Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Alliance CPU Cooler Review
The Scythe Mugen 5 SCMG-5100TUF
An RGB-Enabled Cooler in the TUF Gaming Alliance
We’ve looked at the Mugen 5 from Scythe in the past, but this new version has some significant differences. This new model (SCMG-5100TUF) is part of the ASUS TUF Gaming Alliance. And what is this alliance, exactly? ASUS explains:
TUF Gaming Alliance is the marque of collaboration between ASUS and major PC-component manufacturers, including trusted brands like Antec, Apacer, Ballistix, Cooler Master, Corsair, Deepcool, Enermax, G.Skill, GeIL, ID-COOLING, In Win, Scythe, SilverStone, T-FORCE, and XPG.
A growing range of compliant parts, from PC cases and power supplies to CPU coolers and DRAM, guarantee both compatibility and aesthetic harmony. We’re also continually increasing our partnerships to make the TUF Gaming Alliance ever stronger, and require that components carrying the marque are tested to standards that are higher than the industry standards — for better compatibility, stability and durability.
Product Specifications
- Model Number: SCMG-5100TUF
- Socket Support:
- Intel LGA 775 / 115x / 1366 / 2011(V3) / 2066
- AMD AM2(+) / AM3(+) / AM4 / FM1 / FM2(+)
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 136 x 110.5 x 157.5 mm
- Fan Size: 120 x 120 x 27 mm
- Heatpipes: Ø6mm x 6
- Fan Speed: 300±200～1200 RPM±10%
- Air Flow: 16.6～51.17 CFM
- Statics: 0.0762～1.05 mmH2O / 0.75～10.3 Pa
- Noise: 4.0～24.9 dBA
- Weight(Fan included): 950g
Pricing
Manufacturer Description
“Outstanding performance with overclocking potential, high efficiency and a sophisticated heatsink design are just three of the many benefits of the Scythe Mugen series. The Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Alliance offers all these benefits, combining them with the familiar design of the TUF Gaming Alliance and exclusive RGB lighting.
The eye-catching top cover, adorned with the unique pattern and logo of the TUF Gaming Alliance series from ASUS™, and a translucent surface with adjustable RGB LEDs make a clear, visual statement. A 120 mm Kaze Flex RGB LED fan with matching yellow decouplers completes the overall picture. The lighting can be controlled via Asus Aura Sync or similar software.”
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Box
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Contents
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Accessories
Design
The Mugen 5 TUF’s heatsink is just under 160 mm (157.5 mm to be exact) and is slightly offset to the rear – away from the RAM. This asymmetrical design, along with good vertical clearance, allows the cooler to be free of any RAM or motherboard obstruction.
The heatsink features six copper heat pipes and a copper base plate, all of which are nickel coated as we would expect from a cooler in this price range. What is not common is the top panel of the heatsink, which contains RGB lighting that, along with the fan, syncs with your motherboard.
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Heatsink 1
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Base
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Heatsink 3
The included Kaze Flex 120 RGB PWM Fan (model SU1225FD12TUFR-CHP) offers RGB effects that can be synced with the RGBs on top of the cooler via an available motherboard header. Its yellow corners follow the TUF Gaming aesthetic while providing protection against vibration regardless of installed direction.
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Fan 1
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Fan 2
Installation
The Mugen 5 TUF is attached using Scythe’s H.P.M.S. III mounting system, and there is support for most modern sockets in the box. For our purposes we just need an Intel LGA1151 mount, and this is the familiar mix of metal bottom plate, with standoffs topped by metal brackets around the CPU socket.
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Mounting 1
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Mounting 2
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Screwdriver
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Installed 3
Scythe Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Installed 2
The heatsink’s asymmetrical design offers no obstruction to the mounting screw on the RAM side, and the opposite side ends up being just as easy since there is an opening through the heatsink fins. The included screwdriver makes the process painless, and in no time the cooler was mounted.
The Mugen 5 TUF’s design offers no clearance issues for RAM or VRMs, and I had no complaints about the install process or finished result.
Performance
With the cooler installed it was time to see how it performed.
| PC Perspective CPU Cooler Test Platform | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-7700K |
| Motherboard | GIGABYTE H270 GAMING 3 |
| Memory | CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX 16GB (8GBx2) DDR4-2800 |
| Graphics Card | Integrated |
| Storage | CORSAIR Neutron XTi 480GB SSD |
| Power Supply | Seasonic PRIME Titanium Fanless 600W |
| Operating System | Windows 10 64-bit |
Temps
For this review we compared the Mugen 5 TUF against recently tested single-tower coolers in the $30 – $60 range, including the ever-popular Hyper 212 EVO.
As you can see from the above chart the Mugen 5 TUF fares quite well under full load, falling just short of the Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition (but only by half a degree).
Noise
And now we look at noise levels with the Mugen 5 TUF.
Conclusion
While not everyone will be on board with the fan’s yellow corners or even with RGB lighting, if you have an ASUS TUF motherboard this Scythe cooler will match perfectly. Part of the TUF Gaming Alliance, this new version of the Mugen 5 offers more than just a way to match your board and sync RGB lights, as it also offers very good performance.
We observed good thermal performance, though you can find coolers for less that offer lower temps – but more than likely with higher noise levels. Noise output is a strong suit of Scythe coolers in general, and this Mugen 5 TUF Gaming Alliance cooler was no exception. The similarly-priced be quiet! Dark Rock Slim performs a little better in this area, but the Mugen 5 TUF is far more quiet than popular coolers such as the Hyper 212 EVO or the improved Hyper 212 Black Edition I compared it to.
Bottom line, if you like the looks of this cooler and its RGB capabilities then it’s a solid option with good thermals and even better noise levels.
The gaming/ military branding makes it a lot less attractive.
Hi Sebastian, great pictures – as usual – but I think mid 2019 the 7700K isn’t really pushing the cooler sufficiently for an enthusiast to draw useful conclusions. Even under fairly conservative overclocks i7s and i9s can easily go beyond 200W under AVX workloads. Switch to something hotter while your selection of parts is still fairly limited? 8700K idle / load / OC load? Also, what does “full load” mean?
Of course being on the newest stuff is possible, haven’t moved past the 7700K yet mainly because it’s such a hot CPU that it makes a great thermal test. No, it’s not pulling the most wattage, but this thing will hit 100C at stock speeds with a weak cooler.
And I should explain “full load” in the review. It’s all cores/threads 100% with the highest package temp recorded during the x264 benchmark. In the past I used prime95 small FFT stress for “load” temps and later for “stress” temps, but it’s such an unrealistic scenario I gave it up. Something like Cinebench also makes a solid load temp test, but it’s short so I’d cycle through a couple of times and take the highest temp.
Hello, i have a little question about the rgb from the top of the heatsink. What header do you need? A cpu fan, 4-pin rgb, or 3-pin rgb?
The specs say it is a RGB PWM fan so four, the pictures on Amazon seem to show a three pin is available as well in the kit.