Review: Scythe Infinity vs. Mod'd Zalman 9500

Side by side review: Mod'd Zalman 9500 vs. Scythe Infinity

(using identical 110CFM Silverstone fans)

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Test procedure:

1. All test data obtained with ambient temps of 20C +/- .05C
2. System powered down for one hour prior to each test to ensure equality of temps
3. Idle temp obtained after 30 minutes idle time, immediately after boot.
4. Load temp obtained during 30 minute Orthos (large in-place FFT's)
5. Tests run on an E6400 overclocked to 3.6ghz (no stock speed tests!)

data will be gathered at the max fan speed of 2400rpm, as well as a reading at 1600rpm's (for the quiet folks out there).

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but first, a bit of background info ...

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http://resume.jbhfile.com/temp/zalman_on.jpg

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when i modd'd my zalman 9500 with a 120mm fan ... i was sure i had inherited the earth; the diffference in temps and gain in overclock was *that* significant. the stock zalman 9500 is simply *not* a good overclock cooler; yet, with a 110CFM fan strapped on ... it jockey's to the top end of the air cooling options, but even so ... just to the fringe of such top-end-cooler-domains. suffice it to say ... with the modd'd zalman ... i was able to hit 4.0ghz ... but *NOT* 4.1ghz and beyond ...

therefore ... wanting to bench 'higher than the next guy,' i decided to investigate other air coolers, if only on a test basis.

so, enter the scythe infinity.

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http://resume.jbhfile.com/temp/scythe_on.jpg

xmas allowed me a gift option, and considering the scythe infinity was available for 40 bucks or so, and with no shipping charge ... i decided to give it a try.

the same day that i purchased it, ... i lapped it:

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http://resume.jbhfile.com/temp/scythe_lap.jpg

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as i was lapping, i noticed that despite the very shiney stock surface finish, the heatsink was actually not very flat ... higher on one side than the other; but, after about an hour with 400grit sand paper ... it evened out. i followed the 400 with 1000, 1500, and 3000 to finish.

i did a lot of reading before purchasing the infinity cooler, and the one thing i found was that, unanimously, most serious overclockers found that the infinity's mounting mechanism was lame; the push-pins don't provide enough mounting pressure to ensure good heat transfer. and so, i decided to modify the mounting with the somewhat well known and popular bolt modification.

it was a SERIOUS pain in the ass ... including removal of motherboard ... bloody fingers and all ... but in the end, i got it mounted. i wish i had remembered to take photos ... was so funny. i over-torqued the mounting screws at first and my motherboard was bent into a total U shape! after noticing the warping, i backed the screws off a bit and it evened out. to be honest, i was amazed my system even posted after bending the board as much as i did!

anyway .. i got the thing installed and subsequently set out to bench it against the previously installed modified zalman.

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like the scythe cooler, the zalman had also been previously lapped and polished:

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http://resume.jbhfile.com/temp/sink_lap.jpg

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furthermore, the E6400 CPU used for testing was also previously lapped:

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http://resume.jbhfile.com/temp/cpu_lapp.jpg

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And, after a thorough, scientific and truly unbiased test of each heat sink ... this is what I found:

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Zalman 9500 @ 2400RPM:
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cpu idle: 40 | mb idle: 23
cpu load: 61 | mb load: 25


Infinity @ 2400RPM:
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cpu idle: 36 | mb idle: 25
cpu load: 54 | mb load: 26

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Zalman 9500 @ 1600RPM:
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cpu idle: 44 | mb idle: 24
cpu load: 68 | mb load: 25

Infinity @ 1600RPM:
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cpu idle: 37 | mb idle: 24
cpu load: 55 | mb load: 25

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good grief! i guess surface area really does matter. the scythe infinity smoked the zalman across the board; most notable is how little of a temp difference there was when using the fan at high speed versus low speed. with the infinity, only a 1 degree drop or so ... but with the zalman and it's reduced surface area, a somewhat huge drop of around 7 degrees when moving from 2400RPM to 1600RPM's.

