Silverstone Raven: A New Concept in Case Cooling
by Christoph Katzer on February 6, 2009 4:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Appearance
The case is all matte black with small windows on the left side panel where users can see their motherboard and components. We are rather pleased that Silverstone didn't include a larger window, since this allows you to show off your graphics card(s) and a few other items without worrying about showing the power supply and all of the extra cables that might be present. The top of the case is rather bulky, since there needs to be room for all of the cables that would normally be at the back of your case. The left side also features additional air intakes that bulge out on the bottom of the case; in fact, the case is somewhat reminiscent of HP's Blackbird design, with some obvious changes. The front of the case sports a horizontal clear plastic part at the top that glows blue when the system is powered up. If you use the appropriate motherboard connector, you also see a small red flashing light in the middle of the blue illuminated bar for hard drive accesses.
The front door is quite cool: it slides down into a recess when you push it. It will stay there until you tap it again, at which time it will slowly slide up to its starting position. Above the door in the horizontal glowing bar you find the power and reset buttons. Behind these buttons is a door that you might not at first notice, which provides access to some standard I/O ports -- USB, audio, and FireWire.
Moving to the rear of the case, things take a dramatic turn from what we are used to. You are greeted by a smooth surface, since all the connectors are now at the top of the case. The one exception is the power supply, which is located at the bottom of the chassis. We think this design will appeal particularly to people who have their PCs sitting next to (or under) their desk on the floor. It's possible to hide much of the cable clutter that you would normally see if you're careful. Of course, the flipside is that you would want to have this case sitting on top of something like your desk, as then everyone would see all of the cables hanging down from the top of your chassis.
Opening the top of the case to get all of the cables and expansion ports is very easy. You turn both knobs at the back of the top and then you can lift that part out of the way. You will then have access to all of the expansion slot ports. The removable section is perforated to allow airflow through the top of the chassis, and in fact airflow would probably be better if this perforated top didn't even exist (although then we wouldn't have hidden cables). You'll also need to remove the top panel anytime you want to access the side panels, since the two lovers that open the sides are underneath the top panel. When you push the appropriate lever towards the front, the respective side panel will open.
Another noteworthy feature is that Silverstone installed filters on all of the air intakes, which should help tremendously in keeping the interior of your case free of dust bunnies. Since the case will likely be sitting on the floor, this is an even bigger concern. Just remember to clean your air filters on a regular schedule.
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Christoph Katzer - Saturday, February 7, 2009 - link
Waiting for the i7-System, will have multiple setups in the future. Noctua is sending fans and coolers that I can run the cases with different fan setups, speeds and different cooler designs.glenster - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
Comparing the bit tech temp results, it cools a CPU better than aCM HAF 932, and GPU cooling ability falls between a 932 and a Silverstone Fortress--about like a CM ATSC 840, and better if you don't mind leaving the lid ajar. It's quiet and good at keeping dust out. If you want to get the bargain out of OCing a Core i7 920 (and would like it quiet for recording with Cakewalk), it sound like a good deal. I'd like to compare an Antec P1000, but I don't know if I'll wait till it comes out.
darthwhit - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
Here is how it works.The case doesn't sit flat on the floor. There is plenty of room for air intake through the bottom of the case. There is a dust screen at the bottom to help prevent dust from getting into the case. There is also much less flat space for dust to settle on.
The power supply intake and outake go directly to the outside of the case. Not helping or hindering airflow or heat at all.
The cables still go out the back of the case, they just plug in at the top of the case under the hood and trail out the back of the case. There is plenty of room for most connectors under the hood. I would not expect there to be room for a USB WIFI dongle or something with similar height.
surt - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
Note to case designers. I do not want noisy 120mm fans. I will not be buying anything with fans under 140mm. I don't care if it starts out quiet, as they accumulate dust they start to whine. 140mm+ fans tend not to suffer from that with their wider blades and slower turn rates.strikeback03 - Monday, February 9, 2009 - link
rofl.A few years ago you would see posts identical to this, but with 80mm in place of 120 and 120 instead of 140. Few more years and people will be crying for 200mm fans only.
tsponholz - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
I don't see how this would be fundamenatally different from other cases that intake on the bottom/low and vent out the top. The CoolerMaster Cosmos series for one -- same isolated air supply and vent for the PSU, same bottom fan intake, and two exhaust fans out the top (plus on emore at the top rear). The Cosmos appears to have more clearance for the floor, as well, to allow less dust collecting.I understand that it uses positive pressure colling (more intake than exhaust fans) but has that been shown to be conclusively better?
I just don't see how turning the mobo will accomplish better cooling. Maybe I'm missing something. I'd much rather take the FT01 if I'm spending on a Silverstone.
BarneyBadass - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
The design while esthetically pleasing to the eye, appears to have the opportunity for significant improvement.With all the grill work so close to the fans, I would expect the exhaust to be restricted.
I don't think I would consider this case for any build.
Also; while access to the HDD's from the front is nice; I would have expected some louvers that forced or otherwise channeled airflow between the drives.
The aspect of "Positive air pressure" is at best interesting. Considering the Air is just looking for anywhere to escape; it's seems plausible that the positive pressure could actually reduce the air flow in the case and trap some level of heat inside the case. I would certainly find a way to add a second fan at the top of the case.
But those are my thoughts... simply thoughts.. no experience with the case.
Wineohe - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
I would really like to have seen a few pictures with actual cabling. What are we hiding. I just can't imagine putting a cover over a DVI cable that is resisting your every effort at getting it to make a right angle, not to mention the stress on the connector. Am I missing something.Speaking of cabling some innovations that I think are more important?
1) How about a standard for wireless keyboard and mouse communications so that the Transceiver could be built into the case somehow?
2)A standardized USB hub connector for remote mounting(powered by the computer of course). I would love to have to plug in only one cable when servicing or replacing a computer.
3)Can some minor changes to the HDMI Protocal be made to effectively replace bulky DVI?
I guess I got a little off track. The case looks great with it's stealth appearance but I suspect a more conventional layout would be more successful.
waffle911 - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
In terms of cabling, there is actually quite a bit of space underneath the top panel. Plenty to allow a stiff DVI cable to bend without breaking a sweat. Well, that might be an exaggeration, but it has something like 2.5"+ of wriggle room.1. The answer to your prayers is Bluetooth. Logitech peripheral dongles are absolutely minuscule, and plug in to a USB port. Not quite integrated, but better than having something built into the case that adds unnecessary cost.
2. I assume you mean a high-powered USB connector, since a USB hub by design requires external auxiliary power in order to meet the demands of multiple devices that one USB port could not power. If this is the case, then yes, the standard exists and is being wholly neglected by the industry. AeroCool has some front panel accessories with these ports.
3. HDMI = consumer DVI. But the true replacement for DVI is going to be Display Port, and if Apple has their way, Mini Display Port. Have you seen this thing? It's tiny, and has all the functionality of dual-link DVI—and then some.
Wineohe - Friday, February 6, 2009 - link
I'm aware of Bluetooth of course, but frustrated by the proprietary nature of the protocal and the communication chips. What a screwed up mess. I want to put a gun to my head every time I want to make it work on my Laptop or Desktop. Toshiba, Broadcom, CSR, ISSC, IVT ...yada yada. 802.11 seems like genius by comparison.As for the high-powered USB? I'm intrigued. Having 6 cables hanging out of the back of my box is a pain.
Mini Display Port? Hmm. Leave it to Apple. If DVI were invented in the 70's I can't imagine it being any more cumbersome.