Scythe FUMA 2 CPU Air Cooler Review: Thermals, Noise, & Pressure Benchmarks

This has been one of the most highly requested reviews for the past year: The Scythe FUMA 2 CPU air cooler, tested on AMD Ryzen CPUs and benchmarked against Noctua & liquid coolers.
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Article: pending publication! The case review from yesterday is now live on the website in written form, though.
Watch our CPU cooler methodology explainer here: • Why Most Cooler Tests ...
Or read our CPU cooler testing methodology: www.gamersnexu...
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We've already detailed air coolers vs. liquid cooler pros and cons in a previous piece, but now, we can look at more air cooler vs. air cooler content. The Noctua NH-U14S, NH-D15, Deepcool Assassin III, and some other coolers are present, alongside some of the top and most recently liquid coolers we've recently tested. The FUMA 2 is priced more to compete with air coolers, so obviously liquid coolers aren't a direct alternative, but it at least helps you establish an understanding of where some of the best liquid coolers compare to some of the best air coolers.
RELATED PRODUCTS
Find the Scythe FUMA 2 on Amazon here: geni.us/5qM0v
Noctua NH-U14S on Amazon: geni.us/lNv6XnB
Lian Li Galahad series will eventually be on Amazon here: geni.us/TfPDOb
Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 on Amazon: geni.us/RJBy
EK AIO on Amazon: geni.us/d7wGzW
Like our content? Please consider becoming our Patron to support us: / gamersnexus
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Everyone Wants a Scythe Review
04:13 - Scythe FUMA 2 Marketing Review
06:06 - FUMA 2 Mechanics
07:32 - Installation Procedure for Scythe FUMA 2 (AMD Ryzen & Intel)
11:25 - CPU Cooler Testing Methodology Reminders
12:41 - AMD R9 3950X 35dBA 200W CPU Cooler Benchmarks
14:18 - VRM Thermals with 3950X (CPU Cooler Comparison)
15:11 - Scythe FUMA 2 100% Fan Speed Comparison & Benchmarks
16:44 - Coldplate Flatness for Scythe FUMA 2
17:23 - Coldplate Surface Pressure on FUMA 2 vs. Galahad AIO
19:28 - AMD R7 3800X 35dBA 125W FUMA 2 Benchmark
21:08 - Time-to-Max - Liquid vs. Air Coolers
21:39 - Conclusion
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Host, Editorial, Test Lead: Steve Burke
Testing, Additional Reporting: Mike Gaglione
Video: Keegan Gallick, Andrew Coleman

[@GamersNexus]

Find our Lian Li Galahad AIO review here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHe3pXV-gLKCd68 Watch our CPU cooler methodology explainer here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJ63gH2GabCCr80 Or read our CPU cooler testing methodology: www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3561-cpu-cooler-testing-methodology-most-tests-are-flawed

[@THISLOVETHISHATE99]

i have a mugan 5 that i got specifically to direct die cool a 3770k and yes i had to add spacers under the cross bar on the cold plate to get correct mounting pressure so my system didnt crash when i bumped my desk killed my first 3770k that way still runs just unstable above 4.4ghz use to do 4.6ghz

[@TheJjjoj]

The thing about the Fuma 2 is that you can swap the 15mm fan for something like a Noctua A12x25 and get similar performance to the NH-d15 at a smaller size at the same price. There are so many cases that don't fit 165mm+ coolers that it opens up plenty of opportunity, especially in smaller mATX and mITX enclosures. It's not the greatest, but it's one of the most versatile dual tower designs and is priced well enough so that you don't completely wreck it's performance and/or value by making changes.

[@TheOriginalJWK]

"This is a $60 cooler." /me checks Amazon Canada, sees it listed for $200, does a spit-take

[@carnsoaks1]

@8.54 you missed a great B-roll shot on the table. Some extra "silly" GN product placement. Same pan right.. CoolerMaster fan adding no comfort or cooling in the foreground. Frosty half-full GN beer mug close to hand for a flustered editor. Folded T-shirt on the table, being worked on with that IFIXIT screwdriver,

[@AshenTechDotCom]

Scythe do make some nice coolers, and have for years, some of the "user requests" likely came from videos of lesser known techtubers who reviewed some scythe coolers months ago, and, from my exp, they are not the best, but they are good coolers, a few times in the past they have had what i would call an amazing cooler... like other companies... i would like to try their equiv of the Thermal Arrow Extreme SB-E damn good cooler... genuinely on the level of AIO a bit better then many 280mm AIO's (the stock fans tend to suck, i tossed a couple 140mm noctua high static pressure fans on the push side and a couple akasa vipers on the pull side.... to get slightly better perf then the sb-e gives... (the 280m AIO was a gift)

[@aidenthehuman5921]

I love the detail GN goes into with cooler testing, so much more than just temps.

[@charlesballiet7074]

thats why i want GN to review the IceGiant ProSiphon Elite its an aircooler that runs on a different supposedly more efficient system I want to see how it hold up

[@HydroKyl240COG]

That’s why I will always be a sub for life!!

[@UndeadFleshgod]

Now that Scythe got their review, if they don't know what to do with their bots they can hit me up - I'd need em to grab a 3080 and 5950x on Newegg

[@Crimson_201]

you sound rich gimme a 3070 while you're at it

[@CheapBastard1988]

In the Netherlands the 5950X is available for €950 including sales tax at multiple stores. Expensive but you'll have it the next day (if you live here). tweakers.net/pricewatch/1618230/amd-ryzen-9-5950x-boxed.html

[@InvadersDie]

@@CheapBastard1988 because all the netherlands spend their money on weed and all their time playing classic wow

[@CheapBastard1988]

@@InvadersDie 🤣To be fair, those gamers have more money left than us. Because we keep buying new hardware and they only spend money on weed and their WoW subscription. To be fair Canada is now worse than the Netherlands on weed consumption.

