises compatibility for the 1200 socket.

A look inside shows the cooler padding, which is unusual for air coolers and especially Scythe. Once around the heat sink there is a thick layer of foam and also individual “sections” for the two fans.

The accessories come in their own small cardboard box that can be unfolded. In addition to the well-known HPMS mounting material and a backplate already prepared for Intel sockets, it also includes a screwdriver, Y-PWM splitter and a tube of thermal paste. Incidentally, this is not completely full, only the tip. But it should be enough for multiple applications. Plastic bags are used sparingly again, but this time there is a little more rubbish than usual with this manufacturer.

Assembly & installation

Since the Hyper Precision Mounting Systems (HPMS) version 3 from Scythe is used here, the installation is practically identical to the majority of the rest of the range. Due to the size alone, it is advisable to install the cooler on the table with the mainboard removed or to fix the backplate with adhesive tape. The backplate of the mainboard is used for the AM4 socket, the two silver brackets are mounted with four rubberized spacers and screws. After the two spring-loaded screws have been fixed in the brackets with the screwdriver provided, all that remains is to attach the fans. This is done with the four enclosed metal brackets, which are attached to the heat sink.

A look at the underside shows the nickel-plated copper base plate with a slightly convex curve and the 6 heatpipes. The heat sink is symmetrical and the fins are well processed, deburred and quite stable.

In the side view, the width of the Ninja 5 becomes clear for the first time. There are cutouts in the heat sink on both sides, as this extends over the RAM slots. Nevertheless, the RAM must not be higher than 55mm, the fans must also be set a good bit higher when installing in the case and the front one still rests on the RAM. There are also space problems at the back of my mainboard, because there the fan hits the VRM heat sink and also has to move upwards a little.

Specifications

As usual, the following is a list of the most important technical data; further information is then available on the German Manufacturer site or the prettier one international side.

Overall dimensions WxHxD:
138 x 155 x 180 mm (including two fans)

Total weight:
1190 g (including fan)

Noise level:
4 ~ 14,5 dBA

Air flow:
16,6 ~ 43.03 CFM / 28,2 ~ 73,1 m³/h

Fan speed:
300 ~ 800 rpm (± 10%) (PWM controlled)

Static pressure:
0.75 ~ 4.8 Pa / 0.076 ~ 0.49 mmHO

Incidentally, the “MUGAN” is the basic version of the already tested Mugen 5 In other words, with so many names in your own range, you can make a mistake.