In recent years,all-in-one liquid coolers have gained immense popularity among enthusiasts due to their high efficiency in heat dissipation and decreasing prices.However,air coolers still hold a significant place in the market.From the current market situation,air coolers primarily serve entry-level and mainstream users,while the high-end sector seems to be a forbidden zone for air coolers.

Of course,the market never lacks challengers.Flagship air coolers have significantly improved their thermal performance by refining their craftsmanship,increasing the number of heat pipes,and incorporating fans with greater airflow.For instance,the Thermalright Taichi RZ820 we previously reviewed has a thermal design power (TDP) of 290W.Just when I thought this was the limit for air coolers,Scythe introduced an 8-heat-pipe cooler,the Grand Kama,claiming a TDP of 310W.It's worth noting that this figure is close to or even surpasses the performance limits of many high-end all-in-one liquid coolers.It's evident that the Scythe Grand Kama is challenging the flagship liquid coolers.

So,how does this flagship air cooler perform in reality?Is it truly exceptional or just overhyped?Next,we will delve into its performance in various aspects.

Product Specifications:

Thermal Design Power (TDP): 310W

Heat Pipe Specifications: 8 heat pipes (6mm x 8)

Fin Material: Aluminum

Product Dimensions: 132mm x 140mm x 155mm

Tower Process: Reflow soldering

Base Process: Nickel-plated copper reflow solderingCompatible Platforms:

Intel: 115X/1200/1700; AMD: AM4/AM5

Fan Quantity: 2

Fan Size: 120mm × 120mm × 25mm

Fan Bearing: Dual Ball

Fan Speed: 900~3000+10% RPM

Fan Airflow: 86.59 CFM

Fan Static Pressure: 4.53 mmH2O

Noise Level: 38.7 dB(A)

Warranty Period: 6 yearsReference Price: 699 yuan

Conventional Design Aesthetics

The Scythe Big Ripper 2 is a relatively traditional and simply designed heatsink with a dual-tower structure,which is a common configuration for many air coolers.Unlike other similar products,it does not feature an entirely enclosed casing but instead attaches the fans directly to the heat sink fins with metal wires,giving it a more straightforward appearance.While this design may not boast an overly sleek look,it is practical and easy to assemble and disassemble.

To enhance the visual appeal and reduce air resistance and noise,the Scythe Big Ripper 2 incorporates an anodized brushed top cover on the top of the dual towers.This gives the heatsink a more orderly appearance.Moreover,the bright silver,metallic-like logo on the top cover adds a touch of quality to the Big Ripper 2,making it stand out in terms of overall style.

Equipped with 2 Gentle Typhoon GT-3000 PWM Industrial Grade Cooling Fans

We understand that one of the keys to an air cooler's performance is the fan's capability,which directly affects the overall performance of the cooler.To ensure optimal performance,the Scythe Big Ripper 2 is equipped with the company's own high-end Gentle Typhoon series GT3000 industrial-grade fans,featuring PWM speed control and dual ball bearing design.According to official data,these fans have a speed range of 900RPM to 3000RPM,capable of delivering a maximum airflow of 86.59CFM and a static pressure of up to 4.53mmH2O.Notably,with a slim design of 25mm,these fans have pioneered the industry by eliminating the Surge function at this thickness while still maintaining excellent quiet performance.Compared to the previous version,the new GT3000 fans incorporate two innovative technologies: first,the elimination of the Surge function ensures efficient PQ performance; second,the optimization of the rear airflow enhances directivity.This improvement allows the GT3000 not only to replace 38mm thick fans but also to excel in airflow,static pressure,and PQ performance.

Additionally,the fan's spiral-shaped blades combined with a 101mm diameter guide ring effectively ensure the directivity of the generated airflow,while maintaining the optimal force of the rear airflow,further enhancing the overall performance of the fan.

This fan is specially configured with 7 blades,and the spacing between the frame and the blades is maintained at approximately 1mm.As we have mentioned before,do not underestimate this seemingly insignificant 1mm frame-blade spacing,as it has a direct impact on the fan's generated static pressure and noise levels.Specifically,when the frame-blade spacing increases,the resistance to air flow decreases accordingly,leading to increased airflow but reduced static pressure.Many inexpensive fans on the market often have a frame-blade spacing exceeding 1.5mm.While such designs may offer greater airflow,the reduced static pressure can affect the cooling performance.However,an excessively large blade-to-frame spacing may also lead to some issues.First,it could result in reduced fan efficiency,as more air may escape through the gaps between the blades and the frame instead of being effectively directed towards the heat dissipation surface.Secondly,a large spacing could also cause the fan to generate additional noise at high speeds due to increased instability in air flow.

