Scythe Fuma 2 CPU Air Cooler, Intel LGA1151, AMD AM4/Ryzen, 120mm Dual Towers, Black Top Cover

I've owned a Noctua D15 (dual fan version) for awhile now and when I finally saw that Scythe released a version 2 of the fuma I was curious and decided to get it and test it out. It's been years since I last used a Scythe cooler. Before installing the Fuma 2 I ran a thermal benchmark using an absolute worst case unrealistic, brutal load and for that, Prime95 AVX with "Small FFTs" option was the obvious choice. My processor is a Intel I9 9900K with a P1 TDP manually set to 140 watts and a P2 of 175 Watts manually set in the bios. For monitoring I used HWINFO64 and let the test run for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes these where the results:Noctua D15 (dual fan version):Core Max temp: 79CCPU Package temp: 77CMotherboard CPU temp: 67CAfter installing the Fuma 2 I ran the same benchmark again with the Fuma 2 stock configuration which is having the 15MM slim fan in the front as intake with the 25MM in the center for pull. Here are the results after 20 minutes:Fuma 2 (stock config):Core Max temp: 82CCPU Package temp: 80CMotherboard CPU temp: 70CSo the difference between a stock config D15 dual fan version and a stock config Fuma 2 is about 3 - 4C. Which falls in line with the difference between a D15 dual fan version and a D15S with its single fan. That's actually incredibly impressive for the Fuma 2 matching a D15S considering it has a lower surface area heatsink compared to the D15/D15S.The D15 heatsink without fans is:160MM height150MM width135MM depthWhile the Fuma 2 without fans is:154MM height130MM width131MM depthAnd its even more impressive that it was only 3 - 4C difference compared to the D15 dual fan version considering the D15 has more surface area along with bigger, stronger fans compared to the Fuma 2. The Fuma 2 fans only offer 0.9 (15mm) and 1.05 (25mm) mmH2O static pressure vs the 1.5 mmH2O of the Noctua NF-A15 PWM fans. That means the Fuma 2 heatsink is incredibly efficient at removing heat.So after initial testing I decided to see how much better the heatsink would be if I swapped the front 15MM fan with a full size 25MM fan. Since I have an extra Noctua NF-A12x25 from my previous project I had as shown in an older pic attached to this review to show my previous D15, I opted to use it. The A12 has a static pressure rating of 2.34 mmH2O so its a nice increase over the 15MM 0.9 mmH2O. I was really curious to see how well it performs with just one on the Fuma 2 because in the past I tried two of the A12's on my D15 and it barely a made difference. Only a 1-2C drop. After another 20 minute test these were the results:Fuma 2 (A12 push, Kaze Flex 25mm pull):Core Max temp: 78CCPU Package temp: 76CMotherboard CPU temp: 65CSo with a simple swap of the front 15MM fan with the A12 I saw a nice 3 - 4C drop across the board. Just slightly 1C lower than the D15. So close its within margin of error. This really shows the Fuma 2 actually benefits from having stronger static pressure fans vs the D15. The heat fin system Scythe has going on really does work and isn't a gimmick. So I had another idea to see how well I can push it and decided to take advantage of the extra fan clips Scythe includes by mounting the 15MM fan on the back of the heatsink for a triple fan setup. These were my results:Fuma 2 (Triple fan):Core Max temp: 75CCPU Package temp: 75CMotherboard CPU temp: 63CPretty impressive but for my daily driving I decided to just keep the dual fan config with the A12 in the front and the Kaze Flex 25mm in the center. It's a much cleaner look.In terms of build quality the Fuma 2 is identical to Noctua. High quality materials, nickleplated copper, 6 heatpipes, amazing heat fin innovation that really does help increase static pressure, and a mounting system nearly identical to Noctua's. I actually prefer Scythes clone of Noctua's mounting system because its mounting hardware feels more durable than Noctua's. Its pressure bar is a lot thicker and heavier and the mounting bar system is thicker and heavier as well. I also like how Scythe added rubber padding underneath the mounting spacers. Noctua doesn't do this so you just have bare, hard plastic pushing against the PCB while the Scythe has the nice rubber to prevent any chance of causing scrapes or scratches against the motherboards PCB. Scythe also includes a much nicer screw driver as well. Its nearly identical to the nice one BeQuiet ships with its coolers. An actual, fully function screw driver.In terms of "defects" I didn't notice any with my Fuma 2. Nothing was bent. Nothing has dents, chips, "black stuff" or anything like that. I know one user here left a review complaining of having a bent heat fin and "black" stuff left over from the Nickle plating process, but mine didn't come like that. Funny thing is, he praised Noctua for "not having that" while my very own D15 actually has that same black stuff on the side of its base plate that was left over from the Nickle plating process, came with bent fins that I could never bent back perfectly, and "chips" on its base plate. Which is nothing major and that's the purpose of thermal paste. To fill in those imperfections. I never dinged that against Noctua because that stuff is normal. None of it affects thermal performance. My $80 Morpheus GPU cooler I have sitting next to me on my desk in its box has the same problems as my D15. Even my ancient Noctua D14 came with bent heat fins and even its heatpipes where bent enough to push the forward heatsink inwards a bit.Overall I'm extremely impressed and happy with the Fuma 2. It has officially replaced my old D15 for me. It's more compact by being smaller, weighs less, doesn't block the first PCI-Express slot, has excellent ram clearance, identical build quality to Noctua, and looks great. Scythe did a fantastic job with it. For $60 you cannot beat this cooler. Stock configuration it competes with a D15S in performance but for $25-$30 less and comes within the ballpark of a D15 dual fan version for $25-$30 less as well. If you have any spare 120x25MM fans laying around and don't populate all 4 ram slots you can replace the 15MM fan with that spare and get practically identical D15 dual fan version performance but for far less. As of right now, I cannot recommend the D15 anymore. The Fuma 2 is the way the go.

