SilverStone Raven RV01

System Setup:

For trying out the SilverStone Raven RV01 we had installed an ASRock X58 SuperComputer motherboard, Intel Core i7 920 processor, 3GB of DDR3 memory, a SATA hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 9800GTX graphics card, and an OCZ ModXStream 600W power supply. Everything had installed smoothly, though if the motherboard tray was removable it might have went a bit easier. The cable management also was not optimal, but was sufficient. Unfortunately, we were unable to deliver any thermal results for this chassis since the X58 motherboard and Core i7 processor are currently not compatible with LM_Sensors.

Conclusion:

While the Raven RV01 is yet another great SilverStone chassis, thanks to its top-notch build quality, unique exterior, and unique internal layout, we would not classify it as the best SilverStone enclosure we have reviewed. Our favorites would still be the Temjin TJ10 and the new Fortress FT01, but the Raven RV01 still ranks highly. The plastic used on the exterior of the RV01 is by no means cheap or poor quality, but it still frightens us a bit, as we are used to seeing more aluminum with SilverStone cases. Granted, if they went with an all-aluminum Raven, it would be a lot heavier and it would be more difficult to deal with replicating the same appearance. The only real complaints we have about the SilverStone Raven RV01 is the cable management could be improved a bit around the motherboard tray area and the acrylic window could be slightly larger. It might also be nice if the top plastic piece that conceals the expansion slots and I/O ports was hinged and would simply flip-up instead of having to turn the dials and then slide off the plastic piece. Some users have also commented on the sliding door covering the 5.25" bays as being loud when in use. We would say it is a bit loud in use too, but we do not foresee that as being much of a problem considering the infrequency that we use optical drives besides when installing a new Linux distribution.

At $250 USD, the SilverStone Raven RV01 is more expensive than many of the cases on the market, but still is not the most expensive SilverStone case we have tested. The price may be high, but the case is great, well designed, and certainly is unique in many respects.