| SilverStone RV02B-EW Computer Case |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Austin Downing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday, 12 January 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SilverStone Raven RV02B-EW Case ReviewCase design for the last 25 years has not changed very much, disk drives in the front, motherboard in the middle, connections out the back. Enthusiast and casual users alike have just accepted that this is the fact of how computers work. In the recent years, growing concerns about heat have led to some different case designs each claiming to help beat the heat, but each case has still followed this tried and true design with the only variations being where fans go, and how the air flows through the case. SilverStone attempted to shake things up with the original Raven RV01 but many critics had complaints of some first generation design quirks, high price, and extravagant looks. Silverstone toned down the looks, and had a more refined products with the RV02-BW but even that could have used some improvements. By combining the interior of the Fortress FT02, with the exterior of the RV02, all updated with Silverstone's 180mm Air Penetrator fans for great cooling the Raven 2 Evolution was created. Nevertheless, as many enthusiast know a cases features are useless if they come at too high of a cost or do not functions properly. In this review, Benchmark Reviews will look at this unique design to see if it truly is smarter than its competition or if it is all marketing hype.
When reviewing a case you have four major things you need to look at. First, you need to look at build quality because no one wants to spend hours putting hardware in a case only to find defects or to have parts that will fail months later. Secondly, you need to look at cooling because as the heat output of components goes up, so do cooling needs. Third, you need to look at the acoustics of your new case because as anyone who has worked on or near servers knows adequate cooling can come at a acoustic cost unless a company put expenses into preventing this. Lastly, you need to look at the ease of build, which depending on your system may or may not play a big role in your choice of case. If you like, I spend lots of time inside of your case modifying parts then you want a system that you can easily move around in while making modifications. On the other hand if you want to setup your system and leave it then this becomes less of a importance and therefore can be moved lower on the requirements for your case.
Manufacturer: Silverstone Technology Co. Ltd. Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Silverstone Technology Co. Ltd. SilverStone Raven Features
RV02B-EW Specifications
Closer Look: ExteriorFor many people the determining factor of a case can be the exterior with some liking a flashy exterior that shows they implies they have a high powered system held inside, while others like me like a far more conservative case design. The Silverstone Raven 2 Evolution walks a fine line between the two with some unique looks but a matte black finish throughout that helps it not stand out to much.
With the Raven 2 Evolution having such strange dimensions, it is nice to see Silverstone has put the Raven 2 Evolution on its side so that the initial transportation is much easier. Silverstone has also included a list of all the features on the Raven 2 Evolution in a convenient way so that potential buyers can understand what makes this product unique or better than the rest of the cases out there.
The front of the Raven 2 Evolution is covered in a matte black plastic, which is very resistant to dirt and fingerprint build up, a very nice departure from the normal piano black plastic that is used on many cases. Due to the unique designed used in the Raven this case ends up being very short vertically measuring in at a mere 19.8". At the same time even with its short stature, Silverstone has given users the ability to put up to five 5.25" devices in the Raven 2 Evolution.
Along the top Silverstone continues the aggressive looking styling that is found throughout the Raven 2 Evolution using many of the same sharp lines used on stealth bombers to help reflect radar away from its source. Serving a dual purpose the unique design of the Raven 2 Evolution has a secondary benefit beyond cooling, that unlike the rats nest that many computers have in the rear the inherent design makes it so that all of the cables come out in a single bundle and then split off to their respective devices. Each of the two grates that runs along the top also helps keep a clean look, while at the same time giving your system plenty of space to breath ensuring that your devices will not be pouring heat into an enclosed space.
When it comes to the size of a case the Raven 2 Evolution is one of the longest cases I have worked with measuring in at 25.3" but due to it short height this case can still fit in many locations cases like the Corsair 800D may have trouble fitting in. At the same time while the front and top are covered in a matte black plastic the rest of the case is built out of 0.8mm steel which also has a nice matte black paint job on it giving the Raven 2 Evolution a very uniform look along its entire body.
Along the backside of the case rather than the traditional rats nest of cables the Raven 2 Evolution only includes a vent, which has a removable filter on it. This is a nice addition that the Raven has included on every intake on the case helping to keep the dust out of your new case and off your hardware. Detailed Exterior FeaturesSometimes although overall a case may have a solid design it can still be let down by small design flaws that can make or break the design of the case. For this reason it is important to look at some of the more important areas of the case that have an impact on the usability of a case.
