Cases & PSUs

SilverStone Raven X RVX01 Review

David Mitchelson
December 23, 2015 13 Min Read
4 0

The first case to join the new RAVEN X Series – RVX01 is small in stature, but big on features and arrives with an entry-level price-tag.



Product on Review: SST-RVX01BR
– Raven RVX01
Manufacturer & Sponsor: SilverStone
Street Price: £65 GBP / $80 USD

The RAVEN series has been a great achievement for SilverStone. Over the years this case series has scooped up many accolades for innovation and cooling performance – every 12 months SilverStone has satisfied advocates of the brand with the next instalment but this time round, as the year draws to a close a new series is unleashed by way of the RAVEN X Series.

The first case to be released under the new RAVEN X Series is the RVX01. The idea being that this case will still deliver the signature touches which many have come to love but certain refinements are made to create an entry-level chassis and thus appeal to those on a tighter budget.

So in essence the RVX01 still carries with it some key similarities that we’ve seen over the years but the significant difference is the size – this chassis is condensed and yet still allows for the ATX form factor and many other pieces of hardware – which we’ll be exploring throughout this review.


SilverStone on their RVX01
After completing the evolutionary RAVEN RV05 with 5.25” drive bay design completely removed, the RAVEN team created another forward thinking line of cases with the introduction of the “RAVEN X” subcategory. This line will not only retain the essence of what made the original RAVEN series great with features such as signature aggressive styling and 90 degree rotated layout, but also cater to enthusiasts looking for more exciting designs in an entry-level price point. With the smallest ever footprint for a ATX RAVEN tower case, the RVX01 has remarkably accommodating interior that can easily fit large ATX motherboards up to 12” x 11”, full size graphics card, four 2.5”/3.5” drives, and spaces for up to three radiators. From the factory, the case will come fully equipped with three of SilverStone’s famed Air Penetrator fans for class-leading thermal performance and easy to reach filter for easy maintenance. If you are looking to build an attractive, relatively compact and powerful PC on a budget, the RVX01’s combination of high affordability, top-level cooling ability, and flexible layout will fulfill the task beautifully.

Technical Specifications


Model No.
SST-RVX01BR (black with red trim)
SST-RVX01BR-W (black with red trim + window)
SST-RVX01BA-W (black with blue trim + window)
SST-RVX01BV-W (black with green trim + window)
Material
Plastic outer shell, steel body
Motherboard
ATX (up to 12” x 11”), Micro-ATX
Drive Bay
2.5”x 4 or 3.5”x 4
Cooling System
Front: 120mm fan slot x 1
Top: 120mm fan slot x 1
Bottom: 120mm Air Penetrator x 3, 1200±10% rpm, 19.7dBA
Expansion Slot
7
Front I/O Port
USB 3.0 x 2
audio x 1
MIC x 1
Power Supply
Optional PS2(ATX)
Limitation of Graphics Card
Compatible up to 13.7”, width restriction * – 4.92”~5.91”
Limitation of CPU cooler
162mm or 159mm (window)
Dimension
215mm (W) x 485mm (H) x 500mm (D)
52.1 liters

Packaging & First Look



Seeking to provide an eco-friendly approach, SilverStone present the RVX01 inside a recyclable box. This box is double-reinforced and features illustrations of the case with fundamental details on the front, back and sides. Within this box RVX01 is covered in a clear sheet and polystyrene blocks are used to keep the chassis protected during transit.




Removing RVX01 from its packaging we can clearly see a likening to the original Raven Series. The styling is in keeping with the aggressive nature of the gamer chassis by having distinct accents and bulky contours. RVX01 is available in a windowed and non-windowed version and system builders also have the choice to opt for a red, blue or green band for the feet/top grill. We’re reviewing the non-windowed version today and as you can see from the above pictures, both panels are completely solid and without any significant features.

In true Raven fashion the motherboard tray within the chassis is rotated and on the alternate side.

Although SilverStone have used a fair bit of plastic for the engineering of this case, we have to remember that RVX01 is targeting entry-level enthusiasts. So far as styling goes, those who favour something with flair and distinction can’t go wrong with this case.

Over the page we’ll explore the rest of the outside of RVX01

Exterior



Observing RVX01 from the front we have a plastic fascia with the Raven emblem imprinted. There are no 5.25” drive bays within this case so the front is completely closed off – except for some ventilation cut-outs along the edge for airflow. Towards the middle of the case there is a silver band which is in fact an LED strip – this illuminates red once the system is powered.

Since our motherboard tray is rotated, the back of the chassis is notably different to the traditional tower design. Instead, we have some perforated mesh which will work with the PSU fan to allow cool air to be sucked in. Towards the top there is an opening to provide space for all the cables to feed in/out – since this top section is where the rear IO ports are. There are two thumbscrews which fix the top panel to the chassis. This top panel has to be removed in order to detach the side panels.


Up at the top of RVX01 there are just a few items for the front panel connectivity. These consist of:

• Power button
• 2x USB 3.0 ports
• Headphone and microphone jacks
• Reset button w/ activity LED

Although we do only have two USB ports we’re glad that SilverStone are using the opportunity to phase out USB 2.0.


Further back from these ports the top panel (which is plastic) is heavily ventilated. There is a large grid of perforated mesh to provide the rear IO ports, expansion devices and the PSU to flush out any unwanted heat.


