Page 4 - Installation and Conclusion
The installation process is generally straightforward with the SilverStone Raven RV05. For the most part, it is very easy to work with as far as a standard mid-tower is concerned -- a sufficient amount of room with a decent interior. Out of preference, I installed the Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK motherboard first. Obviously, if you have a large cooler like the Noctua NH-D15, you cannot install it on the motherboard beforehand, because you will not be able to access the screws to attach the motherboard to its tray. I also placed a Noctua NF-S12A PWM next to the CPU cooler for additional ventilation. At the back, I installed a SanDisk Extreme PRO 480GB and OCZ Vertex 150 240GB to partially fulfill my cravings for solid state drives.
The power supply I used with the SilverStone Raven RV05 is a Seasonic Platinum 1000W. It is longer than the SilverStone Strider Gold S ST85F-GS 850W, but I did not need the 3.5" drive rack anyway. The ventilated bottom is enclosed by a series of dust filters, so rest be assured that your AP181 intake fans will not be doubling up as your vacuum cleaner with the case interior as a dust bag.
The rest of the installation process came and went within expectations, as I continued to install the rest of my components. The SilverStone Raven RV05 is not a tool-free design, but using a screwdriver does not really bother me. To be honest, I always take out my screwdriver even if a case is tool-free, as attaching screws is usually the most secure method at the end of the day. For the purpose of this review, I have a Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB installed, as you can see in my photo above. Being the length of an average performance card (Which is, slightly longer than the span of your motherboard), I have had absolutely no issues fitting it into the SilverStone Raven RV05. The company advises the user to route the power supply cables away from the GPU fan, which only makes sense this way. The rest of my expansion cards include the OCZ RevoDrive 350 480GB and Auzentech X-Fi HomeTheater HD. The lighting used is the NZXT Sleeved LED Kit in white.
On the other side, the CPU backplate opening is more than large enough to accommodate motherboard sockets across different generations. It is also a real pleasure to work with all the openings on the motherboard tray; it is definitely the right amount in all the right places. With the sufficiently wide gap between the motherboard tray and right side panel, the SilverStone Raven RV05 also has some zip tie attachment points to ensure your cables can be organized well. The gap was a bit tight, but things worked out in the end anyway. The finished product can be seen above; enjoy.
After plugging in everything, my system configured inside the SilverStone Raven RV05 is ready to roll. I hit the rectangle power button located on top, and my computer came to life. Your finished system should resemble what I have above, since there is nothing much you can change here anyway, haha. A V-shaped light, powered by two white LEDs on the side, glows to indicate power is on, while a red LED flashes in the middle during HDD activity. in the As I have mentioned earlier, I configured my chassis interior with the NZXT Sleeved LED Kit in white, which looks simply amazing in my opinion. The big window is made for some sweet LED lighting -- do not go without it if you are planning to buy this chassis for your next build. The Raven RV05 is also a clean look case that is not too conservative; bringing a futuristic and fashionable PC onto my desk without looking weird. Even though I typically lean towards very conservative designs, I really like the RV05.
On a scale from 0.0 to 10.0 where 0.0 is silent and 10.0 is the loudest, the two fans would come in at 4.5/10 subjective sound rating at full blast. They are not particularly loud, but not necessarily quiet either. I am quite sensitive to perceived sound volume, and if you are a quiet PC enthusiast, the SilverStone Raven RV05 will require some modifications to suit your needs. Normally, I just shut the stock fans off, because even running on low with the controller active is a little too loud for my high standards. Also, if you are not doing anything demanding, having just a rear fan will cool the system more than sufficiently (Although it will change the system from positive pressure to negative pressure, thereby attracting dust). Just to note, the case will not dampen any sound, as the RV05 is not made with silent computing in mind.
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According to an old Chinese saying, "All ravens are black under the sky", and in a literal sense, the Raven RV05 holds true to this statement. However, in this particular case, we must append to the list of good black ravens. Needless to say, the SilverStone Raven RV05 impressed me. In my opinion, SilverStone has done an excellent job in making something that looks unique and exciting, yet it is still clean and not overdone. In other words, it is not different for the sake of being different; it is different with good styling. Unlike past generations with a rotated motherboard, the latest Raven is also very compact. This means it has excellent cooling performance, thanks to the nature of the design in conjunction with the pair of mega 180mm intake fans at the bottom. Sure, the price you pay is that you lose the 5.25" drive bays, but in 2014, this is really not a big deal. Furthermore, SilverStone's attention to design detail and great build quality -- even though its outer shell is mostly plastic -- is impressive to say the least. Top it all off with a perfectly implemented side window, there really is a lot to like about the Raven RV05. There are a few things I would like to see improved on this mid-tower, however. The big thing is the settling dust issue. Its positive pressure design will push dust away from the vents when your computer is turned on, but when your PC is off, dust will settle in through the large vents at the top. Also, I found the bottom 180mm fans to be kind of audible (For a hardcore quiet PC enthusiast, anyway) even on low speed. Now that everything is laid out on the table, with all the pros and the little cons to address, for $110 after rebate at press time, the only thing I have to say is: SilverStone's Raven RV05 is really the best of the Raven series to date.
SilverStone provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH:Renewal Award | APH Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that aren't likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks; but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Numeric Rating is 7.9/10
Please note that the APH Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other sites.
The SilverStone Raven RV05 is the best of the Raven series to date. It is a compact, good looking mid-tower with awesome cooling performance to boot.
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Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
