INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Over the years we've seen a very large number of PC Cases some big, some small, some tiny, some with just the basic features you find with low-cost models, some with extra bells and whistles, some that offer weird positioning for the hardware, some casually looking and some looking like nothing else in the market. To date however not many manufacturers have managed to combine all of the above and if we had to choose some right off the top of our heads the first two would probably be Thermaltake and CoolerMaster. There are others however who take things just as seriously and in some cases even surpass the above two in terms of radical new ideas and SilverStone has brought quite a few in the market which have been embraced by many consumers over the years so naturally SilverStone did what was expected of them which was to continue using them and today we have the latest one to feature some of them the Raven RV05B-W.

   Founded in 2003, SilverStone is an established leader in its field, with an elite team of engineers; we started our quest of providing products that create inspirations. We have since expanded the lines of products as well as types of products we produce, giving our customers a wide selection of choices. With distribution centers in different areas of the globe, SilverStone products can be seen all over the world, not just for computer users but also for home entertainment use. Providing leisure with integration of advanced technologies that is functional and making them enjoyable to use. Here at SilverStone Technology, we continue to pride ourselves in providing the highest level of standards in designing and manufacturing computer enclosures, power supplies, and accessories. Our pursuit for the first class aesthetic appeal is relentless; our teams of devoted engineers are constantly searching for the best technologies that suit end-users with different needs and will make our products as technologically sound as they are beautiful.

   One of the most "radical" new designs SilverStone has used in their PC cases lately is their 90 degrees mainboard plate rotation which pretty much means that instead of the usual interior design everything is turned 90 degrees clockwise. So instead of sucking air from the front which in turn exits from the rear (and top in some PC cases) here we have air coming in from the bottom via two large fans and exiting from the top. This may sound as a bit odd but the truth is that just as long as a good amount of air gets in the case from beneath this design should not only increase airflow quite a bit compared to regular PC cases but it should also increase cooling efficiency since the air unavoidably passes on its way out from your mainboard, cards, memory modules and CPU. Aside that however the Raven RV05B-W however packs quite a few interesting features including room for radiators, quick release button for the side panels, slim 5.25" ODB, room for 4 drives (2x3.5"/2x2.5") and much more.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again i find myself on the receiving end of a large box with several courier stickers on it behind which there's a large product picture.

 

 

The specifications of the RV05 are printed on the right side while on the left we find its features list in 9 languages.

 

 

At the rear there's another product picture this time used to showcase its features.

 

 

Once you open the box SilverStone has placed a warning which pretty much refers to the 90 degrees mainboard tray orientation.

 

 

The case is wrapped inside a nice black cloth and placed between two Styrofoam spacers.

 

 

Along with the RV05B the box contains a manual, air-filter, 4 cable ties and a bag with spacers and screws.

 

 

THE RAVEN RV05B-W EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Raven R05B is primarily made out of hard plastic and although it's not a very strange looking case still its corners do point to something aggressive (like a Raven).

 

 

Taking a look from the left it's very easy to notice the forward angle this case has (and the small side window of course).

 

 

The fascia is one single piece of plastic from top to bottom but that aside it does look nice (a LED light is placed right beneath the model name) and has a small vertical opening on the far right used by the slim 5.25" ODB.

 

 

The one thing that can actually be "moved" from the fascia is the bottom air-filter as seen above.

 

 

Moving at the top we find the power and reset buttons along with the I/O which is covered with a piece of rubber.

 

 

The I/O offers two USB 3.0 ports and the usual headphones and microphone ports.

 

 

There's a long grille at the top which can be easily removed (just pull from the rear).

 

 

Usually we find space for a radiator or fans here but thanks to the 90 degrees mainboard tray rotation we find the rear with its 7 expansion slots and room for a 120mm fan.

 

 

Two speed switches are placed right next to the top I/O (more like beneath it) as you can see from the above picture. These two controllers control the speed of the bottom fans.

