Scythe Mugen 6 CPU Cooler Review

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

If the Mugen line of CPU coolers is anything, it is a lineup to try many things with, but one fact held, and that is all versions were six-pipe CPU coolers. When introduced, the numerous pipes represented a significant advancement, outperforming HDT four-pipe configurations. However, some were not the most gracious with their appeal. When we first saw the Mugen, thick heat pipe caps and a segmented shiny tower were what was on offer. As time went on, the segmentation was lost, but pipe caps remained large, and variants started emerging, which added some much-needed flavor to a market moving away from the natural look of tower coolers.

Strangely, reminiscent of 80s fashion, we're witnessing a shift away from black and white coolers towards the natural appeal that dominated the scene when we joined TweakTown. Well over a decade has passed since we saw the Mugen 2, our initial foray into this series, and in those sixteen years, Scythe has upped its game to what is now the sixth generation sporting the Mugen name. Just about every aspect of these coolers has changed, and from what we can see, it should be for the better. New fans, a new array, better aesthetics, and the loss of the big chunky pipe caps on top.

On paper, it appears that Scythe took the needed steps to bring the Mugen cooler into current times. New hardware to fit newer sockets, offset design for clearance, and a chunky body should have no problems keeping our new CPU cooler test system under control. With its affordability stacked on top of everything you are about to see in the Mugen 6 from Scythe, you will immediately want to take it home. However, it may not be the market killer you are expecting.

The Mugen 6 we have for this review is the SCMG-6000, but there are other versions with similar model numbers. The inclusion of HPMS V revised the support for the Scythe coolers, which now includes LGA1851, yet still works with 115X and HEDT sockets. AMD users get AM4 and AM5 support. The vanilla version of the Mugen 6 comes exposed to the world, with an array of brushed aluminum fins. The heat pipes and base are made of copper, but are nickel-plated, giving the tower a silver appeal.

The tower and fan measures in at 132mm wide, 154mm tall, and 106mm deep, while weighing in at 1013 grams. There are still six, 6mm diameter, heat pipes, which drive heat from the base into the array of fifty-five fins, topped with a thicker aluminum cover.

The fan sent along with the Mugen 6 is the Wonder Tornado 120mm PWM fan, capable of a maximum of 2000 RPM. The RPM ranges from 300 to 2000 and will top out at 60.20 CFM of airflow with 2.45 mmH2O of pressure. The fan is rated for 120,000 hours, well outlasting its warranty, while spinning on a sealed precision fluid dynamic bearing.

Scythe offers a two-year warranty with all their CPU air coolers, so nothing strange in that respect for the Mugen 6. Upon researching pricing, we found the Mugen 6 listed at the same price on both Amazon and Newegg, matching the MSRP. Both spots show a $46.99 price tag, which is highly affordable in this economy, but does it have what's needed to be a bright shining star in a sky full of competition?

Best Deals: Scythe Mugen 6 CPU Cooler

	Today	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$32.50 USD	$32.50 USD	$46.99 USD	Buy
	$80.54 CAD	$86 CAD	$108.68 CAD	Buy
	£37.66	£38.02	£50.70	Buy
	$32.50 USD	$32.50 USD	$46.99 USD	Buy
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* Prices last scanned 6/13/2026 at 12:28 pm CDT - prices may be inaccurate. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We earn affiliate commission from any Newegg or PCCG sales.

Packaging

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The Mugen 6 is shipped in a clean-looking, high-contrast packaging, using dark green and white for the backdrop. The Scythe name and logo are at the top, the Mugen 6 is in the center, with a mention of the included Wonder Tornado fan.

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The right panel is green, using white renderings of the cooler to show dimensions of the components from various angles. Across the bottom, we see the HPMS V mounting system and a frontal and profile shot of the tower.

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The back starts with many colors highlighting the six features above the specifications chart. The fine print mentions fan speeds may vary based on PWM, which may need to be reconfigured to match specs.