[@whinrog2646]

@@Crimson_201 i would also be happy with a 3060ti

[@zackmose]

but have you considered reviewing the Scythe FUMA 2?

[@nathangamble125]

But what about the Droid attack on the Wookiees?

[@backpain100]

Now review the Mugen 5 Rev B, to complete the set of Scythe coolers.

[@jimshaly1]

Why am I watching this? I don't even need another cooler.

[@CDReimer]

I'm here for the hair.

[@margenov]

Knowledge

[@802Garage]

It's the hair.

[@venix20]

tech pr0n !

[@r3conwoo]

I come here to reaffirm my belief in tech jesus, as it was written, Amen.

[@thepolticalone961]

Scythe are brave asking you the review their stuff.

[@ngtflyer]

They are confident in their product and I think if flaws are found, they aim to improve.

[@MagnumDragon]

Actually, a lot of us voted. Lol

[@thepolticalone961]

@@MagnumDragon why

[@MagnumDragon]

@The Political One there aren't many big reviews on scythe products. Its nice to see them getting some love :)

[@thepolticalone961]

@@MagnumDragon fair enough. Just not seen so many push for such an unknown company

[@agenericaccount3935]

Using the b-roll to show measured clearances was a smooth move.

[@matthewhafner962]

So smooth, I didn't even think about it until you mentioned it.

[@syncmonism]

I love air coolers. They last forever. Noctua sent me a free conversion kit when I migrated from AM3 to AM4 (didn't even have to pay for shipping).

[@rherbm]

Arctic just sent me the new, easy mounting hardware for the liquid freezer ii.

[@DriveCancelDC]

Yup same, don't see the point in paying a higher price for a liquid cooler that are only rated for 5 years of operation (usually) and might even leak (plus most AIOs aren't better than high end air), only the people chasing aesthetics (which get boring fast) or people seeking the highest OC performance should bother with AIOs or custom loops.

[@HarryUnchained]

@@DriveCancelDC I think air cooler has nice aesthetic. Something sexy about that bare raw aluminium fins or black coated fins (like chromax). I only use a cheap ID Cooling 224 Black and it looks amazing in my opinion. AIO also has that tube which looks intrusive.

[@Yggdrasill8]

@@DriveCancelDC I was into liquid cooling back in 2012, thought it was cool to have, but the improvements were marginal compared to a more safer, ;pmg lasting air cooler. They are more esthetically pleasing to me, especially if they nearly sit up right against the tempered glass side panel and have a black or white tint.

[@KyleRepinski]

For coolers that reuse the stock AMD backplate with two opposing brackets like this cooler, remove only one of the stock plastic side clip things at first. Do one side at a time basically. This retains the backplate in place, because it always has two screws securing it. You might need to nudge it up when you put a new bracket, but it's much easier than the alternative

[@JohnSmith12343]

Thx I didn't even think of that.

[@shadylite]

Pro tip. Thanks.

[@MrAshleyR]

"We ask that you educate yourself before posting comments" Sir, are you familiar with how the internet works?! An OUTRAGEOUS demand! /s

[@weltirol3476]

yeah, I think Steve should make a proper review of "How the Internet works" to figure out exactly how outrageous demands work or not. 😁😁😁

[@johnnyg8196]

Will always respect GN's environmental awareness/activism.

[@GamersNexus]

It's very important to me personally. We're trying hard to minimize our own footprint. I'm hoping to implement solar power for GN sometime in the next year or so!

[@iamdarkyoshi]

@@GamersNexus Really happy to see this. Coming from someone who rips off tiny pieces of paper towels when cleaning up thermal paste or whatnot instead of a whole section because it just feels wasteful. Also, do keep us updated on solar projects, its a neat tech I'd like to see covered by you guys when you're not too busy covering unobtainable gpus, cpus, and broken games

[@smartgorilla]

My neices got a bunch of toys of Christmas and it was literally littered with bags and clips. Disgusting. Surely as adults we can read pictures and instructions in the damn leaflet.

[@attrib]

That's one of the reasons I'm subbed to you. You seem to be the only one that actually cares. 🙏

[@julian.morgan]

I understand why it's not a focus for a channel that has to get views to stay in business, but maybe your other channel could give more air time to educating people about maintenance and repair of older hardware? Especially in the current climate where new hardware isn't available except at inflated prices, educating people on how to get more out of what they have, and maybe delaying scrapping usable hardware is arguably a more tangible environmental contribution than GN's foot print? For e.g. by profession I work in healthcare so have no formal education in electronics or computing, yet I recently managed to resurrect a "bricked" motherboard by re-flashing the BIOS with a $10 CH341a EEPROM flasher and clip. A week later I watched Kyle RMA a $1000 motherboard that had stalled on a BIOS update - such a waste of an opportunity to educate and inform!!! Cheers :)

[@RM-ox3op]

Fun fact: Scythe is a sales agent of Noctua in Japan.

[@ShakeITyEA]

I think it's pretty impressive that the FUMA 2 measures up well against the D15S, despite being 2cm less wide and half as expensive.

[@Teatime4Tom]

Yes, please review more hardware that we can actually buy.

[@zig131]

Yes Sythe products are unfortunately entirely unavailable :/

[@doom1281995]

In Taiwan they are always in stock xD

[@taiiat0]

i am definitely not a Scythe spy, but i voted for the Scythe stuff because i already knew it was a very good value as Scythe does know what they're doing.

[@Orcawhale1]

Yeah, their Mugen and Ninja series have always been favourites over here in EU.