The power and reset buttons are both contained within two plastic pieces to help "blend" them with the rest of the case and also further reinforcing the stealth fighter look that the Raven 2 Evolution has going with it. Also since the power and reset buttons are located so close to the edge of the case the fact that they are smaller helps prevent users from accidently activiation them which can be very frustrating or downright destructive depending on what a user is doing. At the same time you have the traditional combination of USB 2.0 and HD audio ports contained in a slightly rescesed sections.
With the cover removed the top ends up looking like your traditional rear of a case except for that it everything is recessed deeply into the case to allow connections to fit under the cover that normally will be in place. Sadly, even with the recess if you use different converters for your inputs or video then they may not fit. One other thing that will bother many enthusiasts especially for a case of this size is the fact that Silverstone has only included seven expansion slots on the Raven 2 Evolution rather than the eight that was on the original Raven 2.
Due to the unique design that the Raven 2 Evolution uses the window that lets you see your components has been moved to the opposite side that cases that are more traditional use. Nonetheless, the unique design of this case makes for a very nice looking window display for your hard-earned components. In this angle, you are enabled to more effectively see the "vent" that is used to let all of your cables come out from the top of the Raven 2 Evolution and be split off to each of your peripherals. Closer Look: InteriorEven more important than the exterior of a case is the interior, an area in which many indiscretions from the exterior can just be completely forgotten. On the other hand seemingly small things within a case can quickly add up to being a nightmare overall. Thankfully, being on its third version of the unique Raven design many problems that were had with the original two designs have been addressed.
The Raven 2 Evolution took design notes from the Silverstone Fortress FT02 using the hot-swappable 3.5" drive cages, and more traditional locking mechanisms for the 5.25" drives. At the same time, they removed what many would consider an integral part of a full ATX case by taking out one of the expansions bays leaving a total of only seven expansions slots making some tri-SLI/crossfire setups impossible depending on the spacing of a users PCI-E x16 slots . Silverstone also included a rear cutout to allow access to user's motherboards in order to easily install large coolers that need extra bracing due to their size.
In the rear of the Raven 2 Evolution, you can more effectively see the system for cable routing that Silverstone has created in the case. This includes two large openings for all major connections and one small opening for all connections coming from the front. In order to accommodate a user's cables in the Raven 2 Evolution Silverstone has created a .75" pocket behind the motherboard tray through which cables can be routed, or stored. One problem I have with the setup of the rear sections is the fact that once installed the hard drives are actually facing the opposite direction of the connections meaning that if you use right handed SATA connections they will actually not fit due to the disks orientation. This can be alleviated by installing four more hot-swap back plates into the Raven 2 Evolution using the recommended SST-CP05 connector. Although not shown, Silverstone has also included a special dock that can be attached to the side of the 5.25" drive bays in order to allow the mounting of 2.5" Solid State Drives.
The original Raven 2 and Fortress FT02 case both had 180mm fans that required the user to remove the extra-large grill if they wanted to fit some of the larger video cards in their case. This is not the a problem that the Raven 2 Evolution has as Silverstone has included standard three of their 180mm Air Penetrator fans. These fans move between 80-130 CFM of air depending on their speed setting all while being very quiet at between 18-34 dBa. For a more in depth look at these fantastic fans please look at the formal review that Benchmark Reviews did here. Under each 180mm fan is also a removable filter that can be easily washed to help keep dust out of the system and keep the Raven 2 Evolutions cooling performance at maximum.
Each drive caddy in the Raven 2 Evolution can have one traditional 3.5" drive placed in it, and with the optional back plates installed give you the possibility of five hot swap drives in the Raven 2 Evolution. The mechanism that kept the drives bays closed is very well built with very little flexing even due to being made of industrial strength nylon.
The docks used for the hot swap bays fit 3.5" drives very snuggly and although this is nice once you have the drives in, since each screw has a special grommet it also means that getting the drives in without crushing each grommet can be a very difficult task. I found that while installing getting the drives into their bays was the most time consuming task that I had due to the design of the docks.
