Hey folks,
Today we’re going to look at Scythe’s Shuriken 3, a bite-sized downforce CPU cooler intended for SFF and HTPC builds.
As you can see in the picture above, this is probably the smallest cooler I’ve ever tested. It’s about as tall as the Linus Tech Tips screwdriver – only 39mm tall (including the fan!) – and about as long as a finger.
Features of the Scythe Shuriken 3
The Shuriken 3 arrives in a small box, just large enough for the cooler and it’s protective packaging. Opening the outer box first reveals a smaller box with the accessories contained within.
The CPU cooler is packaged below the accessories box, protected by molded foam.
The heatsink is very simple, with only two heatpipes to move the heat from the CPU into the cooler’s fins.
On top of the heatsink is one of the new Kaze Flex 92 Slim AH PWM fans, a thin fan only 15mm thick.
| Fan model | Kaze Flex 92 Slim AH PWM |
| Fan size | 92 x 92 x 16mm |
| Fan speed | 300-2500RPM (± 10%) |
| Airflow | Up to 36.45 CFM |
| Static Pressure | Up to 1.99 mmH20 |
| Rated noise level | 31.78 dBA |
For those who wish to upgrade their fan for enhanced performance, Scythe includes screws for both 15mm and 25mm fans.
Included in the box are:
- Low profile CPU cooler
- Mounting accessories for Intel & AMD platforms
- Small packet of thermal grease
AM5 Installation
The installation of this cooler is both very simple, and at the same time – a bit of a pain.
To start, you’ll need to insure the default mounting bracket is removed from your AMD motherboard – and apply thermal paste to your CPU.
Attach the mounting bars to the bottom of the cooler, using the included screws.
The next part is a little tricky – and as a result, I wasn’t able to take a photo of this step.
You’ll need to open the back of your computer so that you can access the backplate of the motherboard. Then, take the heatsink and press it to the CPU – while inserting screws through the motherboard backplate to connect with the mounting bars on the other side.
Thermal Benchmarks and acoustic measurements
Alright, let’s take at the benchmarks now. Try to keep in mind this is a very basic, petite CPU cooler designed for HTPC and SFF builds. This is not intended to win overclocking competitions, and isn’t designed to handle the full power of AMD and Intel’s most powerful CPUs.
Maximum Noise Levels
The Shuriken 3 has a maximum noise level of only 40.3 dBA. This is a relatively low volume, and a nice change from many SFF coolers I’ve tested which run loudly.
Maximum performance and 100W benchmarks
As you can see from the results above, this cooler is only intended to provide “essential” performance – only cooling 134W, which is about half as much as the highest end AIO coolers I’ve tested.
That said, you might be shocked as to how little performance is lost with weaker cooling. Tasks that are primarily single-core bound will be almost unimpacted. Multi-core workloads will see a moderate reduction in performance, usually around ~15%. For those interested in understanding how a reduced power limit will impact performance, I would recommend checking out “Here’s what happens when you run an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at 65W” on Club386 – the article is packed with benchmarks you’ll find interesting!
Noise normalized benchmarks
We’ve also got two sets of noise-normalized benchmarks for this review.
The first benchmark, shown above, is a CPU-only test. There’s a small drop in performance – compared to when the fans are run at full speed – but it’s less than 10W.
Adding in the heat of a RTX 4070ti Super GPU reduces CPU cooling performance by about 10%, dropping to 115W from 128W. Realistically, though, we don’t expect anyone to pair such a powerful GPU with such a tiny CPU cooler.
Conclusion
Scythe’s Shuriken 3 is a very petite, bite-sized CPU cooler with low noise levels intended for the most compact and smallest of SFF and HTPC computer builds. If you’re interested in this cooler, it is currently available from Amazon.com for only $39.99