Page 4 - Installation and Conclusion
Because the hard drive rack and motherboard tray are fully removable from the SilverStone Raven RV04, it really does not matter what you install first, because you could use almost all the room in the world to do your work. This is definitely a welcomed addition, after all, when is the last time you have seen a chassis with a removable motherboard tray in 2013? However, for demonstration purposes, I have removed the motherboard tray, so that I could install my Gigabyte G1.Sniper first. I then moved onto my power supply, and made sure all the cables were in the right place. Since I did not need to worry about hard drives, I simply left the hard drive rack out, so I would have a little bit more room to work with. I would also get a little bit more airflow, technically speaking -- not that it makes a significant difference. It would also make my setup look a bit cleaner with less clutter in my chassis.
Once all my components were in, I made sure my cabling job was neat and tidy, because the nice big window always showcases your hard work. With the plethora of space to work with, it is easy to manage cables, especially with all the cable management openings, so I quickly zip tied many cables together, and hid them behind the motherboard tray. The above probably is not my best cabling job, but simply for demonstration purposes, you can see that it does not take much effort to tidy up a bit. In my honest opinion, it is worth the effort to make it neat, especially for cases that display the inner beauty.
After plugging everything in the right place, our SilverStone Raven RV04 system was ready to roll. Powering it up via the power button at the top lights up the first V-shaped design on the front of the door, and you will be able to see hard drive activity as it flickers red. Add interior lighting and will make it look even more extraordinary, as depicted above. The lighting system I have used is SilverStone's own LS01 I have reviewed last month. If you like what you see, the SilverStone Raven RV04 is a solid case to consider for your next shopping list.
While the Raven RV04 has two large 180mm fans, it was surprisingly quiet in my opinion. On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is silent and 10 is loud, I would rate the fans at 2.5 subjective sound rating while leaving both fans on low speed setting. On high speed setting, I would rate it in at 3.5. Much like everyone else here at APH Networks, I am very picky when it comes down to sound emission, and I must say that the Raven does a fine job at keeping the noise level to a minimum, even though it was not made to be a quiet case as a top priority.
-----------------------------------------
The design of the SilverStone Raven RV04 simply does not cease to impress -- and after staring at the same case for the last few weeks, I have yet to be bored. In fact, coming from a RV03, I am still a big fan of the RV04. Now, customization and slick design is a subjective topic, but if you find enough of the market to like it, it becomes a popular trend. The RV04's simple and clean design with a large window will certainly flatter your friends when they come over. Although some people may be a bit picky about the looks, especially the design of the door, it fundamentally boils down to an efficient airflow design while defying traditional design rules, which is exactly what the RV04 is all about. The front door keeps everything looking clean, while providing you convenient access to two 5.25" drives, and plenty of space for drawing in cool air. It also comes loaded with many other great features such as dual AP181 180mm fans for high airflow, and an auxiliary CPU cooler and video card support to relieve the motherboard of stress. Heck, it also comes with a removable motherboard tray for an easy installation process! In addition, there is plenty of space to work with in the RV04, even if you decide not to remove the motherboard tray. Rotating the motherboard one hundred and eighty degrees also helps in efficient airflow without compromising noise by implementing a bundle of good fans. Although the side panels are constructed out of steel, the rest of the body is quality plastic, which makes it quite light for an enthusiast case. SilverStone also makes it convenient for you to clean your computer by placing a large dust filter in front of the dual fans, along with dedicated dust filter for the power supply fan to prevent the nasty stuff from clogging up your PC. As far as improvements are concerned, there aren't many -- I will have to nitpick a bit here. Some side panel sound insulation would be nice to further enhance the quietness of the RV04. The need to remove the entire hard drive rack to install HDDs may be a minor inconvenience to some users. The top panel might also be hard to clean in the midst of dust. Other than that, the SilverStone Raven RV04 is a brilliant piece of engineering with great looks to boot.
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 RV04 is truly a one of a kind case with great features, slick looks, and a brilliant design that redefines tradition.
Do you have any comments or questions about the SilverStone Raven RV04? Drop by our Forums. Registration is free, and it only takes a minute!
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