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anyway, since the scythe infinity so totally dethroned my mod'd zalman ... suffice it to say, it's going to remain mounted. lord knows, it was a pain in the arse getting properly installed!

i will say this, though ... if you have a zalman 9500 and want to hit serious overclocks ... you *must* mount a high output fan, like the silverstone FM121 in order to get there. it's been a great little cooler once modified, but alas ... today has become it's retirement day. :)

here's the new kid on the block:

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http://resume.jbhfile.com/temp/scythe_on2.jpg

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also, as a closing note ... if your going to use the infinity with an armor case that has the side panel fan installed, you'll have to move the fan to the outside of the side panel as illustrated below.

i'm sure the same procedure would be required for any other Fat Ass Air Cooler(tm), like the Tuniq, etc.

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http://resume.jbhfile.com/temp/side_fan1.jpg

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http://resume.jbhfile.com/temp/side_fan2.jpg

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here's to bigger overclocks on air! :toast:

Thanks for the nice review

another proof that Zalman's cpu air cooling solution are not for OverClockers, maybe for a lanparty

Great review :toast:

tnx

ok.


now mount a second fan to the back side of that HSF for a push/pull system.

Hmm have two fans on the Infinity plus clear those front wires and place an intake fan in front bays that will allow air to flow straight to the Infinity and check the temps from there:cool:

yeh, I read a review where an infinity with two 1100RPM fans beat out the same setup but with just one 2000rpm fan. it might be quieter/cooler if you triwed a push/pull system.

I prefer my Thermalright Ultra 120 :P

nice review man

btw is that silverstone 110cfm loud? cause my sanyo denki 120x38mm 102.5 CFM 39 dBA at highest speed sounds like a hair dryer (almost).

nice the infinity is one monster cooler since it weighs in at 960g without a fan!

Is the infinity the best cooler for duo's?

Stock isnt cuttin it anymore for me..

Very nice work leojharris; kudos to you...:toast:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by [cTx]Philosophy

Is the infinity the best cooler for duo's?

Stock isnt cuttin it anymore for me..

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i would say the Tuniq Tower is probably the best

I'd like to see how the TT would stack up to the Infinity...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xlink

ok.now mount a second fan to the back side of that HSF for a push/pull system.

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little late getting back to this thread, ... forgot to subscribe.

anyway ... i *did* mount a second fan ... dropped my temps even two degrees more ... and quieter to boot.

here's a link to a review:

Infinity -> dual fan vs. single fan

thanks all for the replies ...

Hey to all!

s1rrah I have one question for you.
I have TT KAndalf now with 25cm side fan, and i am also buying new system which will include Scythe Infinity. So i would like to know if it is a problem to move the fan to the outside??? Does it work the same, or is it louder?

Do you people think that the Tuniq Tower is better solution than Infinity??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tursca

Hey to all!

s1rrah I have one question for you.
I have TT KAndalf now with 25cm side fan, and i am also buying new system which will include Scythe Infinity. So i would like to know if it is a problem to move the fan to the outside??? Does it work the same, or is it louder?

Do you people think that the Tuniq Tower is better solution than Infinity??

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super easy to move the fan and it makes no difference in noise. just mount it with all the same hardware that it's mounted with on the inside ... but simply moved to the outside of the door. i'm assuming it's the same process with the kandalf as with the armor.

tuniq - better as a straight-up-purchase, stock cooler (1-3 degrees better).

infinity - a bit better once pressure mod'd and when using dual fans (at high speeds: better for benchmarking, at low speeds: just as good or better than the stock tuniq and much more quiet)

here's a write-up i did on the infinity using two fans: Scythe Infinity with Two Fans

if you don't want to mess with modifying something, then just get the tuniq; if you like to mod things and want the most versatility for silence *and* crazy high overclocks, go with the modified infinity.

i'm actually going to be doing a side by side review of my current modified infinity and a tuniq tower within the next two months or so and so hopefully will be able to back what i said up. :)

Thank you for all the info!

