Introduction
Scythe have been making some of the best coolers around for a couple of years now and they have always been rather large and excessive; but very effective. Today I have with me something that is again, rather excessive and with some of the strangest box art I have ever seen; the Scythe Andy Samurai Master.
Specifications
| Model number | SCASM-1000 |
| Compatibility | Intel Socket 478, LGA775 and AMD Socket 754, 939, 940 and AM2 |
| Dimension | 125 x 137 x 100 mm (Heatsink L x W x H), 120 x 120 x 25mm (Fan) |
| Fan Speed | 1200rpm (±10%) |
| Fan Noise | 20.94dBA |
| Air Flow | 49.58CFM |
| Weight | 685g |
Features
IIFS – Infinity Interleave Fin Structure : IIFS offers a better way to efficiently dissipate the heat from a total of six heatpipes to the heatsink fins, this provides the quickest and most efficient heat transfer ever!
Top-Flow High-End CPU Cooler: “Top-Flow” airflow can cool both the CPU and the motherboard components simultaneously!
Tool Free Easy Installation: The newly developed and “patent pending” mounting mechanism “VTMS” (Versatile Toll-Free Multiplatform System) allows the user to install the Andy Samurai Master CPU Cooler without any tools making installation completely hassle free.
Wide Range Cooling: The Andy Samurai Master CPU Cooler has been optimized to utilize low-rpm or high-rpm fans, which makes it appealing to both quiet PC enthusiast and hard-core overclockers. The cooler is also compatible with AMD’s socket 478/754/939/940/AM2 and Intel’s LGA775, making it an all in one solution for your PC system.
Bits and Box
As I said before, the box art for the “Andy” is very strange indeed, featuring a Caucasian man dressed in samurai gear with his extremities blurred into the background. The box also features a multitude of images of the cooler itself, warranty information and specifications.
 "Scythe Andy Samurai Master Box")
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Who is this guy?
 "Scythe Andy Samurai Master Box")
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Along with the cooler itself you also get an assortment of different mounting clips which correspond to the wide range of sockets this cooler is able to fit on; these are also detailed on the side of the box.
 "Scythe Andy Samurai Master Box")
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The Scythe Andy
The Andy cooler is pretty damn huge. It sits a large 120mm fan atop it and matches this girth almost all the way to the base with its huge finned heatsink.
 "Scythe Andy Samurai Master Box")
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 "Scythe Andy Samurai Master")
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Beneath this is a smaller heatsink that sits directly above where the core of the cooler is.
 "Scythe Andy Heatsink")
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Speaking of the core, although the rest of the cooler is aluminium, this bit is all copper. The surface is quite poorly finished with clear machine marks and the surface isn’t very reflective either.
 "Scythe Andy Core")
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 "Scythe Andy Core")
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 "Scythe Andy Core")
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Moving out from the core we have a multitude of heatpipes, 7 in total (to read about heatpipes check our glossary entry here.) As long as there are no major design flaws here, this should provide excellent heat transfer from the core to the fins above.
 "Scythe Andy Core")
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 "Scythe Andy Core")
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The fan used looks like an OEM with a Scythe sticker on it and is held on with a wire clip mechanism.
 "Scythe Andy Samurai Master Fan")
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 "Scythe Andy Core")
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The Andy Samurai Master has several retention methods depending on what socket you are attaching it to. Since I was testing this cooler on a LGA775 board I used the appropriate mounting parts, which in this case were push clips (shudder).
Installation
Installation was a little problematic it was extremely fiddly and I really could have used an extra pair of hands. I struggled to fit the final push clip into the motherboard slot and it took a considerable amount of force to do. The problem with this is that since it takes so much force to push through, you really want to take your motherboard out to attach it in which case you might as well have a custom backplate and screws. The simplicity of a push clip method is undoubted, but when they are as frustrating as this a simple 4 screw job is probably a better bet.
After some fiddling and plier usage, it was in and ready to test.
 "Scythe Andy Running")
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Testing
For testing CPU coolers we take the temperature of the CPU when it is at idle and when it is at full load. We then overclock it and repeat the test to see how effective the cooler is at keeping temperatures down in overclocked conditions.
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Asus P5W DH Deluxe
Sapphire x1900XT @ stock
Antec EarthWatts 500w
Results
Stock: 2.4ghz, 1.325vcore
Overclocked: 3.15ghz, 1.425vcore
All temperatures are in degrees celsius.
Noise
This cooler is whisper quiet. Due to the huge surface area of the heatsink fins the fan can afford to spin at a sedate pace meaning noise is kept to a minimum.
Cost
At £35 the Andy Samurai Master is heading towards the top end of air cooler pricing. Those with shallow pockets may want to avoid this but those with a bit of spare pocket money should find the price is offset by the performance.
Conclusion
The Scythe Andy Samurai Master is a fantastic example of a CPU cooler. It has awesome performance and runs very quietly considering its cooling ability. However, the mounting method for LGA775 boards and the cost may put off potential buyers. If you want a very high end air cooler for your processor and don’t mind wrestling with it for a few minutes during mounting then this cooler could be the one for you but it’s definitely not a budget solution.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great performance | Pretty expensive |
| Very quiet | Annoying mounting method |
I’d like to thank our sponsors QuietPC for providing us with this cooler.
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