This cooler works very well. I have an Ubuntu server running in a Rosewill server case with an Intel i7 processor. Very processor and memory intensive applications run 24/7. My previous cpu cooler was not up to the task and the server would overheat and crash from time to time. This cooler keeps things running well below operating heat specs. Just be aware that this thing is pretty huge and may not fit in all cases.

For complete transparency, I ordered this CPU cooler twice, after a porch pirate stole the first one while I was at work. So shoutout to Amazon for helping me get another cooler to replace the stolen one.*So ya probably wondering what that asterisk on this review's headline is for. Simple: I am NOT a computer expert. I am not constantly finding the ins and outs of how to build the next super computer for our future robot overlords. I'm just a gamer/video editor who Google'd "How to build a PC on a budget" one day and eventually came here. If you're looking for the right cooler for your PC build, take what I say with a grain of salt and do your own research like I did. That being said, I bought this fan half a year ago on a budget and wanted to test it out before I wrote this review. My PC specs are as followed:Motherboard: ROG Strix Gaming B550-FCPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X.Cooling: Scythe Fuma 2 + two additional 120mm fans in the PC case.RAM: 32 GBGPU: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XTHere are my findings:APPEARANCE: This is definitely one of the better looking CPU fans on the market. A nice sleek design with the company's logo etched into the fans and top of the radiators, with various what look like rivets on top to give it even more of an edgy look. A very cool (no pun intended) design that doesn't stand out. One obvious lack of a feature is the RGB. If that's what you care about, stay away. If you do not (like me) then this is a bonus.NOISE: This cooler, despite having two fans attached to it, is surprisingly quiet. I stream and record videos as a hobby and the old CPU fans I used could be picked up on my mic, despite placing my Pcs in various locations. It was annoying. With this cooler, no longer a problem. Its not completely quiet, if ya listen hard enough you'll hear it easily but its so minimal so who cares...if you're a casual PC user. If you are someone who overclocks your PC (we'll get more into that later), ya gonna need this fan to pick up speed, and that's where the sound goes from an afterthought to noticeable, and it's still not as bad as my old CPU coolers running on minimal speeds.PERFORMANCE: Ok now for what's really important: Does it work? Short answer: Yes. Long answer: If you are someone who does not overclock your PC, this fan works wonders. Ive tested its performance by leaving my PC on for a while, casually watching videos, playing video games ranging from League of Legends to Apex Legends, using various programs for times ranging from a few hrs to all nighters and I can feel the fan constantly blowing cold air out of my PC. That part I was never worried about. Overclocking is a slightly different story. From an eye and feel test, I can tell it does the job well. I looked up some actual specs and while the Fuma 2 does keep an overclocking CPU in a reasonable safe zone, ya gotta remember we are talking about overclocking here. You are pushing your CPU beyond its normal limits and you run the risk of permanent damage to your PC if your cooler isn't up to the task. Sometimes reasonable isn't good enough. Now the Scythe Fuma 2 is build so you can add a 3rd fan to help out at the cost of noise, so it does have flexibility. However if you're willing to spend extra on a fan, ya might as well save up for a higher end CPU cooler. But on its own, it gets the job done and that added flexibility of a 3rd fan can still be useful down the road if ya don't need it upon initial buying but don't want to spend extra on a new cooler.Side note: I bought the Scythe Fuma 2 around late October and I live in the Southwest United States. I have yet to see how this CPU will perform with the summer heat. That will be the true test. I will update this review around October for the results.VERDICT: I categorize the Scythe Fuma 2 CPU Cooler as a mid-tier option with a lot of upside. Its miles ahead of any low-tier options but not quite as high as the more higher-end fans out there like Noctua or any custom water cooling system. That being said, if you look up the specs, it does occasionally rub shoulders with the big boys so on paper, its a great CPU cooler and personal experience so far can back that up as well. And at $60 USD (at this time) that is an insane value!If you are on a budget for building a PC for gaming, editing, drawing, etc. but you know how important a good CPU cooler is for what you are gonna do, the Scythe Fuma 2 is an absolute steal, with its performance, noise and flexibility! I highly recommend it!

I upgraded from a Ryzen 5 to a Ryzen 9, and didn't realize just how badly I needed extra cooling. This thing is a beast, and keeps my CPU in the 60's when running high performance games even. Good stuff!

Thermals are great, installation was easy, and the included screwdriver is amazing! It's magnetic, long, has a good grip, and it's all plastic, so not one of those rubbery ones that get all funky after a few months. I'd get it just for the screwdriver tbh.

Installing this beast of a cooler should be the final step of your build unless you want to spend time taking it on and off to get at the other parts of your motherboard. That part is not as optimal as I had hoped.Everything else about this cooler is simply amazing. My past few rigs usually kept the CPU around 80C but this one consisitently keeps my processor around 50C. Some other coolers at the market won't even let you fit RAM onto the board but this one allows you to use all 4 RAM slots, which is appreciated.I hated this thing while assembling my PC but now that it's all built and the case is screwed shut, the Fuma 3 is rather nice.