Performance
All tests were performed on the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, the top processor from the latest AMD series. Additional components include the Gigabyte B650E Master motherboard, Crucial Pro OC 64GB DDR5-6000 CL36 memory kit, and DeepCool 1300W 80+ Platinum PSU.
The mixed load test is a PCMark 10 pass, which is quite long and simulates various popular applications used daily. The maximum load test is an AIDA64 Stability Test run with CPU+FPU. It causes the maximum heat in calculations based on AVX instructions.
Let’s take a look at the results.
New processors are harder to compare than the older series. The Ryzen 9 7950X is specified to work up to 95°C, and anything above will lower the maximum frequency. It doesn’t mean it will throttle, as the frequency will still exceed what we can see in the general specifications. It will simply perform slightly worse. The comparison shows a maximum temperature of 95°C on all the coolers. However, depending on the test, there is about a 100MHz difference between coolers on specific CPU cores.
The Mugen 6 cooler boosts up to the same 5.75GHz as 360 AIO coolers in the comparison. The DeepCool AK620 WH, a twin-tower cooler, boosts up to 5.65GHz. At the same time, maximum load tests with AVX instructions limit the frequency to about 5.2GHz on the Mugen 6 and AIO coolers, while DeepCool AK620 can’t go above 5.1GHz.
There was no thermal throttling on all listed coolers. The only difference is the average CPU frequency and its maximum boost frequency.
The Mugen 6 performs about 1-3°C worse than the twin tower coolers like the Scythe Fuma 3 or DeepCool ASSASSIN IV. At the same time, it generates less noise than both mentioned coolers. The difference can be clearly heard, especially compared to the DeepCool cooler in automatic settings.
Since the Ryzen 9 7950X doesn’t overclock well at standard voltages, the Mugen 6’s user experience can be compared to AIO liquid coolers. It’s not much louder, while the CPU performs about as well at automatic settings. We must play with manual settings at lowered voltages to see the difference. Then, AIO coolers give slightly better results due to their higher thermal capacity.
Even though AIO coolers have become very popular in the last few years, I’m still more convinced by air cooling solutions. The list of advantages is quite long if we consider a typical gaming computer. Many things are not considered before purchasing, like maintenance or a typical product life cycle. Once you install a cooler like Mugen 6, you can forget about it for five or more years. AIO coolers have a shorter average life and are more challenging to clean.
Scythe Fuma 3 looks slightly better in tests, but Mugen 6 feels like a better cooler overall. I like its single-tower design, fit on every popular motherboard, and quiet running compared to most other coolers on the market. The new version also looks better.