I will take Infinity, i was planing to before... and i have more options with it. :)
And it's also good to know that it fits in my Kandalf and motherboard (planing to buy the same u have Asus P5B Dlx)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tursca

Thank you for all the info!

I will take Infinity, i was planing to before... and i have more options with it. :)
And it's also good to know that it fits in my Kandalf and motherboard (planing to buy the same u have Asus P5B Dlx)

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looks like your working towards a great system ... P5B-Dlx ... tried and true.

post some results once you get it all worked out.

s1rrah I have few more questions for you, if you don't mind.

First i would like to know how did you attach the gril in front of 25cm fan that it didn't fall down, when you put it on the outside? A tape of some kind or what?

I got my components now and would like to know how to put Arctic Silver 5 (ter. paste) on? Do you put a drop in the midle and then press the Infinity on? Or do you apply a thin layer all over and then press together?

Do you think it's wise to do also on the SB and NB, that are originally done by Asus? Would it preform better?

Thanks! :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tursca

s1rrah I have few more questions for you, if you don't mind.

First i would like to know how did you attach the gril in front of 25cm fan that it didn't fall down, when you put it on the outside? A tape of some kind or what?

I got my components now and would like to know how to put Arctic Silver 5 (ter. paste) on? Do you put a drop in the midle and then press the Infinity on? Or do you apply a thin layer all over and then press together?

Do you think it's wise to do also on the SB and NB, that are originally done by Asus? Would it preform better?

Thanks! :)

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i've done it a couple different ways. 1st way was to use a small dot of 5 min epoxy at north/south/east/west points on the circular plastic shroud and then used a phonebook to hold the grill in place for about ten minutes until the epoxy had cured. this worked well, and doesn't really get epoxy on anything important cause your just using a dot of it on each point; it's easy to knock the grill off, though and so i ended up just using 4 small pieces of clear packing tape in the same locations. just as clean looking and holds a bit better. either way will work, though.

as far as AS5 application; i've decided after quite a few tests that the small, BB or rice sized dab in the very center is the best; do this and then let the pressure of the mount actually spread the paste. it's easy to use more than enough paste, too ... so keep it, literally, to about the size of a BB for a BB gun; you'll be compelled to put more, though cause it just doesn't look like much, but i assure you it will spread to the very edges of your CPU once good mounting pressure is applied. if you've lapped both your CPU and Heatsink, the spreading of the AS5 upon mounting will be even more effective.

regarding NB, SB and whether or not to apply AS5 there ... in my readings around the forums it ... it generally has been shown to produce a fairly noticeable drop in MB temps over the stock Asus compound. do it for sure.

one thing, though ... when i did my NB, because the die was so much smaller than a CPU, i *did* actually spread a very thin layer of AS5 over the entire surface (VERY VERY thin) as opposed to using a small dot that is spread by the mounting process.

have fun ..

what kind of 3.6ghz OC is that, is that a 9 multi with 400 FSB? how high do you think my p5n-e sli will push my 6400? im thinking of buying the scythe infinity but i want stability and i need this cpu to last 3-4 years.. i really want 400 fsb because i have ddr2 800 ram. what is your cpu volt?

is the scythe infinity worth it for someone like me? I am running at 5% OC at your temps... on stock cooler... lol, youre doing like >50% and doing my same temps, do you think i should go for a different fan with the scythe if i get it? or is the stock fine?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lev

what kind of 3.6ghz OC is that, is that a 9 multi with 400 FSB? how high do you think my p5n-e sli will push my 6400? im thinking of buying the scythe infinity but i want stability and i need this cpu to last 3-4 years.. i really want 400 fsb because i have ddr2 800 ram. what is your cpu volt?

is the scythe infinity worth it for someone like me? I am running at 5% OC at your temps... on stock cooler... lol, youre doing like >50% and doing my same temps, do you think i should go for a different fan with the scythe if i get it? or is the stock fine?

