Silverstone Raven RV02-E White Ltd Edition Review
  
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Introduction
Those avid readers and followers of what the team at OC3D get up to will not be surprised to see the Silverstone Raven RV02-E because it’s not the first time it has been seen here. The Raven was one of the white chassis we recently took to Gadget Show Live. This meant not only did we have to build a chassis up to show quality but we also got to use the system for a solid week in some pretty demanding conditions but also talk to the public to get a feel for their instant reactions on the case.
So fresh back from GSL we were straight on the blower to the boys and girls at Silverstone to badger them about samples. Sadly due to the demand for the case in the EU the stock is flying out the doors that its been very hard to secure one for review. Thankfully a quick call to the fine folks at Scan and some serious eyelid battering and we were set. I generally would not chase a sample this hard very often, but the honest fact of the matter is I was properly impressed with the case from the go so it just had to be shared with all you lot!
Anyways enough waffle even if the syrup is tasting good today, lets take a look at the specifications for the case before moving on to the video.
Specifications
| Model No. | SST-RV02B-E (black) | |
| SST-RV02B-EW (black + window) | ||
| — | ||
| — | ||
| Material | reinforced plastic outer shell, 0.8mm Steel body. | |
| Color | Matte black | |
| Motherboard | SSI CEB, ATX (maximum 12†x 11â€) , Micro ATX | |
| Multimedia | — | |
| Drive Bay | External | 5.25″ x 5 |
| — | ||
| Internal | 3.5″ x 5, 2.5″ x 1 | |
| Cooling System | Front | — |
| Rear | — | |
| Side | — | |
| Top | 1 x 120mm exhaust fan, 950rpm, 18dBA | |
| Bottom | 3 x 180mm intake fan 700/1200rpm, 18/34dBA | |
| Internal | — | |
| Expansion Slot | 7 | |
| Front I/O Port | USB2.0 x 2 audio x 1 MIC x 1 |
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| Power Supply | 1 x optional standard PS2 (ATX) | |
| Expansion Card | Up to 12.2 inch | |
| Limitation of CPU cooler | 169mm | |
| Limitation of PSU | Unlimited | |
| Net Weight | 12.5kg | |
| Dimension | 212mm (W) x 503mm (H) x 643mm (D) | |
| Extra |
One CP05 included for single hot-swappable SATA hard drive, additional CP05 can be purchased separately. |
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Video
Conclusion
I’m really hoping the video has emphasised why I felt the need to get this case in for a full review. Regular readers will know that when I look at a chassis I can find problems in what most people will deem to be perfect. I can honestly say the only things that’s even remotely negative about this case is the depth and the fact that the window is ‘on the other side of the case’. Due to these two facts some may have to jiggle their set up to accommodate and also be able to drool over their hardware through the window.
Now I dont go making claims lightly when it comes to a chassis, but here’s a rather big one for you (I don’t get to say that often!) the airflow layout that Silverstone use in this and a selection of their other chassis is nothing short of amazing. To the point that I would go as far as to say that its the best air cooled configuration available at this present moment in time from any manufacturer. Fitting a chassis with 100cfm fans is easy, but designing a chassis that comprises of so little fans but yet manages to keep not only the airflow up, but also the noise down, has been one of the main factors that has surprised all the OC3D team.
The windowed side panel is pretty much in the ideal position to display the bits you want to see and hide the bits you’d rather not, a claim that can’t be levelled at every windowed case out there. It’s also worth noting due to the compact area the hardware is housed in it’s actually very easy to make your system quite the show piece, LED cables runs and LED fans easily light up the system a treat.
Cable management options are great. If you install your rig with care pretty much everything can be kept concealed without much of a problem at all. During our time using the case we also fitted a full set of individually braided extensions cables to it. This adds pretty much 50% more cables to try and hide neatly behind the back panel. This was all achieved and with a bit of planning it all went in without a hitch. You couldn’t see the cables and just as a billy bonus the back panel slid straight on as well!
We can’t go without mentioning the fact that Silverstone have jumped on the white chassis bandwagon…. FINALLY! This is something we try and keep out of reviews because it most definitely is a personal preference but there’s just something about white cases that makes me go all warm and fuzzy!Â
When we first looked at this chassis I have to admit that we were under the impression it was about £180, and I’ll happily confess I did feel it was worth that and would still have given it our coveted Gold Award. The cases actual price is just £142, a significant amount less than what we first assumed, so this is definitely going to be scoring well on the price board then!
All in all if you are looking to buy a case for an air cooled system any of the Silverstone’s with this layout should be on your list, maybe with the white RV02 just nudging its way to the top for the pure bling factor. With everything taken into account there really was not a second thought in our minds that this deserves a rock solid Gold Award.
    
Thanks to Scan for the sample on test today, you can discuss your thoughts in the OC3D Forums.