Additionally,if the blade-to-frame spacing is set too close,the fan blades may be affected by centrifugal force and rub against the frame when operating at high speeds.This not only produces a harsh noise but may also damage the blades or reduce the overall performance of the fan.Moreover,a spacing that is too close may also limit the cooling effect of the fan,as air flow is obstructed.When designing a cooling fan,in addition to the blade-to-frame spacing,other factors must be considered,such as the effects of thermal expansion and contraction and the method of fan installation.For instance,fans installed with a suspension mount need to withstand additional pressure from their own weight and vibrations,which may have a certain impact on the setting of the blade-to-frame spacing.Similarly,the gravitational factors in a vertical installation may also affect the stability and performance of the fan.Therefore,manufacturers need to consider these factors comprehensively when designing and producing fans to ensure that they provide optimal performance and cooling effects under various conditions.This is also why high-performance fans are not cheap.

One of the highlights of the GT3000 fan is its excellent self-protection function.Unlike some fans that cannot automatically cut power when they have a fault or are obstructed,potentially leading to motor burnout or affecting other equipment's wiring,the GT3000 can intelligently achieve automatic power-off for self-protection.Moreover,it can also automatically monitor the fan's status,and once it recovers from an obstructed state to an open state,the GT3000 will automatically resume rotation,ensuring the stable operation of the equipment.It is worth mentioning that as the flagship series of the Scythe brand,the performance and quality of the GT3000 have naturally been recognized by the market.The price of a single GT3000 fan is 159 yuan,and the two GT3000 fans equipped with the Scythe Big Ripper cooler are priced at over 300 yuan,accounting for about 45% of the entire cooler's price.

Using 8 heat pipes and reflow soldering process

Positioned as a flagship air cooler,the Scythe Big Ripper is equipped with 8 heat pipes to reflect its "flagship" status.It should be noted that there are not many air coolers with 8 heat pipes on the market,with most having 7 heat pipes.Its heat pipes have undergone a blackening treatment to prevent oxidation.Additionally,this black coating can enhance heat radiation and improve thermal conductivity.Unlike the 8 heat pipes of the 8mm+6mm combination we previously experienced with the OC3 RZ820,the Scythe Big Ripper is equipped with 8 heat pipes of 6mm each.However,from my measurements with a micrometer,some of the heat pipes of the Scythe Big Ripper do not quite reach 6mm in diameter,with some being around 5.6mm.

The fin design on both sides of the Scythe Big Ripper's tower body features an uneven high-low pattern,which many people believe is merely for aesthetic purposes.However,it is not that simple.In fact,this design involves a professional term from fluid dynamics: boundary layer.For a heatsink,when the airflow generated by the fan passes through the fins,a boundary layer forms on the surface of the fins.This boundary layer isolates the high-speed airflow from the fins,thereby reducing the cooling efficiency.To address this issue,many heatsinks use uneven,wavy,or matrix-style fin designs on both sides of the tower to reduce the impact of the boundary layer on cooling and to minimize wind noise,providing users with better performance and noise characteristics.In order to achieve a tighter connection between the fins,the process of interlocking Fin and folded edge Fin has been adopted to minimize the gaps between the fins.However,due to the traditional pin-through Fin process,the adhesion between the heat pipes and the fins cannot reach 100%,inevitably leaving some minor gaps that affect the heat dissipation efficiency.To address this issue,the "Scythe Big Ripper" has employed a superior reflow soldering process.Compared to the conventional pin-through Fin process,reflow soldering can completely fill the gaps between the heat pipes and the fins,thereby significantly enhancing the thermal conductivity.Through this welding technique,the contact area between the heat pipes and the fins is maximized,allowing heat to be transferred more quickly and efficiently,thus markedly improving the overall performance of the cooling system.

Additionally,the "Scythe Big Ripper" features a large-sized copper base.Measured with a micrometer,the dimensions of the base are 43.5mm x 40mm,which can fully cover the surface of flagship desktop processors.The copper base surface has also undergone nickel plating,which enhances its corrosion resistance and thermal performance.Between the copper base and the heat pipes,the reflow soldering process is also used to ensure a tight fit,further improving the efficiency of heat transfer.The copper base of the "Scythe Big Ripper" does not come pre-coated with thermal paste; a tube of thermal paste is included in the package,with an unknown thermal conductivity,which is approximately enough for 2 to 3 applications.

Adapting to mainstream platforms

Installation is not straightforward

The "Scythe Big Ripper" is compatible with mainstream platforms such as Intel LGA 115X/1200/1700 and AMD AM4/AM5.The installation process is not particularly simple.For example,on an Intel platform,the base plate and clips must be secured first.When installing the base plate,it is necessary to lift it along with the motherboard by hand,then place the rubber pads,and secure the clips with screws.After the clips are fixed,the heatsink tower and memory are installed,followed by securing the cooling fans.