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i'm achieving a stable 3.6ghz overclock while using the stock 8x multiplier; that would be 450 x 8 when using my e6400 and a P5B-Deluxe mother board.

here's a screen shot of my current settings; this is after my machine has been running for about 3 days without a reboot and my room ambients are at a fairly warm 24C:

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http://resume.jbhfile.com/temp/current.gif

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since writing the comparison review that you have replied to, i've found that running the infinity with two fans at fairly low RPM's is far better than running one fan at high RPM's; it's more quiet and it cools better.

link to the single fan vs. dual fan HERE.

one thing i'll say is that idle/load temps are totally affected by room ambient; also, the amount of time that your system has been running 24/7 will somewhat affect your idle/load temps on air cooling. as you can see from the above screen cap, my idle temps are generally around 40 with a room ambient of 24C; drop the room ambient down to 22C and my cpu idle temps fall to around 38C or so.

anyway ... i'd recommend the infinity for seriously good cooling *only* if your willing to do the necessary mods to make it work right; otherwise, there are better coolers out-of-the-box which will perform as good and with only the expected lap job: noctua uh-12 would be my first recommendation as it's mounting system is good and it's easy to strap two 120mm fans to it.

if you want to get the infinity and want the best temps possible, be prepared to do a pressure mount modification on it as well as lapping it and running two fans.

it's a good cooler to be sure ... but the stock push-pin mounting system leaves much to be desired when considering the best performance the cooler is capable of. with the right mods ... it's as good as anything you can get ...

have fun and post some results once you get it all working ...

What were the temperatures for the 9500 and scythe before add that 110 cfm fan? How many degree did the scythe gained when it was lapped? Last question, how did you install that 120mm fan on the zalman cnps9500? Cuz i have a zalman 9500 too...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tuanming

What were the temperatures for the 9500 and scythe before add that 110 cfm fan? How many degree did the scythe gained when it was lapped? Last question, how did you install that 120mm fan on the zalman cnps9500? Cuz i have a zalman 9500 too...

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1. speaking strictly of the zalman 9500, adding the 120mm fan dropped my temps about 9 degrees over the stock zalman 9500.

here's a thread, from way back, describing the zalman 120mm fan mod and how it affected my temps: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=137567

i don't list the stock zalman temps in that thread, but since my load temps were around 60C with the 120mm silverstone fan, then that means my temps with the stock zalman 9500 fan were around 70C.

the temp improvement was HUGE. i know that.

2. regarding the scythe infinity ...

i did the comparison of the infinity cooler against the zalman, well after doing the original fan mod on the 9500.

since the zalman was already using the silverstone fan ... when i purchased the infinity, seeking improved temps of course ... i simply tested the infinity with the same silverstone fan.

as my review cites ... the infinity severely owned the zalman when using the same silverstone fm121 fan ... turning out a load temp of around 54C versus the 61C load temp of the 9500.

for best cooling on big overclocks ... the infinity, properly modified and with the right fan, is far and away better than anything zalman can offer ... even the 9700 cooler.

but if you simply want to keep your current zalman 9500 cooler while being able to maximize it's cooling ... then by all means, do the 120mm fan modification ... it'll totally transform your 9500.

the stock zalman 9500 just *is not* a good cooler for big overclocks; it's a great stock cooler replacement when running your CPU near stock speeds, but your not going to do well for really impressive overclocks with it unless you either replace the fan with something mightier ... or replace the cooler altogether ...

are you planning on keeping your zalman? or, do you want to get another cooler?

if you want to get another cooler ... you can still do better than the infinity while not having to modify much of anything by going with a thermalright cooler ... or otherwise ...

the infinity, when performing best, is sort of a modd'rs cooler ... the stock infinity is rather mediocre. you have to do some work if you want it to be performing well ...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by s1rrah

1. speaking strictly of the zalman 9500, adding the 120mm fan dropped my temps about 9 degrees over the stock zalman 9500.

here's a thread, from way back, describing the zalman 120mm fan mod and how it affected my temps: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=137567

i don't list the stock zalman temps in that thread, but since my load temps were around 60C with the 120mm silverstone fan, then that means my temps with the stock zalman 9500 fan were around 70C.

the temp improvement was HUGE. i know that.

