Product Listing

Let's Get Vertical - SilverStone Raven RV02

By Kenny Yeo - 12 Aug 2009

Deviant Insides - Interior (contd.)

Deviant Insides - Interior (contd.)

As we proceeded to install the motherboard, PSU and graphics card components, we noticed some flaws with the Raven RV02. First of all, installing the casing was a bit of a hassle. In traditional casings, the PSU would normally have a dedicated rack, making it easy to install. But in the Raven RV02, because the PSU has to be vertically mounted, installing it required us to rotate and position the Raven RV02 numerous times. And this is no easy task considering the casing's significant bulk. Furthermore, high-powered PSUs are often of appreciable size as well, and we don't like the fact that the PSU is left sort of dangling from the top of the casing with nothing more than the top screws and a PSU strap securing it in place. A small PSU placeholder was provided as well, but it really didn't help much.

We also didn't like that the fans have to be powered by multiple 3-pin power connectors instead of a single daisy-chained 4-pin Molex connector. This means that to get all the fans on Raven RV02 going, the motherboard must have four fan power headers (besides the CPU header), and that is an issue to even some high-end motherboards which lack that many connections. This means some of the users would need to spend a few more bucks to purchase a 3-pin to 4-pin Molex power converters to fully utilize the casing's potential.

This is what it looks like inside the Raven RV02 after we've installed all the components. Despite the large fans taking up much space, the Raven RV02 will easily swallow a Radeon HD 3870 X2 card. There's much space for neat freaks who want to tie and stuff the power connectors away.

Installing the PSU was a drag. Because of it has to be vertically mounted, there was no PSU tray and therefore we had to turn and rotate the casing around numerous times to ensure a good fit. SilverStone also recommends tying a strap around the PSU to the casing to prevent it from swaying about during operation.

The Raven RV02 has eight expansion slots, which means you'll be able to fit three dual-slot graphics card.

Yet another issue we found was that the top casing cover would have difficulties closing if any of the ports were to use any adaptors or a cable with an ill-sized ferrite core. There goes the neat and clean look if you get stuck with this issue.

Here's a look at the top side of the Raven RV02 with all the ports exposed.

Remember the top panel that covers all the ports? If you are using an adapter like this, the top panel won't fit....

... See, it won't fit!

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