Heatsink Group Test - August 2007

Author: Simon Briers
Published: 2nd August 2007

Previous page Next page

Scythe Infinity (continued):

Performance:

Despite our grievances with the Infinity’s mounting system, it turned out to be the second best performer in this selection of heatsinks when it came to CPU temperatures, trailing the Zerotherm BTF90 by just 0.2°C.

The recorded PWM temperatures were a letdown though, as we recorded temperatures above 70°C under load, and over 60°C at idle. It’d be wise to employ some additional cooling for your VRMs if you choose to use the Infinity.

Heatsink Group Test - August 2007 Scythe Infinity - 2

Heatsink Group Test - August 2007 Scythe Infinity - 2

Click to enlarge

The 120mm fan included with the Infinity is almost silent at its 1,300 RPM maximum speed (according to our monitoring software), with just a very low drone audible, which should be indistinguishable in a normal system. This is an advantage that the Infinity has over the Zerotherm BTF90, which isn’t quiet when the system is loaded.

Conclusions:

Whilst maintaining excellent temperatures and very low noise during testing, the Scythe Infinity is not without its problems. Its cooling performance is fantastic, especially given how silent the cooler runs with just a single 120mm fan and in that respect you could argue it’s a better performer than the Zerotherm BTF90.

Click to enlarge

However, it’s ultimately let down by the poorly thought out use of push-pins for LGA775 retention – if it wasn’t for that, the Infinity would have picked up a solid recommendation here. As it is though, such a major flaw ultimately prevents me from recommending it, at least for LGA775 users.