Silverstone Raven: A New Concept in Case Cooling
by Christoph Katzer on February 6, 2009 4:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Conclusion
The Silverstone Raven comes with many great features. Changing the orientation of the motherboard isn't entirely unheard of, but the case design as a whole is very innovative. For example, you can use shorter cable harnesses from your power supply, and you can easily guide cables through the case and avoid blocking airflow. Installing components is also extremely easy because of the large interior space.
Overall build quality is exceptional, which is what we have come to expect from Silverstone. Even though this is a steel chassis with lots of plastic, you still feel like you got a very high-end product. Cooling performance is also good in most areas, particularly CPU and hard drive cooling. Ambient case temperatures were higher than usual, but we are inclined to believe that has more to do with the location of our sensor rather than being a clear problem. GPU temperatures are also a little high, because of the panel that blocks airflow out the top.
There are two versions of the Raven chassis, one with the side panel window and one without. The model we tested to date includes the window and prices start at around $240, sans tax and shipping. Prices in Europe start at around €190 for the windowed version including tax, or you can save a few dollars/Euros by purchasing the version without a window. For those that like the angular styling of the chassis, this is a case you can fall in love with... but there will also be users that will hate the case aesthetics. Assuming you fall into the first group, we have no qualms with recommending the Silverstone Raven. The only likely roadblock is going to be pricing, but at least with you know you're getting a high quality chassis with an unusual design.
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Visual - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
i really don't fancy the idea of intake fans on the bottom. there's going to be a huge amount of dust gathering down there.and expansion cards and cables at the top, really? maybe it can work if i hide the case under the desk, but what if it is on top?
weevil - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
But you would never have to sweep the floor.HelToupee - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
I really like the idea of the layout of this case. It's the perfect arrangement for an under-the-desk setup. You are right that the intakes on the bottom of the case are a terrible idea. They'll clog with dust, and need cleaning constantly, and are in the most inconvenient place they could possibly be. Maybe if they add some kind of ducting along the back to direct air underneath the case and raised the case off the ground a bit.What I really like is the cable management. Where the cables come out of the power supply is right next to where they plug into the motherboard. If you look at the pictures of the system assembly, there are no cables at all routed over the motherboard. All the cable mess tucks nicely away into the bottom front of the case where it's not visible, and not in the way of airflow. Perfect. Plus, when the case is sitting under your desk, all the ports are the closest they can be to where you want them -- rear top of the case. I love the idea of having access to the back panel (now on top) of the case by just rolling the case out a bit. Lighting will be better, cables will not be strained and crimped around corners. Very convenient.
I hope other (cheaper) options appear with this configuration. I may have to consider picking one up.
Dreamwalker - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
A very interesting case, but I do wonder how you manages the cables that are coming at the top, the VGA cables and all the other stuff. A picture would be great here. Can't realy imagine how it looks like all the cables coming at the top rather than from the bac side.Anyone got the Lamborghini Reventon in his minde when looking at he pictures?
weevil - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
Looks like an F-117 Stealth fighter to me, Love the interier but the outside is ugly. But at least it will evade radar, I could replace the fairing on my Harley with this and the CHP will never see me.strikeback03 - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
Personally, I think the person in the previous look who compared it to a Jawa Sandcrawler was dead-on.Bigjee - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
That's the first thing that came to my mind.The lamborghini Reventon.
This case perfectly portrays it. The lines make it look like its been designed by the same person who designed that car.
soydeedo - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
With dreadlocks.maxnix - Thursday, April 28, 2011 - link
Had this case two years now and it has been rock solid except for a bad fan that would rattle when installed. Replaced with an even quieter one and all is well. Not overclocked yet, so acoustic signature could increase when it is. Access is great and easy. Case is heavy.Now the Raven 3 is out.
By the way the filters while rudimentary, are a lot better than nothing in most other cases.