Silverstone Raven Questions- owners' advice please!

Gundog48

Gundog48

Gundog48

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Where do I start...

The other day I saw that OCUK has stocked some RV02-E Windowed in white and instantly fell in love! I have never really considered a Raven case before but I am now really considering it. As much as I love cases such as the HAF series I am starting to like some of the minimalistic Lian Li cases as well, and the Raven seems like a good compromise. However, I have a few concerns and there are a few options open so I would love to hear your advice on what I should do, especially from owners.

My main priorities when looking for a case:
  • Large window
  • General aesthetics
  • Build quality
  • Noise + Cooling

I admit I am very much for style over substance! However, after seeing the cooling performance in addition to the aesthetics I was really blown away by this case on paper, however, here are my worries:

Concerns:

Window not big enough/ well positioned- I have the PC on my desk next to me and would like to clearly see all the main components

Build quality- Although the case is clearly well constructed, the front and top are made of plastic. I really like solid metal construction but could anyone fill me in as to how the case 'feels' with the plastic on it?

Motherboard on the left- a bit of an annoyance but I could get round it, although I would prefer one with the standard configuration.

CPU Cooling- I am currently using a CoolIT Vantage cooler which I could set to intake on the rear fan (where the PSU was on the original RV02) however I believe that air cooling would be more effective for this case. It does annoy me because I sold my Thor's Hammer CPU cooler a few weeks ago which would have been perfect. What do you say? Sell the Vantage and get a good air cooler or stick with the Vantage? I am going off the Vantage after the incident where it threw a metal spring onto my graphics card which remained there for weeks until I looked carefully (somehow it did not damage it despite lying across solder joints) and the way it beeps at me every morning!

Options

Get the White Windowed RV02 Evo from OCUK
or
Wait for the RV03 which has the window on the left side but appears to have a smaller window

and

Keep my CoolIT Vantage
or
Sell it and get a good air cooler

Sorry for the massive report but I am looking for some advice on a fairly in-depth subject! Your help would be appreciated!
 
Well, for a start its a great case, your CoolIT Vantage should fit fine, it can be mounted in the top or useing the supplied rad brackets, mounted ontop one of the 180mm fans. But i have seen good air coolers run passively with the 180mm fan directly below it and a 120mm above, it really is an option. And if you get a good looking air cooler it will look very nice without any fans attached.


Build quality, having had some lian-li's in the past, the amount of things that stick to adonised alluiminum is crazy. The RVO2 has a steel body with a plastic outer shell, which really helps to keep noise down and is resistant to scratches and fingerprints.

I did a watercooling build log (in sig) which has quite afew pictures of it in operation and the kind of view you get sitting at a desk. It should allso show the viewing angle of the window, what you see/dont see. I would be useing it in a future build if i weren't planning a FTO3 white build :p


Hope that helps :)
 
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Thanks for that link, precisely what I wanted! I remember looking at your log but didn't really take in a lot of it as I have never considered a Raven before. The Evo has the PSU at the front which frees up the rear fan (where the PSU used to intake air) so I could put the Vantage there on intake. As I said I had the Thor's Hammer which is very good at passive cooling and I wish I hadn't sold it! I am considering going WC for my CPU but for now I may well go with an air cooler.

Thanks for the help! I think I'm sold...
 
I have this case and it is a fantastic case. Hopefully my answers will help you.

The window is big enough. The only thing i can not see in mine is the hard drives. I can see everything else no problems.

The build quality is good. It's a well put together case. Even with the plastics on the front and top it still feels well built. The plastics do not feel cheap at all.

Having the motheboard on the left is not to bad. The thing that was strange for me at first is being able to get my case almost flush against the wall. With the board in the position it is all the cables running through the top of the case i means that the back of the case is free. Took me a couple of days to remember that things plugged into the top not the back.

I use a h50 in mine with two fans exhausting out of the case. My i5 750 running at 3.6 i sidle at 30-33 all the time. Thats with the bottom fans on low also. You should be fine with the vantage but if you do go air cooled remeber that there is only 167mm clearence for a cooler so some will not fit.

If it was me i would buy the rv02 and stay well away from the rv03. The rv03 is butt ugly in my opinun. What silverstone has done to the raven is a crime. Trust me you will not be upset with the rv02.

Weather you keep the vantage is up to you. You could always get a h50 or h70 as these work well in the rv02.
 
Thanks for the advice, although I have just realised that the Evo version has the PSU at the back so there is no fan hole to put the Vantage in apart from the rear one which is the exhaust. Not quite sure how to overcome this as I can't see any way of mounting it externally or internally.
 
All the RV02/FT02 models have the PSU vertically at the back...

I have the FT02, which is identical to the E inside, and only the outer fascias differ. Cooling is excellent, I'm passively cooling my i7 using a Thermalright HR02, and at idle it's about as close to silent as it's going to get realistically (got a nice fan controller which auto-adjusts the fan speed for temperature). The window is basically directly over the motherboard (same size/shape), and is just what I'd want from a side-window - I don't want to see the drive bays or the PSU...
 
Must be thinking of the RV03 where they are putting the PSU under the 5.25" drive bays and putting the HDDs behind the motherboard tray. Pretty happy now with my main worries about the case, all that remains is the question of how to attach the Vantage! I will most likely get a good air cooler at the nearest opportunity but in the mean time I need a temporary solution. I'm considering the possibility of passing tha cables through the top expansion card slot and mounting it loosely at the top but it is hardly ideal!
 
Not sure how big your psu in but i use a h50 that is top mounted as an exhaust and it works well.

You can put the rad in whichever oriantation you want. I had the rad at the bottom with one fan exhaust and it worked well also.



 
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Thanks for that! I didn't really think that it would exhaust well enough with a rad on it too but it clearly does! I may get some vented expansion slot covers to help vent the graphics card with the help of the massive positive air pressure!
 
I've done my research, promise! Don't think I have an excuse not to buy it now, it is exactly what I want! Still not sure on getting it in white but that is a minor decision to make! Thanks for your help and advice!
 
Yer. I bought mine when they first come out. Wish i had waited to get the predetors. That said i did get mine for a good price. Just can not justify spending £45.00 on three fans when i don't think it will make that mush diffrence to my temps.
 
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