Results

Well, it seems that the scythe Zipang is definitely an improvement over the Andy, and at load in both cases, by a fair amount. However, during testing the fins of the Zipang didn’t seem to get warm at all, suggesting the transference from the core to the fins could still be improved upon.

Cost

The Zipang can be had for around £30 at most online retailers. This is about average for a cooler of this size and performance, but it might seem too must for those used to using the “free” stock cooler that came with their CPU.

Noise Levels

In terms of noise levels, the Zipang is anyone’s ideal. It is almost totally silent even with your ear practically touching the blades. This is a great asset to the cooler, but it is achieved simply by keeping the speed of the fan relatively low. I can’t help but feel that it would have been nice to have had a fan controller to allow for low noise levels during normal operation, while being capable of spinning faster for better temperatures if necessary.