The dimensions of this cooler are 132mm x 140mm x 155mm,and the bottom of both sides of the tower also incorporates a memory clearance design,making it convenient for users to easily install and remove memory without having to disassemble the cooler.Additionally,the 155mm height of the cooler will not conflict with the case side panel,as most M-ATX and ATX case maximum cooler heights are above 170mm.

From our installation experience,the cooler's fans can be directly installed without any adjustments and are fully compatible with the ROG Z790 DARK HERO motherboard we paired it with.The motherboard has the GALAX HOF EXTREME D5-7200 memory installed,which has a height of 48mm.If the fans are installed on the memory side,the height of the cooler fan will need to be adjusted after installation.After adjustment,the fan will protrude approximately 7mm above the tower.Removing temperature restrictions,the cooling power consumption approaches 310W.

The official cooling power consumption of the Daiseikou (Big Scythe) Orochi is rated at 310W.So,how does its performance hold up?We will test it next.On a platform with an Intel Core i7-14700K processor,an ASUS ROG Z790 DARK HERO motherboard,GALAX HOF EXTREME D5-7200 memory,and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card,I reset the motherboard to default settings and used the AIDA64 System Stability Test to perform a single-burn FPU test on the processor for over 30 minutes.It can be observed that the processor's power consumption is approximately 274.3W,with the processor's package temperature at 100°C (ambient temperature at 27°C).The processor experienced thermal throttling,with the performance cores operating at 5.3 to 5.4GHz and a voltage of 1.24V.

Next,I unlocked the processor's temperature restrictions in the motherboard's BIOS and performed another single-burn FPU test using AIDA64 System Stability Test,running for over 30 minutes and monitoring temperature and power consumption changes with HWiNFO software.After 30 minutes of testing,the processor's voltage reached 1.32V under default settings,with the performance core's boost frequency at 5.5GHz.I noticed that the processor's power consumption peaked at around 309W and then stabilized at 305.3W.The HWiNFO software showed that the highest package temperature of the processor's performance cores stabilized at around 107°C,which is not far off from the official rated cooling power consumption of 310W.

Comparing this to a certain 8-heat-pipe air cooler we previously reviewed,which had a cooling power consumption of only 290W,it is evident that a cooling power consumption exceeding 300W is quite impressive.On the surface,the processor's package temperature appears high,but in reality,it is rare for an air cooler in the same price range to suppress the Core i7-14700K at high frequencies and voltages of 5.5GHz and 1.32V without thermal throttling.

Additionally,as the processor reaches full load and the cooler's fans spin at maximum speed,the "roar" of the fans can be clearly heard.I monitored the fan speeds with FanControl software,which showed both fans operating at around 3000RPM.With two fans running at full speed,the noise they produce is quite noticeable.I measured the noise level with a decibel meter at a distance of about 30cm from the fans,and the fan noise was approximately 55dB(A) against an ambient noise level of about 45dB(A).However,our tests were conducted in an open platform; in an enclosed case,with the added distance,the noise we would hear would be significantly reduced.

From the tests,it seems that using the Daiseikou Orochi to fully unleash the performance of the Core i7-14700K under normal conditions might be a bit of a stretch.However,with temperature restrictions lifted and power consumption limits removed,its performance can meet the cooling needs of high-end processors under heavy loads.Nevertheless,we do not recommend doing so,as the processor's temperature becomes excessively high when temperature restrictions are lifted,and high temperatures can affect the processor's lifespan.

In conclusion,Compared to standard air coolers,the Great Scythe Big Ripper,despite using only 8 heat pipes with a diameter of 6mm,which is slightly lower than the specifications of some 8-heat-pipe coolers,outperforms products with higher specifications.The biggest contributor to this performance,in my opinion,is the GT3000 industrial-grade fan it is equipped with,which can deliver an airflow of 86.59 CFM at a speed of 3000 RPM.It is the combination of the high-speed,high-airflow fan,8 heat pipes,and reflow soldering techniques that allows the Big Ripper to approach a thermal design power (TDP) of 310W,but with a caveat: this is under extreme conditions with temperature limits removed.In everyday use,the Big Ripper can meet the cooling needs of 14th generation Core processors with K suffixes under high-load scenarios,such as rendering graphics and images and gaming,and it is even more effortless to suppress the heat of lower power-consuming AMD Ryzen processors.Especially with a price of 699 yuan,it shows great sincerity and offers excellent value for money compared to many 8-heat-pipe air coolers on the market that often cost nearly a thousand yuan.It is worth a try for enthusiasts of air coolers.