Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
If you have seen my previous reviews, you will notice I have always been a fan of very conservative looking cases. This includes the Fractal Design Define R4 and Lian Li PC-B12. The most "aggressive" case I have used in my main build is the SilverStone Temjin TJ04-E, which, by all means and metrics, is still a very simple design. As I write this review from my latest build, the SilverStone Raven RV05 has taken the job of being the chassis for my main computer. At first glance, the Raven RV05 really has a prominent raven-look overtone, making it worthy of its name. This black colored mid-tower is created with a series of very unique creases and angled cutoffs to create a strong sense of the animal, all without the Halloween aspect of it. This all begins with the fixed plastic front cover, as shown in our photo above. A series of intersecting lines is interrupted by a V-shaped white power LED strip in the middle, which flashes red in the center to indicate hard drive activity during use. This theme is effectively carried through to the removal mesh top cover and aggressively tilted side supports, which you can see in the upcoming photos. Overall, I think SilverStone has done an excellent job in carefully designing a case that balances between something exciting to look at; at the same time, still remains very clean at the core. In other words, the Raven RV05 is no doubt a departure from the norm, but far from being obnoxious like some designs I have seen in the past. If I need to find a textbook example of a computer chassis design done right, the Raven RV05 will be a very good example.
Our review unit of the SilverStone Raven RV05 is the windowed version. You can buy one without a window. In the photo above, you can see a reasonably sized, clean, and unadulterated acrylic panel that provides an unobstructed view of your computer's interior. A larger window would have been nice, but this one gives you a decent enough view to your fancy components. Either way, as long as there are no unnecessary fans or features on the panel, I am happy. The SilverStone Raven RV05 is a fine example of a case with a windowed side panel done right. Awesome.
According to SilverStone's measurements, the Raven RV05 comes in at 242mm in width, 529mm in height, and 498mm in depth. These dimensions are about right for an ATX computer case, but it is significantly smaller than the RV03, which is the last Raven with a rotated motherboard design. Why? Because, like a number of recently released cases, the RV05 has no 5.25" drive bays at all. It does have a slim slot-loading optical drive slot in front, but frankly, I bet most people probably will not bother installing anything there anyway. I cannot recall the last time I used any optical discs, so maybe it is a good time to move on, haha. The latest Raven tips the scales at approximately 15.2 pounds, which is pretty light for something of this size. These figures should not come as a surprise, because the RV05 is constructed out of mainly plastic for the outer body shell, and steel for the inner frame.
The front panel connectors are placed on top of the Raven RV05, and is normally hidden by a SilverStone branded rubber cover. It is accessible whether your computer is on the floor or on the table, which is something I have definitely grown to appreciate. The front panel connector layout is also symmetrical, as you can see in our photo above. Starting from the left, we have a USB 3.0 port, 3.5mm microphone, 3.5mm headphone, and another USB 3.0 port. It would have been nice if we have a few extra USB ports, even if it was USB 2.0, but this is really not a big deal. The power button and reset button are nicely integrated on the left and right side, respectively.
Behind the front panel connectors is the top mesh opening. Again, the mesh pattern and angled lines are designed to convey the raven theme, which I think SilverStone has done a very good job in doing so. The top cover is removable by a quick tug at the back. Because the Raven RV05 features the same ninety degree rotated motherboard tray like the Raven RV03, the top is where the back is in a traditional sense, so you will need to remove the top cover to connect your peripherals to your computer. I will talk more about this in just a moment.
Painted black to match the rest of the chassis, the back of SilverStone's Raven RV05 is certainly not your traditional mid-tower. Normally, I will talk about how the rear layout is pretty much standard for a case with a bottom mounted power supply bay in this section, but this is certainly not the case here; no pun intended. As aforementioned, the motherboard is rotated ninety degrees, so when the top became the back, the back now became the bottom. Therefore, all you will get here is a mesh opening for your power supply intake fan. If you are worried about dust, the company kindly includes a washable, magnetic frame filter to stick on during operation. From my experience, it works pretty well, and because it is magnetic, you can easily remove it for cleaning at your convenience. The large opening at the top is used for feeding your cables through to connect to your motherboard, which is the same as what we have first seen on the RV03 here at APH Networks.
Although the SilverStone Raven RV05 appears to have a forward incline in the photos, the base is actually not tilted -- this impression is purely a visual technique given by the wider rear legs, slanted top, and the design of the perimeter panels. The motherboard tray and its corresponding components, however, are actually tilted forward by about three degrees from my measurements.
The SilverStone Raven RV05 is raised off the floor by two integrated tracks running longitudinal to the chassis' orientation. In order to improve airflow, its four legs bevel out from the rails, along with rubber gripping pads to allow it to stick to the surface it resides on. They are flat and wide, making the mid-tower stand up in a very sturdy fashion. The RV05's total rise off the surface is just under 3cm. Two 180mm Air Penetrator AP181 fans are pre-installed from out of the box at the bottom, with an externally mounted fan filter that extends through the entire base. If you do not like the stock AP181 fans, you can replace it with three 120mm or two 140mm fans of your choice. The filter slides out the front for easy cleaning. Even though no one really looks at the bottom of the case, SilverStone designed the bottom mesh opening to have the exact same pattern as the top. This is the kind of detail I definitely appreciate.
Here is a shot at the top of the SilverStone Raven RV05, with the top panel removed. This corresponds to the back of a standard ATX chassis, and it is pretty much standard for a case with a "bottom" mounted power supply bay -- except, in the case of the RV05, this becomes the top rear. It comes with a few extra vents here and there for maximum ventilation. There are seven expansion slots. Near the front of the case are two fan control switches; one for each AP181 fan at the bottom of the SilverStone Raven RV05. You can set them to run at low, medium, or high. Two bars brace the left and right together, which acts as a guide for the top panel, and allows it to lock on via the back. Both side panels can be removed tool-free by a latch accessible once the top panel is taken off.
To be honest, I am not a big fan of all the extra openings, since it will potentially let more dust in. SilverStone says their positive pressure design will keep the dust out, because air will be pushed out of the vents rather than in. In this case, it does not even come with a "rear" exhaust fan to further maintain this positive pressure, but we can expectantly spot an optional 120mm fan opening placed adjacent to the motherboard I/O backplate if you want to install one anyway. Your fingers are protected from the rear exhaust fan by a protruding honeycomb mesh grille. The expansion slot covers are fully ventilated as well, as shown in our photo above.
If you leave your computer on 24/7 with the fans running, you will probably not have any dust issues with its positive pressure design. However, limitations of this rotated motherboard design include settling all the openings at the top, which is quite prone to dust falling in when your computer is turned off. I always turn off my computer at night, which is an issue. To alleviate this problem, I actually keep the black nylon bag that comes with the case, and cover up my computer when it is not in use. After a month or so, I have not experienced any dust issues, but I guess it is a price to pay to have improved cooling performance and unique looks, haha. One suggestion to fix this problem is to include a dust filter on the removable top panel. SIlverStone says this will reduce airflow by quite a bit, but with the distance between the top panel and where the vents actually are, I think it is a reasonable tradeoff to help with settling dust. That said, for maximum cooling performance, this is a tradeoff not for everyone.
Overall, the SilverStone Raven RV05 ATX case is a solid case when it comes to build quality. All the panels fit together extremely well with minimal panel gaps -- in fact, it is almost flawless when it comes to refinement. With that out of the way, nothing feels flimsy or cheap, even though a lot of them is made out of plastic. Sharp edges are out of the question. The amount of design attention to detail is very noticeable, just as we have come to expect from the company.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