[@detrwfegstas3983]

prove it

[@triliner254]

@@detrwfegstas3983 Get a job

[@dildojizzbaggins6969]

@@Orcawhale1*favorites You say "EU", but use obsolete Victorian English from a little tiny island that was never really part of it...? :'DDD

[@Orcawhale1]

@@dildojizzbaggins6969 Yes, i do. Because over here in EU were taught to speak english, properly.

[@hwstar9416]

ninja 5 soon? -scythe agent

[@charlesballiet7074]

@@Z4KIUS swaped with better fans it may even rival the nocta, then again I want a review of the IceGiant ProSiphon Elite that uses a capillary cooling system

[@Platinumcoated]

@@Z4KIUS my ninja5 is barely audible even up close, I can't really compare it or measure it but I can't imagine anyone calling it 'loud'. It has fans that go up to only ~850rpm, limiting its scaling (just like this Fuma), but it works pretty well

[@Singlephase]

My Ninja 4 is run "semi passive" with the rear fan acting as the CPU fan & it works so well. Its able to draw air in from all directions inside the case.

[@AlanLin1995]

it's so quite I even want to swap my fan

[@DuBstep115]

Mugen best

[@john4rock5]

I put the Ninja 5 in a build for my daughter: fantastic cooler and dead quiet. Very underrated cooler

[@ogapadoga2]

Amazing father

[@smartgorilla]

Can you adopt me 😃😃

[@john4rock5]

@@smartgorilla 🤣🤣

[@smartgorilla]

@@john4rock5 please

[@insomniacbritgaming1632]

@@Z4KIUS I had the Ninja 4... even at max RPM it was quiet...

[@tychoid1]

Cool review GN. Now review the dopeass screwdriver that came with it.

[@Hzuuuu]

It's freaking dope, no joke. I have it. And now I lost it, because apparently it's too dope that someone had to take it away from me.

[@esaedvik]

Yeah, that was a nice surprise :D

[@DurzoBlunts]

That screw driver is legit a really good one, best surprise besides the temps out of the heatsink was that.

[@AlanLin1995]

it's cute and cool at the same way

[@Patrese_X]

I thought I was the only one that found that screwdriver amazing.

[@Symba_Lysm]

Lol saw myself in the conspiracy theory list! Thanks GN for including me in your comment roundup! ☺️

[@UNKA757]

I saw myself as well..I was pretty excited..I own 3 of these coolers, I love them! Easy to install, Good Looking, Functional.

[@krypton1260]

oh cool, the bots are becoming sentient

[@Vykori]

to be fair your comment had the best reasoning to it of any shown in the conspiracy theory part of the video 😄

[@informitas0117]

I'm interested in becoming a agent as well, do you hire?

[@Waldherz]

@@informitas0117 Im looking for a job as well.

[@the_DOS]

You found the best surprise in that box... that screwdriver. Best one I ever had.

[@tobymarol7329]

my thermalright macho had a long, magnetic screwdriver to go through the finstack. i've used it basically every week for years now

[@fruityMangoExperience]

It surprised me as well. Material is hard enough, it is magnetic (and strong enough to actually hold the screw). Didn't expect that for the price.

[@gregvandy8902]

Same here, i use that driver more than all my other tools combined. Its my main tool assembling PCs.

[@sp00n]

@@tobymarol7329 I have both the Macho and the Fuma, and the Macho screwdriver is just superior due to its longer handle.

[@ST-su4lt]

This was great to see, re-using my Fuma 2 soon when my ITX goodies come in. Putting this bad boy in the NR200, this vid made me more excited to use it, well done as usual.

[@lichkain]

I have a Fuma 2 in a NR200 to cool my 5600X and it's super quiet with controlled thermals. No regrets purchasing it.

[@Adanteh]

Please check reddits sffpc for info on Fuma 2 compability with NR200. Some motherboards have CPU in different parts which might interfere with the one of the top fans.

[@quirinaled2752]

Picked one up for my 3600X and it's been solid as a rock, plus the fans fit my build nicely. Very happy with it, particularly for the price I paid (very close to MSRP).

[@kennyd7667]

im soo glad to see Scythe get some recognition coz they make such great value for money coolers and i would go as far to say that they are a great budget alternative if u want a relatively high air cooling performance, low noise cpu cooler

[@Marc_Wolfe]

How about tinting the background differently for air coolers than water coolers?

[@maxbls16]

I like this idea, it would help people with less knowledge of coolers in addition to people watching on mobile.

[@chrinaldi]

Scythe is an underrated air cooler. The one of the few air coolers available for literal MSRP in SEA.

[@roberto87x31]

BRUH

[@yeleoh]

@@roberto87x31 what

[@Morpheus-pt3wq]

However, their QC is awful. While the base is perfectly flat and has incredible contact with the CPU, being fully screwed in with the highest pressure, it can either kill the socket (more hazardous on intel, considering pins are on the motherboard), kill the CPU or damage the base. I´ve got a deep marking of my Ryzen edge on the cooler base already. Also, the fans are garbage. It can perform much better with using only 1x Noctua A12x25 (that´s right, only SINGLE fan). In the near future, i will replace it probably with one of the Noctua coolers.

[@DanchyMT]

Okey now it's time for the Arctic freezer 34 duo ! Since you had very possitive feedback for the Arctic AIO coolers :)

[@tiz68]

I'd love for GN to review the duo. I'd love to see how it compares to the Fuma 2. These are the two coolers I'm stuck between wanting to buy

[@quirinaled2752]

Tough choice. I preferred the look of the Fuma and I could get one at near MSRP so I went for it. But the Duo got my attention when I was shopping round. Friend of mine has a Duo in a similar set up to mine and its only slightly louder than my Fuma (possible bias on my part though!). Arctic fans are also excellent value for money if you're looking for case fans.

[@DanchyMT]

Arctic Duo is like 40 bucks where i live and for that price it's unbeatable. Especially with it's 10 year warranty !