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The remaining panel returns to green, but this time the warranty terms and length are covered in a few languages. The lower half is used for legal information, website addresses, part numbers, and serial numbers.

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Once unboxed, the tower is shipped in a full foam surround, which protects it as much as possible, with the fan and hardware resting above it. Fin spacing may need some adjustments, but the internal packaging does a fine job of getting our Mugen 6 to us in great shape.

Scythe Mugen 6 CPU Cooler

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From the front, the Mugen 6 is a silver tower from top to bottom. With a thick cover at the top, screwed into some of the fifty-five fins below, it cleans up the appearance. Below the array, we can see that the pipes are offset to distribute heat better and take advantage of airflow.

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The side view shows its offset design, allowing for RAM clearance at the front of the tower, shifting things towards the rear I/O, where we get a notch in the lower part of the tower for HEDT compatibility.

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When we looked straight into the tower, we lost some of the shape, which we can now see much better. In the center, the fins are angled to make elongated hexagons, and we can also see that the edges are taller, allowing room for the fan to build steam before air flows through this array.

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Not only can we see the grooves at the front and back edges that hold the wire fan clips, but we can also see that no pipe is aligned with another. But we have a better picture to explain that.

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This is that image, where we can see all the pipes with the fins press fit onto them. The arrangement places each pipe in a clean section of airflow, with closer spacing at the front and angled outward, allowing each to perform at its best.

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The base of the cooler is a slice of copper at the bottom, with a much thicker hunk of aluminum above it, both of which are nickel-plated. Above, both feature a crossbar mounting system that is screwed into the base in the middle, utilizing spring-loaded screws to secure the tower.

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The mating surface is finely machined in a circular pattern, leaving the center slightly higher than the edges for added pressure to the IHS when mounted. There are some minor scratches on the surface, and we see some bubbles from the sticker, but nothing that can't be wiped off with some cleaner.

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Our last picture is of the top, where all remnants of the heat pipes have been covered with a thicker piece of aluminum. We have four smaller caps used to cover the screws, and an embossed Scythe logo, just below the mounting access hole that runs through all the fins to access the screw.

Accessories and Documentation

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These seven parts are the larger bits of the HPMS V mounting system. On the left are AMD brackets, then the Intel mainstream backplate. Next is a pair of universal Intel brackets, and the next set is specific for LGA1700 users.

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Other bits to the HPMS V include four black plastic spacers with rubber washers on them for AMD users. There is a set of four HEDT Intel standoffs, knurled nuts for all bracketry, and a set of thumbscrews for AMD users.

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Digging a bit deeper into the bag of goodies, we also found a screwdriver for installation, a spatula, Scythe thermal grease, and four wire fan clips.

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Between the cooler and the hardware was a fan, which, as we can see, is proudly named the Wonder Tornado. The nine scythe-shaped blades will spin up to 2000 RPM inside the black frame. Dimensionally, this fan is 26mm thick, thanks to the dense rubber isolation pads on the corners, which keep noise to a minimum.

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The instructions unfolded into a single sheet printed on both sides. The front provides all the necessary information to get started, followed by Intel HEDT instructions. Next are mainstream Intel, then AMD, but in all instances, in ten steps or less, your Mugen 6 will be up and running.

Installation and Finished Product

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As instructed, we removed the factory goodies from above the motherboard and grabbed the bits needed from the HMPS V components. Taking the thumbscrews and sliding them through the holes in the brackets, and then sliding the spacers onto the screws, loosely keeps everything together to secure them to the motherboard with one hand holding the bits while you screw them down with the other.

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After applying paste, we set the tower onto the brackets, aligning the screws on the crossbar, and alternating between them until all threads are used. The supplied screwdriver works for the open front screw, but is also long enough to fit down through the cooler and get to the hidden screw at the back.

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The offset design allows us to lower the fan and keep the overall height the same, while covering the bulk of the array with those blades. The tower is skinnier than some, making fan removal and installation easier, even if the first PCI-e slot is populated.

