SilverStone RAVEN RV02-E Case
Feb 9th, 2011 | By SimonThe SilverStone RAVEN RV02-E was shipped to me in its retail package. The box was huge; you could fit a small TV in it! The package contains a ton of details starting with a front view of the case and the inside with short bullets on each of the key features.
On the sides of the package we get an introduction to the case, special features in several languages other than English and a list of features. SilverStone should change the name from Special Features to something else since it’s not in English!
The most exciting part about each review is really the unboxing, it’s almost like Christmas! As I pulled out the RV02-E I realized the box was big because the case itself is huge! The case is protected by two Styrofoam blocks which nestle the case in the middle of the box. An accessory pack is tucked into one of the pockets in the Styrofoam enclosure. Inside the accessory pack we have an installation guide, a number of brackets for mounting various peripheral devices, power adapter for the case fans and cable ties to help organize your case.
Removing the Styrofoam blocks around the case we find the RV02-E bagged in a thin mesh cloth. This serves to keep the case free from debris and works as a great cloth to wipe away pesky fingerprints.
The SilverStone RV02-E is much longer than your typical chassis and that’s because everything has been re-arranged on the inside. We’ll see more of that later when we assemble my new PC. The RV02-E comes with an optional side window (RV02-EW).
The front of the case makes it look like you can install eight 5.25″ devices but that’s the not case. SilverStone simply continued the look of the 5.25″ drives from top to bottom. The top chevron lights up blue when powered and a single orange LED flashes when there is hard drive activity. If you don’t like the extra lights you can always unplug them. The bottom edge has the RAVEN logo embossed on the bezel.
One of the unique features with the RV02-E is the 90° motherboard tray; this means all of your expansion cards connections will be made from above the case. All of the cables route to the back so it doesn’t look like your case is Medusa! In this view we see the hole the cables route through and a 120mm fan filter for your power supply.
To hide all of the cables being routed to the 90° installed motherboard SilverStone uses a top bezel. To me, it also looks like a chevron. The top bezel can be pulled out to reveal the expansion slot, a 120mm cooling fan and power supply opening.
Our last look will be of the bottom. Another feature that sets the RV02-E apart from its competition is the use of three 180mm fans for air intake. We all know that hot air rises and by drawing air from the bottom of the case it should be the coolest possible. Paired with the 90° motherboard, your expansion card won’t get in the way of bringing in fresh cold air to your CPU cooler. The bottom of the case also has two openings for external cooling water systems.