[@simplydesan211]

@tiz68 I am in the same boat today. What you bought and how you like it?

[@smith7602]

Good. Good. Let the Scythe reviews flow through you.

[@aethertech]

Scythe Agent #196918 reporting: Can't wait to see Mugen review!

[@Morpheus-pt3wq]

Entire Scythe lineup suffers from weak and slow fans. The coolers are good, but the fans are case airflow fans, not heatsink static pressure fans. I have Fuma 2 as well, but i replaced the fans with Noctua. I tried P12 redux 1700 and also A12x25 - based on my subjective results, A12x25 is very good for this cooler, as it´s an all-rounder fan, with both airflow and static pressure. I didn´t have to buy A12x25 as i already had them in the case.

[@boerny6757]

@@Morpheus-pt3wq How important is the static pressure? Just bought an arctic p12 for my Mugen PCGH edition because the cpu got a bit to hot for me. However the Arctic P12 only got 1.85mmH₂O while the A12x25 got 2.34mmH₂O (stock Mugen cooler got 1.05)

[@bauboni]

Great option for any Ryzen with 8 cores or less, overclocked or not. I have the single fan Scythe Mugen on my Ryzen 1700 @ 3.9 Ghz and has always been super silent and low temp - at the time, a similar performing Noctua was 20$ more expensive.

[@802Garage]

Now is when I truly find out if my CPU cooler purchase was foolish or wise. Let's GOOO!!!

[@adizzmal]

I don’t think this will work on your new wrx, but I guess it’s worth the shot!

[@JackDisturber]

It is wise. Telling this as a D15 owner and running fuma2 on second rig. It does have way better clearance, allows you not to break your fingers extracting your GPU from top slot (once I almost damaged my motherboard because of the way d15 covers the slot latch, I used a screwdriver to unlock it and hit the MB surface accidentally), doesn't conflict with ram and so on. I'm kinda willing to swap my noctua as well (it even prevented me upgrading my case to a more compact one as it requires 165 mm or so) just don't want to spend extra money

[@802Garage]

@@adizzmal Hahaha, yeah a bit inadequate for the average turbo. The review basically aligns with my suppositions and findings. I'm using it on a Ryzen 5 3600 and it is great for me. Silent compared to the case fans, which are also quiet being it's a Phanteks P400A. My GPU is far louder than both when the fan kicks in. EVGA GTX 970 SSC, so old and needs replacing. With the stock cooler, my 3600 would occasionally get over 90C with fans set fairly low. With the Fuma 2, I rarely see over 80C, and if I do turn up the fans in the case and on the cooler just a bit it will stay well below that. I do video rendering and the Scythe cooler doesn't struggle even on low fan settings. Are those amazing numbers? No, but it certainly far outperforms the stock cooler, it looks cooler, it's very quiet, and it was super affordable compared to other good air coolers. I do overclock a bit, and with this CPU it handles it fine. I could add more case fans for extra headroom too, but I've never even run it at full blast. Thanks for the great review as always, GN!

[@802Garage]

@@JackDisturber Also agreed it was a fairly simple install and just clears my RAM perfectly with all 4 slots filled! Also goes very well with the accidental black and gray theme of my build. Asus TUF Gaming X570, Patriot Viper Steel memory, older EVGA GPU, in a Phanteks P400A. I like it!

[@CheapBastard1988]

I was genuinely interested in your views on this cooler though. Not for myself but whether I could recommend them to people or not.

[@benscko]

I bought it and recommended it to people. It runs totally fine on my 3900xt :D

[@omfg_its_dave]

I use mine on a 9700k OC'd to 5GHz. Fantastic cooler. I replaced the 15mm with a standard 25mm RGB scythe fan -- cools significantly better. Unfortunately that little 15mm fan does limit its max performance a bit.

[@eridan2495]

@@omfg_its_dave u sure it’s 15mm?

[@Hrathen39]

But why?.... The price for it you can easily get a liquid aio that's significantly better thermals

[@CaptOverShoot]

@@Hrathen39 Closest temperature-wise is EVGA 360 = £143 here in the UK, the Fuma is £60

[@quanahruiz5734]

Bold of you to assume I would read the instructions instead of just try random bits until I get something that fits.

[@ghomerhust]

"fits" haha

[@gnoldi]

Always nice to see some real life hardware testing. It's too easy to get caught in the loop of top-end hardware and forget that 90% of your viewers can't afford it, even if it's in stock. Also, if you will be testing the Mugen 5 Rev B, please consider also making a simple comparison between the original fan and a better, higher RPM SP fan to see how it scales up in performance. Happy testing!

[@seoulglo1999]

Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. b. I've been using it for my Ryzen 1700 at 3.9Ghz. Quiet and cool for $50!

[@omfg_its_dave]

In my testing it doesn't quite cool as well as a Fuma2 on 175+ watt cpu loads, though aesthetically it does looks better.

[@ej1025]

Bought it for my 3600. Almost bought the Fuma 2, but didn't want a behemoth of a CPU cooler. They perform around the same too.

[@DuBstep115]

@@omfg_its_dave Fuma 2 vs mugen 5 in push pull is almost the same. Otherwise you are comparison 1 vs 2 fans.

[@ZombieLincoln666]

@@omfg_its_dave Yeah I mean it has one fan with a max RPM of 1200, which is pretty low. I'm gonna replace it with one of those Noctuas.

[@DooDootGaming]

Mugen 5 next? - scythe agent

[@GenericJohnDoe]

Mugen crew in the house!

[@Robertkopp84]

Mugen still exists? Damn, i wish i knew this before. I have not seen a scythe product listed on German retail sites when i was looking for one.