2. regarding the scythe infinity ...

i did the comparison of the infinity cooler against the zalman, well after doing the original fan mod on the 9500.

since the zalman was already using the silverstone fan ... when i purchased the infinity, seeking improved temps of course ... i simply tested the infinity with the same silverstone fan.

as my review cites ... the infinity severely owned the zalman when using the same silverstone fm121 fan ... turning out a load temp of around 54C versus the 61C load temp of the 9500.

for best cooling on big overclocks ... the infinity, properly modified and with the right fan, is far and away better than anything zalman can offer ... even the 9700 cooler.

but if you simply want to keep your current zalman 9500 cooler while being able to maximize it's cooling ... then by all means, do the 120mm fan modification ... it'll totally transform your 9500.

the stock zalman 9500 just *is not* a good cooler for big overclocks; it's a great stock cooler replacement when running your CPU near stock speeds, but your not going to do well for really impressive overclocks with it unless you either replace the fan with something mightier ... or replace the cooler altogether ...

are you planning on keeping your zalman? or, do you want to get another cooler?

if you want to get another cooler ... you can still do better than the infinity while not having to modify much of anything by going with a thermalright cooler ... or otherwise ...

the infinity, when performing best, is sort of a modd'rs cooler ... the stock infinity is rather mediocre. you have to do some work if you want it to be performing well ...

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WOW! You actually cut and trimmed your 9500?! LOL No wonder...Cuz before i was like how the heck did he do that when it was in the way and the extra space in-between!

I think I stick with the mod :D and my goal is to overclock to 500+fsb on a ASUS P5B plain/vanilla rev.1.03g. But I'm waiting for my G.Skill HZ series to deliver to my house XD. My goal is to get 3.6GHz on the E6300 and it is possible to reach 3.6GHz on the P5B without mods, hopefully I'm one of those people who could.

My first E6300 (week 30B) idle at 29/30 C but i return and got a $30 cheaper at FRY'S (OEM) (week 28A) and it idle at 40 C! I tried reseating it many times but no use.. Man i could really use your mod :banana: to bring down the temp.

And could you give an example how loud it is when going full speed? Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tuanming

WOW! You actually cut and trimmed your 9500?! ...

Do you know how much do I have to trim away those fins? 1 inch? 1 1/5 inches? And could you give an example how loud it is when going full speed? Thanks.

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no .. i did not have to cut and trim the zalman's fins at all. you might have mis read.

the 120mm fan mod is rather easy, really ...

the only part requiring a bit of finesse is in the slight bends to the silver mounting arm which will let you use the larger fan which will rest *outside* of the 9500's fin assembly, as opposed to *inside* it, as the stock fan does.

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here's what you do:

1. generally, as a road-map for the modification, follow this guy's process (drillling, etc.); he's replacing the stock fan with a fan of identical proportions, but the process, basically, is the same; this is the mod process i used: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article284-page1.html

2. obviously, since the new 120mm fan is way to big to fit snugly within the 9500's recessed area, you'll have to bend the main mounting arm in order to allow the new 120mm fan to ride *outside* of the fin assembly.

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and that's it, really ...

i didn't have to cut the 9500's fins at all; the only cutting i did, was cutting the 120mm fan out of it's square shroud ...

Great review.. :D
Good job

Nice info n very good job...Performance as the same as watercooling...I think

Quote:

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Originally Posted by indiecom

Nice info n very good job...Performance as the same as watercooling...I think

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Oh don't go and start an argument!

:)

Better than low end watercooling (thermaltake crap packs, etc.) ... but not as good as mid to high end watercooling (swiftech, dangerden, etc.)

A fun review, though ...

Still using the Infinity, ... love it.

:up: