Page 4 - Conclusion
In essence, I do in some ways, believe that the SilverStone Raven RVS02 could be the McLaren F1 of HDD enclosures. Not just in its carbon fiber (inspired) design, but the character of the product itself. Much like the car, the RVS02 is sleek, lightweight, and easy on the eyes. Installation of the hard drive is the easiest I have ever come across for a 2.5" enclosure, making even the unlikely swap a painless task. The blue LED logo is a nice touch for the enclosure, serving the purpose of both the power LED and HDD activity light. Even the simplicity of the connection options could very well be seen as a pro, as it makes the enclosure very easy and convenient to use. In terms of its performance, this I believe, is where the RVS02 shines most. The enclosure reaches average read speeds of over 35MB/s on the USB 2.0 -- which is quite commendable. On USB 3.0, the unit reaches high speeds of around 235MB/s, speeds that I have not seen until now. Simply put, the Raven RVS02 is currently the fastest removable storage device we have reviewed thus far. However, although the enclosure performs admirably well in a drag race, there are many other areas that need to be addressed. First off, the material used for the Raven RVS02 feels very cheap, and at times brittle. The inner hard drive tray has absolutely no form of insulation to help protect it from bumps and falls. The enclosure also feature four useless feet that provide absolutely no benefits at all. I believe it is quite crucial for SilverStone implement some sort of rubber feet in order for the unit to not easily be brushed or slid off a surface. Priced with a MSRP of $39.99USD and retailing as low as $29.99 USD at press time, the Raven RVS02 is actually fairly economical for a USB 3.0 enclosure. It may not have the build quality of a supercar, but at least it races like one, so what are you waiting for?
SilverStone provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Review Focus Summary:
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks; but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Numeric Rating is 7.0/10
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 RVS02 is a simple and economical enclosure that has been stripped down to transfer extreme speeds with its awesome USB 3.0 controller -- the only thing we would like to see is an improvement in build quality.
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Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look, Installation
3. Test System, Benchmark Results
4. Conclusion