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Even if you own four sticks with the tallest heat spreaders known to humanity, the Scythe Mugen 6 stays well clear of the DIMM slots. The offset is so deep that there is a fair amount of room, over 5mm, where the fan could still draw air when blocked by RAM or a RAM fan.

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Although access to both of our 8-pin EPS plugs is somewhat limited by the tower's depth, adequately preparing them for connection before installation simplifies the process. Adding a second fan is possible, but the rear I/O cover may increase the overall tower height because it blocks the fan from sitting lower.

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With everything up and running, we can now test the Mugen 6. From this view, it's clear that it's a plain Jane tower. A lot of brushed aluminum to look at, with nothing but the black fan hanging off the front to play against it as its style.

Test System Setup, Thermal Tests, and Noise Results

Chad's CPU Cooler Test System Specifications

To see our testing methodology and to find out what goes into making our charts, please refer to our 2025 CPU Cooler Testing and Methodology article for more information.

Thermal Results

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At idle, we found the Wonder Tornado to be spinning at 809 RPM to give us this 43.1°C result. Right on the heels of the Pure Rock Pro 3 Black, the Mugen 6 starts on the right foot.

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The Wonder Tornado, still controlled via PWM, topped out at 1431 RPM with the CPU loaded with AIDA64 CPU stress testing. Even with nearly three-quarters of the fan's potential at play, the Mugen 6 lands dead last in this chart at 72.9°C.

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The maximum temperature shown in the sensors indicates that the Mugen 6 ties with the others at 75°C, which is a bit of a surprise, as we had assumed it would be hotter, given its average loaded thermal results above.

CPU Speed

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Although the gap between the best and worst options is not significant at this point, the Mugen 6 falls behind in terms of average CPU speed, placing it in last place once again. We are dealing with a 22 MHz gap, but it adds another perspective to your buying choices.

VRM Thermal Results

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We installed the fan as shown, level with the top of the tower. Although the tower seemed slightly starved for airflow, our VRM was also undersupplied. Typically, we see a bit of difference here or there, but at 58.1°C, we are two degrees warmer than the next in line, and nearly six degrees warmer than the best.

Fan Speed and Noise Levels

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We opt for PWM control for the fans during testing, and the Wonder Tornado topped out at 1431 RPM for us, which is the fastest fan speed we have in the charts, yet it did not seem to help the Mugen 6 when it came to previous results.

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We understand that the primary goal was to create a relatively quiet CPU cooler, and the 34 dB rating confirms this. While we do see room to have an increased PWM profile to lower thermals, Scythe opts for what we have seen this far instead.

Final Thoughts

On one side of the fence, we have a cooler that reminds us of old school designs from the past, and it even comes with a price point from that era, at under $50. The nickel-plating dresses things up while adding an anti-corrosion barrier, easy-to-use EPMS V hardware, and the fact that it takes minimal effort to get up and running with the Mugen 6 in a few minutes are huge selling features. Compatibility with newer sockets while retaining older ones increases the audience. Its Zero Interference Design is everything it is cracked up to be, keeping mainstream socket users well away from issues. HEDT users get a notch for the other RAM channel, which could limit RAM height, but without a second fan, it is much less of a concern.

While everything looks peachy from the outside looking in, when we start to see what the cooler is capable of, our hearts sank a bit. We understand that the metric is typically that you spend more money and you get better products; however, the Scythe model has been delivering better than average coolers without all the investment associated with many others. In that vein, we think they may have dropped the ball. Don't get us wrong, it is a fair cooler at a decent price, but it just isn't what we expected.

We honestly thought Scythe had this, especially when you redesign a well-known tower and then strap something called the Wonder Tornado to it. While we were having fun here, it might have been more aptly named the Nonchalant Placidity, as we barely heard it, and it didn't generate enough airflow or pressure. While the Mugen 6 is priced right for today's market, its lack of standout performance, combined with the absence of anything special to distinguish it from other coolers, has us considering it in special situations. Still, it is not something that will take care of everyone's needs, hands down.