[@fmskaisergsaw5567]

@@Robertkopp84 bought a mugen 5 rev b last year from alternate

[@LB-yx4yw]

Yes, want to know about the mugen, the cooler i sold with my ryzen1600x upgrade kit.. want to know if I should buy the same one again or not.

[@altazimuth]

I got the Mugen 5 PCGH edition a couple years back for my Ryzen 1700. I was (and am) pretty pleased with it. Wasn't the easiest thing to find stocked though.

[@Chewychewychoochoo]

The fact that you mention 15mm "depth" and 25mm "depth" deserves respect, because when I was new to PC building, I had no idea what "15 mil" or "25 mil" meant at the time.

[@RWDtech]

I tried to get this cooler back in July (due to several positive youtube reviews), but it was out of stock literally everywhere besides marked up resellers. I ended up going with the NH-D15S, and I love it. But I wish I would have had the opportunity to get this cheaper cooler for basically the same performance.

[@quirinaled2752]

Yeah it was very unfortunate that they didn't have stock and distribution to meet demand but it seems that's basically the story of any in-demand part these days. Was very happy to find it in stock on komplett for near MSRP - it sold out very quickly.

[@GENKI_INU]

Which is why Noctua is so highly regarded. Their products are almost always in stock and available worldwide, with good reliability and engineering, even if they're on the slightly more expensive side. Not to mention free mounting hardware upgrades for new sockets, which virtually no other brand does.

[@ferdinandhumperdinck165]

Just loved the "Sadly, the fans arent loud enought to get to 35db, so we just used the 34.x he could get to"^^ Given the cost, thats saying a LOT.

[@ferdinandhumperdinck165]

And additionally, Scythe, as long as you dont tighten till your MB snaps, has among the best mounting system, AND excellent Plates. Who`d have thought? ^^

[@BlissBatch]

The thing I love about the Fuma 2 is that it has an offset design that doesn't cover up any of your RGB RAM. It's the only air cooler that has this feature, while also being somewhat competitive with high-end air coolers (none of which have said feature AFAIK).

[@sp00n]

Also check out the Deepcool AS500 Plus, it should also be compatible with any RAM stick out there and even has MORE RGB!

[@BlissBatch]

@@sp00n Thanks, I'll look into that. Is the cooling comparable with the Fuma 2?

[@sp00n]

@@BlissBatch Unfortunately I haven't seen a direct comparison yet, which is why I hope for a test of it here soon. 😬 But there was a French Test here, where it seemed to perform pretty well: translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=overclocking.com/test-deepcool-as500-plus/8/

[@Andre-xb4bn]

@@sp00n The headquarters of Deepcool is in Beijing, China. I am fed up with lack of regulation in China about animal treatment which brought us the Corona pandemic. So I will not buy from Chinese companies.

[@microsoft1665]

finally some air cooling tests. thanks. that fuma 2 cooler is so BEAUTIFUL

[@BF-rn3oz]

This is a great review for a new builder. It shows me the high value of this cooler as well as the potential benefit of liquid coolers if I decide to use one. I also really like your "loading bars" running down the side of the screen telling me how long each segment is which help when I need to rewind to listen to something again and compare multiple factors and comments you make while you're presenting. Thanks for your efforts!

[@brooksrownd2275]

A direct comparison with the stock AMD "wraith prism" cooler would be useful, since the question for a lot of people is whether to replace the decent stock AMD cooler with an inexpensive "better" cooler. The big selling point for the FUMA 2 is that it is supposed to fit in smaller cases - I have one as a backup for my 011 Dynamic case, though I haven't tested the fit yet.

[@comrad1130]

The wraith prism is insanely loud. Like if you don’t wear headphones all the time you wouldn’t want it in there. 3700x in a meshify c with 4 corsair ql 120s (3 front intake, 1 exhaust, with the wraith cooler) if noise is a concern just go with the fuma 2

[@brooksrownd2275]

I can't say that I've noticed mine. I only really hear the GPU fans when they get going. I'm primarily wondering about the cooling performance though. I've always intended to install my water cooling loop when I finally get a new GPU, but since new GPU are impossible to get I'm stuck with air cooling and the stock CPU cooler for many months to come.

[@BRUXXUS]

Is that pressure paper crazy expensive? I'd imagine it has to be incredibly precise and consistent for the type of measurements it can deliver.

[@majorbogart3476]

It ain't cheap. About $55 for a slightly less than one foot square, and easy to ruin if mishandled.

[@GamersNexus]

Pretty expensive and very easy to ruin. We pay about $500 per roll.

[@BRUXXUS]

@@GamersNexus ooph! Now that would be a interesting factory tour. Although, I’m guessing all their machines and processes are highly guarded trade secrets.

[@mailtobronius]

compared to digital real time sensor alternatives ("i-scan system" for $30k+?) film is really good, but takes more time to setup and shows only peak preassure values (Fujifilm?) at ~550$ for 2.7 m2 roll

[@metallusmelandril7380]

@@GamersNexus and how long does one roll last? :O

[@doughjoe702]

I bought the Scythe Fuma 2 a couple months ago and I find it works really well with my build. The stock Wraith Prism that came with my Ryzen 7 3700x just wasnt enough. Playing the games I like it would reach around 75c-78c, which is within spec and not hurting my cpu but I just wanted to get my thermals down a bit. The Fuma 2 keeps my temps no higher than 66c-68c at full load. Which isnt a huge difference in cooling but I noticed it also helps keep my GPU cooler due to the increase of fans pushing air towards the back of my case instead of a fan blowing down on my cpu. The Fuma 2 gets a thumbs up from me.

[@MrDvneil]

i can say you are the best and most analytic reviewer in the 25 years i've been following hardware articles. for everbody that loves hardware thermal solutions and valid testing, this is a golden era, i'm not just proud of you, but of all the viewers that can recognize the value of your work, none of both are easy.

