RV03 External Pattern

From the front, the Silverstone Raven 3 resembles a mid-belfry, measuring just 20.five" (522mm) tall. In addition to existence 0.vii" (19mm) taller than the Raven 2 Evolution, the RV03 also looks considerably more ambitious with hard "V"-shaped patterns and sharp lines.

We found the RV02's façade to be somewhat bland compared to other loftier-end figurer cases, but information technology's difficult to say whether nosotros prefer the Raven 3's implementation. Although information technology's flashier, it's not quite as swish -- the golden strips are particularly tasteless in our opinion.

It might seem unusual that the Raven 3 has one less 5.25" bay than the Raven two (seven versus eight) considering information technology'due south a tad taller, merely by removing ane bay Silverstone was able to identify the power and reset buttons on the front of the case instead of the tiptop.

This volition provide easier access to users that wish to place the Raven three under their desk, for instance. The very superlative of the front end features a "V"-shaped band that houses blue power and activity LEDs and this is largely unchanged from the original and 2nd generation versions.

The Raven 3 is xi% shorter (depth-wise) than the Raven two Evolution -- the sausage dog of estimator cases. By being nigh 3" shorter at 22.iv", the Raven 3 looks more natural, is far more manageable, and at 11.4kg, it sheds roughly 9% of the Raven 2's weight in the procedure.

With the arrangement'southward guts rotated by xc-degrees, the motherboard and expansion connectivity beetle from the top of the instance and are covered by a well-ventilated lid. The front panel connectors, including a pair of sound jacks and USB three.0 ports, are placed on top too.

Although the Raven 3 borrows many elements from its predecessors, there are some changes nether the pinnacle cover: the power supply bracket is no longer present, USB 2.0 ports take been upgraded to 3.0, and the fan controller is accessible without removing the lid.

The rear of the Raven three, where you would typically notice fans and motherboard connections, has nothing but a unmarried 120mm fan grill. It is worth pointing out that the Raven 3 is painted black within and out which is not a feature that many cases offer in this cost range.

The left side of the example is covered by a long, free-flowing door with a window to prove off your hardware. Previously featureless, Silverstone has upgraded the right door with a 120mm fan grill as well equally a large grill in the bottom left corner. In order to remove the case doors, you must unclip the lid at the top of the Raven iii and and so undo a pair of thumbscrews belongings the door in identify.

Flipping the Raven 3 upside downwards reveals two massive fan grills that intake large volumes of cool air. The case has 4 feet raising it 1.57" (40mm) off the footing, and this pinnacle is of import as it allows enough air to be sucked nether the case past the internal fans. Nosotros consider this to be a significant improvement over the Raven ii Development, which was raised only 0.98" (25mm) off the ground.

As we noted, Silverstone has inverse the location of the power supply. Instead of being directly accessible on the summit or rear of the chassis, the PSU is mounted entirely within the case. For external access, Silverstone has installed a small cablevision that attaches to the PSU and extends to the bottom of the Raven 3 -- an interesting but mildly annoying deign aspect in our opinion.

What this ultimately ways is that after a bulk of your cables are installed under the top hat, you'll have to get on all fours and jack up the Raven 3 to insert the power cable. While nosotros admit it's probably no large deal if you're the "prepare it and forget it" type, it could prove to be a serious pain in the proverbial for your average hardware vitrify who oftentimes upgrades or cleans their system.

Unfortunately, users with liquid cooling systems will have to suspension out the toolbox and get their easily dirty. If you lot recall back to our Raven ii Evolution review, we noted that its predrilled radiator holes were situated under the bottom intake fans, effectively limiting airflow. On top of beingness obstructed, the intake fans would receive the radiator's warm air, making the cooling system far less efficient.

Silverstone appears to have recognized this error but instead of moving the radiator holes, they've scrapped them altogether, forcing users to fend for themselves. On the bright side, we imagine if yous're using a liquid cooling system, you lot're probably accustomed to PC modifications. If yous plan to go this route, the back of the case seems like a smart identify to start as it's largely unoccupied past default.