Due to the configuration used in the Raven 2 Evolution having extra-long 5.25" drives may conflict with tri-SLI/crossfire setups due to the small space at the end of the Raven 2 Evolutions expansions slots. This problem can be somewhat alleviated with right angle power connections and SATA connections, but it would have been nice to see a 1/8 or 1/4 of an inch added to the case in order to prevent this. Silverstone Raven Final ThoughtsWhen it comes to case designs, there are many different ideas on what makes an "ideal" case some people want a flashy case, while others want a more subtle design. No matter what a user wants for the aesthetics of a case, they all want a case that will protect their investment. Silverstone does this by providing an easy to work in environment, with well thought out cable management, while at the same time using the unique design of the Raven 2 Evolution to provide superior cooling performance. Though I did no formal testing, I noticed my CPU temperature dropped around 6-8 degrees compared to the Senty Arvina case, while at the same time having a much quieter sound comparable to a whooshing. Silverstone provides all of this for a very kind asking price of $189 especially when you consider that it has $75 worth of fans in the bottom of it. At the same time, I do have some grievances with the design of the Raven 2 Evolution. It would be great for Silverstone to add back the 8th expansion slot added like the original Raven 2 in order to accommodate users wanting to have a tri-SLI/Crossfire system. Secondly, if Silverstone could move the 5.25" bays forward a 1/8" or 1/4" in order not render the final expansion slot useless if a long 5.25" drive is used. Lastly, Silverstone should reorient the drive bays so that right angle SATA connections can be used to help with cable management and helping to not snap off the connections that go to your drives.
RV02B-EW ConclusionIMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested which may differ from future versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate. Performance in a case is all about protecting a user's equipment, providing easy access to a user's hardware, and providing sufficient cooling to a user's components. The unique design that Silverstone employs on its Raven line serves all of these purposes excellently. The 90-degree turn on orientation helps, protect your motherboard from warping due to the ever-increasing weight of top end video cards. At the same time, the length of the case makes for very easy access to your hardware something that is of great importance to those of us who need to always be tinkering within our systems. Lastly and to many most importantly the three 180mm Air Penetrator fans help give this case great cooling while at the same time keeping the noise to a minimum. With an appearance akin to a modern stealth bomber I found the looks to be enjoyable with the right combination of flare and subtly. With the top cover on you have a very clean looking machine with no visible ports beyond those on the front of the case, while at the same time the matte finish on all components helps continues that stealth bomber look. With the frame of the Raven 2 Evolution being built of 0.8mm steel the case feels very well built with no warping. Unfortunately, the front and top of the case are covered in plastic which, although looking nice is something I never like to see on a case. In order to measure functionality we look at how the different features of Raven 2 Evolution actually work. Starting with the 3.5" drive bays, I found that although well built they could use some reorientation in order to make connecting the drives a bit easier. Secondly, it would be great to see a bit of lengthening in the case in order to accommodate a eighth expansion slot and more room behind the 5.25" drives. Otherwise, this functionality of this case is great and provides a wonderful experience. The Raven 2 Evolution is priced at $189.99 on Newegg.com gives a great price to feature ratio. For this price, you get $75 of Air Penetrator fans, one hot swap 3.5" drive bay, a unique design that provides excellent cooling, and well designed cable management. At this price, the Silverstone Raven 2 Evolution case with all of its features is a hard case to pass up. Silverstone really pulled out all the stops providing a well-built case with unique design and superior cooling characteristics. At the same time, they also included three of their revolutionary 180mm Air Penetrator fans, and up to five hot swap drive bays. All of these add up to a case that brings together many great features for a decent price. This case is on my list of great cases I have worked with, and I will definitely be recommending it for years to come. Pros:
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Comments
Where this case isn't innovative, and was noted by the author, is where all cases are breaking down. It's the drive bays! Why can't case designers just use something like this?: #amazon.com/Kingwin-3-5IN-Sata-Mobile-Rack/dp/B00126U0VA/ref=pd_sim_e_3
Problem solved because the drive slides into the tray w/o any sleeves. I have 4 of these in my case and I love them. I can swap out drives anytime w/o cracking the case.
I also agree--plastic is so, uh, 80s case design. At least they didn't use eggshell white. Plastics can be pretty cool though. Just look at the Pelican Cases. If we could get a case's exterior made out of this sort of high impact plastic in matte, which they all are, that would be really nice, and an acceptable replacement for aluminum or steel.
But good for Silverstone. I actually woke up a little when I saw the top down, instead of the front, back, side, approach.
Fortress 2 all the way.
-Why? Why does it make tri crossfire impossible? I don't get what they're saying here. I ask because I just bought this case with dual crossfire, and considered a third card in the future.
This also means that all quad SLI/Crossfire setups using card that utilize dual slot coolers would be impossible due to not having at least eight slots