[@shredman59]

If you aren't overclocking a high end cpu....the Fuma 2 rocks when you consider how quiet it is, how easy it is to install and how small it is (fits in almost any case). And then add on the price at $60 and its a really great value.

[@BlissBatch]

And it also doesn't cover up any of your beautiful RGB RAM-something which cannot be said about any high-end air cooler AFAIK.

[@Psi-Storm]

The cooler is at 59°C with a 5950x. There is still a lot of headroom. If you want you could also replace the middle fan with an Arctic P12/Bionix P120. That would push the cooling further.

[@TheMakarykLegacy]

@@Psi-Storm 59°C over ambient...so add another 20ish degrees C to get the actual operating temps (assuming typical room temperature operation). You're still probably right about swapping in beefier fans if you want more headroom.

[@Ozaron]

I actually made one request to see this cooler, bought and used it on my GF's computer with a 3700X and it did wonderfully, would like more context vs worse or cheaper air coolers moving forward though.

[@CaptOverShoot]

Hi Steve, I have just swapped out my Wraith Prism and installed the FUMA 2 just a few days ago. Gone are the constant ramping up and down of fan speeds and spiked temperature fluctuations from the 3700X these ranged from 63° to 83°C. And more impressively ....... “ GONE “ is all the noise! Playing World of Warships with everything turned on, it now runs at 49°, ( same as GPU ) not in the 'high 60s and '70s. Microsoft flight sim 2020 now running at a silent 62° - 68° .......the Wraith cooler would ramp-up up to 83° and beyond! Great result for £60. As you say the pressure required to bottom out the mounting screws is quite high and must relate to the impressive surface contact. Window 10 pro 64 Ryzen 7 3700X GIGABYTE RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB GAMING OC Pro Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (DDR4-3200) Gigabyte 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE

[@TwiitchMcGee]

Just got mine in the mail today setting it up tomorrow! Stoked.

[@wayneqaz12345]

My theory for the amount of request is due to nr200 case released and a bunch of people where looking for the best air cooler at 155mm height to fit inside the case. For the size of this cooler that matches air coolers with 140mm fans is pretty amazing.

[@scytheagent7821]

Would love to see a review of the Scythe Ninja 5, which competes even with larger liquid coolers. Super underrated and has excellent performance for the price.

[@DelayEdits]

It's worse than the fuma 2 and noct

[@Mr.Buttons928]

Been waiting for this review since I saw the FUMA 2 Thanks GN!

[@FerralVideo]

This cooler was relatively recently upgraded with 1500RPM fans. I had left a previous comment discussing the idea of installing these yourself, but that would raise the price overall to untenable levels. Glad to see them shipping it stock. Look for the "Rev.B" version. The Ninja 5 also got the Rev.B treatment, but I don't know if it fixed the cooler's underperformance.

[@Wasbo]

Have a Mugen 5 (silent edition one), no reason to watch this review. Still enjoyed it, silence focused air coolers are really nice for the plug and play life.

[@MagnumDragon]

I have a mugen 5 rev b with the push pull set up. I love it!!!

[@MagnumDragon]

It's not a silence focused cooler. If you want a silent cooler check out the scythe ninja 5. I have kaze flex fans in my tower and have no sound issues. Including on my scythe mugen.

[@BlissBatch]

@@MagnumDragon The Fuma 2 is a fairly silence-focused cooler. It does not seem that way compared to the Ninja 5, but that's because the Ninja 5 is by far the most silence-focused cooler in the history of computers.

[@MagnumDragon]

@@BlissBatch I'd totally use the ninja 5 but it won't fit in the o11 dynamic.

[@DuBstep115]

@@Z4KIUS it literally runs 350rpm on default, paired with define 6 case it's dead silent

[@thaddeuscosse9527]

I've been waiting for this!

[@SrApathy33]

I got here through the mega chart article. This review convinced me to buy the Fuma2 to replace the €18 CoolerMaster TX3 92mm (hyper EVO) on my 5800x3D. It could cool an Intel 4430 and an AMD 3600 (those did 10 years together) but met it's limits with the 5800x3D. I hope to carry forward the Fuma2 to a future AM5 x3D CPU.

[@sousuzumi]

It's nice to come back here almost an year later and seeing that even if initially you were pressured both by your viewers and the manufacturer to review it, at the end of the year you considered the Scythe Fuma 2 the best overall CPU cooler of the year.

[@nexushexus4365]

18:35 "tighten with confidence"

[@lucas_vlanc]

the hype is mostly how it performs for the price, the value is pretty insane ( that is without counting the corsair a500 price drop )

[@SentryxVoid]

But When I google it the first thing I see is a Gamers Nexus Vid saying "corsair A500 Impressively bad" lol

[@lightanddarkness442]

A500 is a miscarriage, it has so many flaws its hilarious, what was Corsair thinking?

[@DrivenKeys]

Thank you for this informative review, it helped me choose the Fuma 2 Revision B that was just released. I addition to the new Fuma 2, your viewers may appreciate a review of the Thermalright Peerless Assassin, a comparable twin tower, twin fan, 6 pipe cooler going for $42 on Amazon. Most of the Amazon reviews rave that it's just as good as Scythe or Noctua, including the mounting kit. I can't find very many videos on thermalright, which has a whole line of excellent looking coolers, so I though you might like to offer your opinion to your budget concious viewers.

[@ricardohernandez1481]

Excellent review. Love that you both provided objective data that surpasses others but also a variety of use cases. Sometimes reviewers just give you one scenario but give blanket recommendations. Hoping you’ll do some of the lower cost options like the 212 evo black edition or the Arctic esports 34 as they’re commonly recommended and purchased. Would be useful to see how they stack up on the low end for people who want to spend less.

[@_Ferrigno]

I may be alone in this but i would love to see the Deepcool Gammaxx L240 reviewed someday :D Love the content!!