 

 

At the rear of the case we find the PSU exhaust port and an opening right above which of course is there to allow you to place the power cord.

 

 

As mentioned earlier the bottom air-filter can be removed from the front to reveal the two 180mm fans.

 

 

THE RAVEN RV05B-W INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SilverStone has given the RV05 quick release buttons for the side panels so to gain access to them you need to remove the top grille and press the button beneath the L/R letters.

 

 

There's not an abundance of space inside the RV05 but certainly enough for regular ATX mainboards (notice the two handles at the top, a very convenient addition by SilverStone).

 

 

You can only mount two 3.5" drives in this small cage here but the good news is that you only need to slide the drives inside.

 

 

The mainboard tray is not very large, just enough for the mainboard (not the ideal design for serious cable management).

 

 

Seven PCI expansion slots may not seem much but for the size of the RV05 they are plenty.

 

 

All 7 are secured in place via regular screws and are also protected externally.

 

 

Here we see the PSU area and although placing vertically does make sense I’m curious to see just how it looks and what we can fit in there.

 

 

The 180mm fans at the base of the tower have covers so you don't have to worry about your cables.

 

 

Here we see the slim 5.25" ODB and the two areas for 2.5" drives.

 

 

Not much room between the mainboard tray and the rear for cable management but that we already know.

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

Well not much room once you mount an ATX mainboard but things could be much worse.

 

 

The good news is that you can use the largest CPU Coolers in the market without any issues as long as they are up to 162mm tall.

 

 

You can also mount cards up to 312mm long and although that rules out some of the dual GPU beasts in the market you shouldn't have a problem with single ones.

 

 

And now for the bad news since you can't use a long PSU with the drive cage in place (nor a normal one in some cases, depends on the positioning of the cables).

 

 

Of course once the cage is out of the way you can install any PSU your heart desires.

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically ontop of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case doesn't have one we use our own).

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   The Raven R05B-W is the first PC case we've received by SilverStone and although some of us have used some of their cases in the past well it's simply not the same (we pay much more attention when we review something). Anyways the Raven R05B-W is a great midi tower no matter how you look at it but it's certainly not perfect especially for casual users since it only features room for a single 5.25" optical drive (and a slim one at that) and it's quite loud at high RPM. For more "advanced" users the rotation of the mainboard which results to better airflow and cooling will certainly be a plus but at the same time you only have room for two 3.5" and two 2.5" drives that to some that might not be enough. On top of that add the fact that you can't use a long power supply unit with the 3.5" drive cage installed and the end result is that you only have room for just two 2.5" drives. True many people may not use long PSUs and the ones that do may find a workaround and get to keep the 3.5" drive cage but that's a different story. Design-wise the Raven R05B-W is quite nice and aside the many air-filters and the quick release buttons it also features two handles at the top which allow you to carry the case with ease.

   With a price tag currently set at USD132 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 117Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the Raven R05B-W midi tower by SilverStone may not be the cheapest PC case out in the market but we truly think it's priced just right. Why? Well its build quality is very good (although certainly not the best out there), offers very good airflow levels and cooling, looks great and it's quite unique. Of course if you want a really quiet PC case then you have one of two choices, either use the fans at Low speed via the controllers or change them for something else (you can use up to 3x120mm, 2x140mm fans down there or up to a 180mm radiator). Of course chances are that gamers and overclockers will adore these two 180mm fans while at full speed so it all depends on what it is that you're looking for. As for us well we think the Raven R05B-W could be better but we still like it and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- 90 Degrees Mainboard Orientation
- Airflow/Cooling Levels (2x180mm Fans)
- Fan Controllers
- Radiator Space (Top 120mm/Bottom 280mm)
- Top Handles
- Quick Release Side Panels
- Price (For Some)

 

CONS

- Drive Spots (2x3.5"/2x2.5")
- Power Supply Size (Need To Remove Drive Cage)
- Noise Levels (For Some)