The Scythe Mugen 5 has the baseplate mount pre-assembled, but this requires the heatsink to be mounted without the fan. The pre-assembled mounting bar makes installation much simpler, while spring-loaded screws prevent uneven pressure distribution, if you pay attention when screwing down. The fan clips slot into a groove on each side of the heatsink, making for a good and easy fit.
The six heatpipes are each 6mm thick and dominate the baseplate area. They are also spread across the width of the heatsink, allowing for a more evenly distributed heat dissipation. The Scythe Mugen 5 uses Scythe’s H.P.M.S. II (Hyper Precision Mounting System II), the second generation of the Hyper Precision Mounting System, designed with several small improvements benefiting the user friendliness, it’s claimed.
Installation
Below is an image of the heatsink installed without the fan. There is plenty of RAM clearance in this side, and it’s the same on the other side too.
It is a little fiddly to remove the fan and replace when mounting, but if you are working on an open chassis, it’s not really an issue. We suspect the biggest issue will be the height of the cooler, rather than the RAM clearance or assembly. The Mugen 5 heatpipes are slightly sloped backwards so that the heatsink is not centered above the baseplate, but slightly offset. This asymmetrical design allows unrestricted access to the memory slots, again, another claim, but it looks like it works well.
Scythe Mugen 5 SCMG-5000 CPU Cooler Review
Package - 8
Performance - 9
Price - 8
Consumer Experience - 8.5
8.4
It's no surprise that we like the Scythe Mugen 5 SCMG-5000 CPU Cooler, we like Scythe in general. The Mugen 5 is a very capable cooler, especially in overclocked conditions, and enthusiasts dream. It's also very quiet, and well put together. If you want to add more cooling, you can add a second fan and try for better overclocks. With that said, you can easily go the other way if you want some very quiet and good cooling.