[@innocentiuslacrim2290]

I have my Fuma 2 paired with 5950X. I have the PBO enabled, no all core OC or other heavy tuning so far. It seems to work perfectly fine. My other alternative was nh-d15s, but I eventually went with this because it is a bit smaller. If extra cooling is wanted later on I may try adding a third fan, but so far there are no signs of that need.

[@Zepravity]

What are the temperatures like for you? I have an i7-11700f and I'm wondering if this cooler would work well for me too

[@irhamakbar7406]

Your timing couldn't be any better, about to buy Scythe Fuma 2 as we speak.

[@jedidethfreak]

Please look into ID Cooling air coolers soon? I've seen a few reviews that suggest insane performance for the money, but your testing methodology is second to none.

[@maxwelljeremy5659]

About the mounting hardware. In my instructions (bought a month ago) there was a picture that made it clear that the rubber was supposed to be against the motherboard.

[@Retrainark]

Scythe is the official reseller of noctua here in Japan , so they must know where to put their own products .

[@emmanuelgalleguillos-cote5427]

Thank you! I bought this scythe cooler in September as my stock cooler was too loud in idle for when I was studying. The reviews all mentioned how this cooker was more geared towards a quiet experience, and I'm not disappointed. Sure I realize the cooling is limited. Especially in higher OC. However, for now, this cooler does the job for me.

[@kazmo9148]

Appreciate the review finally! We waited so long! I would say you aren't really giving it as much credit as is due. For the size, price and noise profile it's by far the best option for a high majority of people who aren't looking for top tier overclocking but want a solid upgrade. Considering every aspect the Fuma 2 really pulls ahead of the competition. Not sure you really gave it enough credit but still glad you covered it and gave it some proper testing.

[@dawasaoki6524]

Great review once again Steve! Though I do hope that this offering to the Fuma 2 gods will be enough to slow down the onslaught of the Fuma 2 comment Agents in your comment section.

[@Kraaketaer]

Question: this is obviously more of a theoretical thing than anything really useful in practice, but have you considered (somewhere down the line) to do a fan normalized cooler roundup, specifically to identify differences in the heatsink and cold plate designs rather than the whole package including fans? That would be really interesting to watch IMO.

[@cinnabarsin4288]

That was something I was thinking about watching this, would be interesting in a cooler that's limited by its stock fans being set up for noise performance.

[@Kraaketaer]

@@cinnabarsin4288 True, and if combined with a (separate) fan roundup it could then tell us who makes the best heatsinks, who makes the best fans, and who makes the best overall package. Of course we largely know the latter through regular reviews, but it would be interesting to have some more data to help identify exactly what it is that makes the best coolers the best.

[@innnffxxi]

That's what I want to see including Liquid cooler.

[@SirPIMPSLAP]

before lockdown i never did much on a pc ..now cause of this dude and ppl in coments help i built a pc to game on and do all kinds of stuff ..thanks man..

[@CoalitionGaming]

Have reviewed this and the mugen on my channel, always end up recommending scythe for a good affordable well performing air cooler. Watching this all the way through regardless because I love the detail you guys have in your reviews. 👍

[@TEXwithNODS]

I'd like to see yall review a Hyper 212, just to get a reference point on your charts to see if an upgrade would be worth it!

[@bothellkenmore]

It is kinda the baseline for years so yes I'd be surprised if they don't do that soon..

[@Lemard77]

Would be interesting to have the newer 212 revisions like the all black ones with both the silent and RGB fans

[@catriona_drummond]

Very good idea!

[@johnhighway9397]

It has been utterly obsolete ever since the Arctic Freezer 34 showed up. About time that piece of crap got dethroned.

[@bothellkenmore]

@@johnhighway9397 Well the Arctic needs to be tested along with the duo version to fill out the bottom of the list.

[@nateorb4318]

I like CPU air cooler reviews. The internals of AIOs are cool but they always seem not worth it unless you need extreme performance imo I'm looking forward to stock cooler reviews personally. I've already upgraded from stock but it'd be nice to see the difference between stock and aftermarket with your updated testing

[@thenman23]

I got it and the fins are so beautiful..... it is seriously incredible... I didn't know a heatsink could be so beautiful

[@UNKA757]

I run 3 of these coolers, 1 on a Ryzen 7 1700, Ryzen 7 2700X and a Ryzen 5 1600AF. All perform well according my thermal monitoring. Thanks for the Review Steve!

[@sysakPL]

Awesome stuff! These are my favourite reviews. Would you also review the Arctic Freezer 34 Duo (supposedly the best cheap cooler according to the Hardware Scientist channel) and the new, bit more expensive one they released (50 is the model i think) 👍👍👍

[@BlissBatch]

Ooh, there's a new model? I gotta check that out; thanks for the heads up!

[@sysakPL]

@@BlissBatch according to Hardware Cannucks as good as Dark Rock Pro 4 and NH-D15. Would be keen to see what GN think of it.

[@TheDMSCorp]

I have a first generation Fuma in my build now so I'm here for confirmation bias

[@IcyVegeta]

From personal experience, I've been running a Fuma 2 on a 3900x build and have been super impressed with the sweetspot of silence and cooling capability. Had it in my system for 6 months now and I can't recommend it enough.

[@markotto1767]

Have you done some stress tests ,maybe with cpuz cpustress test or other ? What are your temps ? Thanks in Advance

[@PorscheRacer14]

I don't need a CPU cooler at the moment, but I'll give yah a like knowing that it took a lot of work to review this cooler. I still have a Scythe Ninja 2 going strong on my FX-60 system. Nice to see a good cooler from them and someone doing an air cooler review. I know AIOs and water cooling setups get all the coverage, but for me, I need a few good air coolers to recommend to friends for their builds. They just need something that works and is easy to maintain and install.

