SilverStone Raven RV05 Case Review
by E. Fylladitakis on December 24, 2014 10:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- SilverStone
- Case
Introduction
SilverStone is a company known for their atypical, sometimes even strange case designs. The ML04 and ML05 that we reviewed several months ago are a good example, but the company offers dozens of small form factor and unique enclosures, each designed with specific applications in mind. Their designs often bend (or even entirely neglect) the ATX design guide rules. The cases of the Raven series are another example as well, with the 90° rotated motherboard design. We hosted reviews of the first Raven (RV01), the RV03 and the RV04 during the past years.
With the exception of the RV04, which does not share the 90° design, the cases of the Raven series were somewhat bulky and excessively long – features that did not make them very popular among users. In response to that, SilverStone has released the RV05, the most compact case of the Raven series to date. Despite the reduced dimensions of the case, SilverStone boasts that it retains outstanding thermal performance and usability. We will provide an in-depth look at the Raven RV05 in this review.
| SilverStone Raven RV05 Specifications | ||
| Motherboard Form Factor | ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX | |
| Drive Bays | External | 1 x Slim Slot Loading |
| Internal | 2 x 3.5" (front drive cage) 2 x 2.5" (rear of motherboard tray) |
|
| Cooling | Front | - |
| Rear | - | |
| Top | 1 x 120 mm (optional) | |
| Left Side | - | |
| Bottom | 2 x 180 (included) | |
| Radiator Support | Front | - |
| Rear | - | |
| Top | - | |
| Side | - | |
| Bottom | 240 mm / 280 mm | |
| I/O Port | 2x USB 3.0, 1x Headphone, 1x Mic | |
| Power Supply Size | ATX | |
| Clearances | HSF | 160 mm |
| PSU | 170 mm | |
| GPU | 310 mm | |
| Dimensions | 529 mm × 242 mm × 498 mm (H×W×D) 20.83 in × 9.53 in × 19.6 in (H×W×D) |
|
| Prominent Features | Signature RAVEN styling touches Revolutionary 90 degree motherboard mounting from RAVEN RV01 Breakthrough 5.25 inch bay-free design for unprecedented power to size ratio Two Air Penetrator fans included for great performance and quietness Positive air pressure design for excellent cooling/quietness and dust-prevention Quick-release latch for fast side panel removal Front access to main filter for easy maintenance Support for various liquid cooling radiator sizes |
|
| Price | $117 Including Shipping ($107 after rebate) $115 for non-windowed version |
|
Packaging and Bundle
We received the Raven RV05 in a colorful, sturdy cardboard box. The artwork is very aggressive and a bit chaotic, with pictures of the case mixed with the shadow of a raven and numerous abstract shapes. The lightweight case is very well protected inside the box, with thick Styrofoam slabs ensuring its safety during shipping.
SilverStone supplies only the hardware essential for the installation of the components, a few simple cable ties, and a 120mm fan filter. There also is a very well written manual, but there are no extras such as cable straps or decorative stickers.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
29 Comments
View All Comments
Blaid - Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - link
Thanks for posting a review of a unique case on Christmas Eve. A nice read for those of us sitting at help desks nation wide.Tikcus9666 - Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - link
+1Flunk - Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - link
That's rough, I used to have to do that. Take heart, at some point you'll not be the entry-level help desk guy any more and you won't have to work Christmas Eve.gopher1369 - Thursday, December 25, 2014 - link
I personally can't wait until I'm 3rd line support and am on call 24/7 including Christmas Day, that will be a huge improvement!lavaheadache - Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - link
gotta love that you used a GTX 295 in the build. An oldie but a goodieromrunning - Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - link
"With the exception of the RV04, which does not share the 90° design, the cases of the Raven series were somewhat bulky and excessively long – features that did not make them very popular among users."The RVZ01 Raven is a mini-ITX case - perhaps you can review that one as it definitely isn't bulky or excessively long.
wiz329 - Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - link
Glad to see a new case review, it's been awhile!lorribot - Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - link
Bottom up cooling is a sensible way to go, however current motherboard ATX and mATX siz and shape limits things, ITX would be a better way to go but you are limited by number of graphics cards they extra cost of the MoBos themselves (why do we still pay more for less?), perhaps this is why Apple design their own MoBos and why they can do things like the the Mac Pro.SHuttle used to do thier own MoBos in their cases, I am sure they would be a market for an inovative case manufacturer or boutique PC company (or even Alienware with Dell backing) to come up with a truly unique design with a nonstandard mobo.
Or a mobo manufacturer to come up with split MoBo (say CPU/RAM and PCI-x/SATA/USB) that could be used in more inovative case designs.
It just needs someone with some vision and who can think out of the box.
JarredWalton - Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - link
Sadly, long-term reliability of Shuttle cases was highly suspect in my experience. I reviewed probably a dozen or so of their SFFs in the 2004-2006 time frame, and nearly every one ended up dead within two years. Which isn't to say other companies were better with those early proprietary SFFs -- I think every option basically was questionable. Biostar, MSI, Shuttle, Foxconn... they all often failed within a year or two (sometimes even less). That was the problem with CPUs using so much power, and we've improved a lot since then plus manufacturing tends to be better. What's crazy is that our modern ITX designs aren't really any less expensive than the old proprietary stuff. :'(Zimeon - Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - link
What the hell is that coca-cola can doing in the picture? *sigh* But nice case review none the less.