Silverstone Raven RV05 Case Review

The landscape of the modern PC chassis has changed over the years and in looking back at a time ruled by simple beige boxes we have come a long way.  Many of these original designs lacked adequate cooling and often came with power supplies designed specifically for that case.  It wasn’t until later that casemodders took these boxes and started improving the design.  At the time these improvements were considered unnecessary until case makers realized their designs were not only behind the technology curve but also not much different from the competition.

In this review we looked at the Silverstone Raven RV05.  This case is a fifth generation Raven and a radical deviation from what many enthusiasts expect in a chassis.  In terms of design the case is simpler than previous Raven cases with an abundance of smooth panels complimented by several angled parts as a throwback to the original RV01.  Along the top you’ll find a removable plastic mesh panel that not only serves as the primary access to cables and fan controls but also conceals the locks holding the side panels in place.  No longer will you have to deal with thumb screws, simply press the lever and pull the panel.

Cooling is handled by two 180mm Air Penetrator fans located at the bottom of the case.  These fans pull fresh air in from the bottom and push it upwards.  Not only does this complement natural heat convection but also ensures that every component in your system is getting an equal amount fresh air. 

One of the things that makes the Raven RV05 different from other cases is that this case embraces a shift that has been occurred in the computer world.  If you look at system building guides you will notice that most of them call for a single storage solution either in the form of a SSD, SSD + HDD or HDD depending on the price point.  Given how cheap storage is there is no reason why anyone will need more than one hard drive so why include 6+ locations.  The Raven RV05 response is simple, you get two 3.5” drive bays and two 2.5” drive trays located on the motherboard tray.  Sadly you won’t find any external 5.25” drive bays but you do get a single slim optical bay as a consolation.

With the drive bays gone the Silverstone designers were given the opportunity to move things around and save space where possible.  Doing so brings up an interesting point where space saving can actually backfire.  Some of these changes make sense like why there are only seven expansion slots instead of eight?.  Modern computers benefit less from multi GPU but even if you don’t use the eighth slots the extra clearance will not go unnoticed.  Others like an arbitrary limitation on PSU size due to an internal 3.5” drive rack seems like poor planning.  Of course the excellent, and small, Strider Gold is available but, at a maximum of 850w you now have a hard ceiling on system size.  The final aspect is controversial and related to the lack of 5.25” drive bays and yet how there are allowances for a multitude of radiator options in place of the 180mm Air Penetrators.  Given that most DIY watecooling gear is "not small" finding a place to mount this gear can be quite a challenge. 

For those looking to watercool you should know that the RV05 is designed to provide excellent and balanced air cooling with allowances for AIO watercoolers.  As was mentioned before you do have an option to install a variety of different radiators in place of the 180mm fans but mounting DIY watercooling gear can be a challenge.  Of course installation is not impossible and may consist of building custom brackets or mounting items directly to the case sides which will end up completely covering your system components.  Likewise removing the interior 3.5” drive rack leaves you with only two 2.5” drive trays available and may not be enough storage for the avid gamer.

Great Styling
Solid Construction
Heavy Gauge Side Panels
Dual 180mm Air Penetrator Fans
RPM Switch
Slim Slot Optical Option
Larger Opening for Cables

Limited space for watercooling gear
No external 5.25” drive bays
Seven expansion slots
Small PSU requirement