[@domiii2125]

Do you plan on testing Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4? I'm curious how it performs compared to Fuma 2 or NH-D15, especially on AMD CPU.

[@Zanithos]

Okay, but what about the Arctic eSports Duo? I'd love to see how that pairs up to this.

[@stanisawkowalski7440]

Fuma 2 performance during ~120W load, but noisy bitch, which in real usage will always run faster, so louder than bigger ones - typical small tower cooler with two crazy fast fans.

[@drewsmith7726]

Thank you for your extremely in depth review (including the physical dimensions) I have been very interested in this cooler since it got a bunch of exposure on some other tech channels. I really appreciate the thorough job you do when making your reviews. I feel like I can really trust your review because your testing methodologies are so good.

[@pauljeffs7]

My fuma 2 arrived yesterday morning this is such a great time for the review!

[@Shmoozo55]

I am very much looking forward to more reviews of air coolers, including Scythe's Ninja 5, Big Shuriken 3, and Mugen 5 Rev.B models. I'd also like to see some from the Arctic line of air coolers including their Freezer 34 CO, Freezer 34 eSports Edition, Freezer 34 eSports DUO, and Freezer Xtreme models. I am particularly interested in seeing a review and discussion of the Arctic Freezer Xtreme because it seems to generate so much controversy over certain aspects of its design, particularly its fan, and also because it's an unusually compact dual tower air cooler (total height about 140mm) that still sports a 120mm class fan. Certainly the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (perhaps in a few of its different incarnations) would make an interesting test subject because it is such a commonly used cooler for budget builds.

[@robertkubrick3738]

I have the Freezer CO on two computers and a 34E-Sports duo. I never put the e-sports on. It's no gain over the 34CO. I'm going to get a Fuma 2 just to test it out. When I move to the Tropics I want to be running even if the air conditioning fails.

[@unitcharles689]

Great analysis as usual. Swapping out the 15mm thin fan, with a standard 25mm. Would make an impact. The results look fantastic to me. I am using a simple 120mm phanteks cooler from back in the day... Steve is like ehh.. its good. But im not spoiled with the most premium coolers on the market am I!? big ol liquid coolers... Lol

[@jierenzheng7670]

Have you tried? Supposedly some reviewers have pointed out issues that one of the fans spins in the opposite direction creates static pressure and it impacts cooling unless you are running the alternative 25mm fan at full speed. The review didn't cover that aspect sadly. :(

[@kelownatechkid]

Video quality keeps improving!

[@pgeorg01]

So happy to see something that is not a GPU/CPU review. Thank you guys for the impressively detailed content. That pressure mapping is really insightful. If you are taking requests, I would love to see a Noctua NH-U12A to test their claim of 140mm performance in a 120mm package (as well as their latest SP fan design).

[@bernardwelsh1877]

I'd really like to see how a Hyper 212 stacks up with modern CPUs and coolers

[@KrauserKahn]

Review the Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo :DDD with that it would also be interesting to see if there's a noticeable difference with 1 fan instead of 2 if you already have an exhaust behind it

[@thephily7432]

I bought this Fuma 2 right after I posted asking you to review it and no regrets, love the looks and how quiet it is keeping my 3700X cool while having a OC set.

[@ThePegleggedpirate]

Thank you for mentioning that at 9:55, it seemed to tighten too much when I was installing as well. I believe the Fuma 2 was the reason my 5800x died. My computer worked for a few weeks then just shut off and would not boot at all (occasionally I could get into the bios). When swapping out the motherboard, thinking that was the problem, there was a significant groove/imprint on one side of the bottom the contact plate, that was an imprint of the top of my cpu lid that my fingernail would get stuck on while running over it. I mentioned this on another KZbinr's channel and they contacted Scythe with the photos. Scythe's response was that it was impossible to overtighten and it was my fault. Apparently they have never heard of manufacturing errors.

[@Helios1234p]

Have you tried testing the coolers with a standardized set of fans to see how effective the heatsinks themselves are? The fans are clearly the limiting factor here. For someone on a budget, they might end up getting the Scythe but knowing that the heatsink itself is efficient, it means they wouldn't have to upgrade the whole cooler in the future but just the fans.

[@innocentiuslacrim2290]

If I recall correctly those Scythe fans are a bit special and rotate on opposing directions. Some of the fan speed increase effect was lost in some test (was it Techpowerup) by losing that airflow effect. Adding a third faster fan might help, but I do not really KNOW how having different fan speeds on the same cooler would be without testing.

[@MTBScotland]

be interesting to know if the cooler is at the edge of its efficiency or wither more powerful fans would improve the temps

[@robertkubrick3738]

Read that it does in a review. The guy replaced the 15mm fan with a Noctua 25mm fan because he didn't have the nearest ram slot populated anyway and it ran 5C cooler according to him.

[@shifty277]

Class leading. Just top shelf testing. It takes so much effort and thought process to try and even attempt such a thorough and logical testing methodology. Thank you, thumbs up.

[@zellers4]

This cooler is honestly a God Send for my SFFPC cuz i wanted to go with an air cooler instead of a aio. Works just fine on my lightly over clocked 5800x in my nr200. Cant complain especially for its price. Agree with basically everything GN said here.

[@Ratcher.]

Now do the Thermalright Le Grand Macho RT! please and thank you!

[@walkieer]

Would really love to see how my ol' 212 evo compares. To get a sense of a how good these coolers actually are.

[@mateofantasma]

Yes, air cooler reviews! More of these please (looking to replace the adequate but noisy Prism on my 2700x)

[@pirojfmifhghek566]

Another insanely objective, professional, and diplomatic review by Steve "Hello, You've Reached Switzerland. Who Am I Speaking To?" Burke.