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The Raven 3 arrives in a plain brown box with details of the product on all sides. We like the hammer horror style font. The case is protected inside between two slabs of tough polystyrene.
The bundle is spartan, but it contains the necessary items for the system build. All the screws are included, as well as some cable ties and a power converter cable. The manual is multi language and covers a step by step installation method.
The Raven 3 has a similar appearance to the Raven 2, but Silverstone have decided to accent the case with gold stripes. The left side has a transparent window to showcase the system when it is finished. The case is made from a 0.8mm steel body and a reinforced plastic outer shell. There are two models, the SST-RV03B (black) and the SST-RV03B-W (black & window). Due to the metal core structure, it is a fairly heavy case, weighing in at 11.4 kg.
The dimensions of the case are 235mm (w) x 522 mm (h) x 570 mm (d).
The front of this side panel has a vented hole. This particular chassis design accommodates the power supply at the front of the case, so the vented holes allow for improved air flow. The other side of the case has no fans, only two vented holes to help with air flow.
The Raven 2's appearance didn't appeal to everyone, although I adapted to it over time. This case isn't a radical redesign and the gold lines down either side add a certain visual appeal. The logo is cut into the plastic grill at the bottom. At the top are two buttons for easy access, one for powering up and the other for reset.
The RV03 offers a unique dual appearance mode, allowing you to remove the plastic covers on the front for a ‘meshed' look. It is a straightforward process and literally takes a couple of seconds per slot. The bottom size 5.25 inch bays are supplied with fan holders attached allowing the user to install an additional two 120mm fans. Obviously if fans are installed on the front panels, then the corresponding drive covers need to be removed to allow for air flow.
The Raven 03 case has front mounted positions for two USB 3.0 ports and audio jacks. This is protected by a small, but sturdy flap.
The top of the Raven 3 has another plastic section, which can be removed easily enough. Again, this is similar to the Raven 2, but it is slightly more elaborate in appearance with this latest revision. We had read of complaints with this on some of the preproduction models, but the retail version, which we have, is strong.
The original design for the top section of this case (image above) was much more radical in the early stages as you can see in our article from last year, here. We are glad they changed it.
Since the motherboard is rotated at a 90 degree angle inside this case, all the connections are at the top. There are several rubber mounted holes for watercooling at the front of the case, next to some fan speed controls. Silverstone include a 120mm exhaust fan at the top, this is a 900 rpm model which is rated to emit only 18dBa of noise (SilverStone S1202512SLN-3M). Both side panels are removed with two thumbscrews at the front and back of the case.
The underside of the chassis is supplied with two huge air filters covering the full length. This has been changed since the last design, as the air filters were inside the case before, built into the intake fans. The benefits with the Raven 03 mean that you don't need to open the case to clean the filters. They need to be handled carefully as the holding mechanism isn't that strong, but we found they don't fall out without a modicum of pressure.
The rear of the case is very plain with vents for a 120mm fan fitting. There is no fan supplied for this, so you need to add your own. If a fan is fitted here, you may block the bottom expansion slot on your motherboard.
Well im glad they changed the spiky monster design from last year into this. I think its rather fetching.
The fans are nice, the overall design isn’t ugly but I am not sure im sold on some of the internal designs. the PSU at the front from the side? its rather hard to get used to that.
I like it, good airflow, like v2
The gold stripe is a bit different, wasnt it blue originally
I likethe routing arou d the back of the case but i dont like the looks at all.
To me this seems like a bit of a mish mash of a case – nobody likes the racing stripes down the front and whilst it may look nicer in the flesh, very few people will get the chance to view it in person before purchasing.
I think if they had simply updated the superb Raven Evolution then they would have been on to a dead cert – I can see where they are coming from though because adding a 3 to the party probably attracts a lot more attention and therefor more sales.
If they do ever bring the Evo up to date with front intenal usb3.0 headers then I will be on it like a flash.