Flipping the case onto its side we see there are four rubber feet to prevent the case from slipping on smooth surfaces and there is a large, detachable dust filter which cover a trio of 120mm Air Penetrator cooling fans. These fans operate as intakes and will push air across the system – as such there will be dust buildup so its handy to have a filter which is removable while the case is stood up.

On the next page we’ll explore the inside of the chassis.

Interior




Both side panels are fixed onto the chassis with standard screws from the top section. After removing the panels we finally have a glimpse of the internal design of RVX01. As previously mentioned the internal design adopts a rotated motherboard tray which is also situated on the reverse side. All of the inside is powder coated black and we can house up to ATX form factor. SilverStone has ensured key areas have relevant cut-outs for cabling – on the next page we’ll report back on how accurate/useful these are.

It’s nice to see that space has been utilised well on the prominent side – the lower panel can house two SSDs if desired.


With the top panel now detached we can get a better understand of how the rotated motherboard tray works. The section in the above picture would be typically situated at the back of the traditional tower design, instead all of the I/O is found at the top – in the past, this design has proven to significantly aid the cooling methodology because after all, heat rises!

Towards the left-side we have a series of seven PCI expansion slot covers – these covers have ventilation cut-outs and a standard screw fixes devices into place. Sadly, these covers are disposable – once they have been removed from the chassis, they cannot be reused. For a case costing what RVX01 does, we’d have at least expected some reusable covers, though SilverStone does include a single reusable cover.

RVX01 has a 120mm mounting placement for attaching a cooling fan (or closed loop) and the power supply sits on the far-right with the power socket facing the top of the case.


Looking at the power supply area from another angle, the back of the chassis offers some ventilation for the cooling fan on the PSU to draw cool air in.


Located at the front of RVX01 there is another fan placement for slotting in a 120mm solution.


Regarded as SilverStone’s signature design – the RVX01 utilises a trio of 120mm Air Penetrator cooling fans at the very bottom of the chassis. These fans are responsible for flushing cool air across the system and core components. Air Penetrators are well-known for offering excellent performance so we’re confident they’ll do a great job in the performance test later in the review. The only slight niggle is that the cables have been left with black, yellow and red insulation; this can look unsightly inside a case which is completely black – we’d have liked to see SilverStone use black cabling, even if this chassis is regarded as “entry-level”.


At the back of RVX01 SilverStone has given this case a small storage cage which can house 2.5” and 3.5” drives. 2.5” drives require a bracket which is supplied and there is additional support for such a sized drive on the prominent side of the chassis too – with two sections of cut-outs to slide the drives into.

Over the page we’ll be installing our ATX test system inside the case and reporting back on the process.

Installation




Since we’re dealing with an exceptionally tight workspace, installing a system inside RVX01 can be tricky – especially when moving a full ATX motherboard into place. Due to the side plate, the motherboard has to be tilted and rotated in order to squeeze it into the chassis. Overall the process was largely without any significant problems.

Cases which are tight on space often require more patience to work with, the same can be said when moving our test system inside RVX01.


Installing a 3.5” drive inside RVX01 is simple – the drive slides into one of the available slots and screws are attached in order to fix the drive into place.


For those wanting to attach 2.5” SSDs, there are mounting holes which support up to 2x 2.5” drives – getting the screws attached from the other side can be quite tedious since there is very little space to manoeuvre – we recommend using a stubby screwdriver. The SSD should be attached from the other side other than shown in the picture above, therefore hiding the drive and securing it by attaching screws from the front-side.

On the next page we’ll be identifying the clearance options inside RVX01

Clearance – CPU Cooler, Graphics Card, Cable Management


Reporting back on the clearance limitations within a case is essential for system builders because it helps to establish which components will fit, and which will not.

CPU Cooler


Starting with the CPU Cooler, there is approximately 162mm. Pictured is our Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO which is 159mm in height and you can see how tight this is, but thankfully the side panel does fit back onto the chassis without any problems.

Graphics Card


Turning to the graphics card support, there is space for up to 340mm. Due to no obstructions towards the front of the case, there is also support for multi-GPU configurations.

Cable Management


Behind the motherboard tray there is very little space at all. As you can see from the picture above less than 10mm is available which can make the cable management awkward if you have big, bulky cables. Extra care needs to be taken in this department due to such severe limitations.

Thermal Performance Testing


Within RVX01 there three cooling fans which are 120mm in specification – Air Penetrators. All three fans are located at the bottom of the chassis and are intakes, driving cool air over the system and out through the top. In the past we’ve seen the same methodology implemented in other SilverStone cases and the results usually yield great results.

To discover the thermal performance of RVX01 we will record idle temperatures after 20 minutes from a cold boot. We will then stress the system and temperatures will again be monitored after 20 minutes have elapsed.

The delta temperatures are recorded for the test with the ambient being subtracted from the reported maximum core temperatures from the test.

System Components

CPU Intel Pentium K G3258 @ 4GHz
Motherboard GIGABYTE Z87X-D3H
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 760
Memory 4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3
HDD Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU DeepCool DQ750

Noise

Moderate noise can be heard from RVX01 when the system is powered up due to the thickness of the panels and the sheer number of fans included. The noise isn’t regarded as disruptive but it is certainly noticeable.

Conclusion


Having such a highly revered computer chassis line demands creativity. SilverStone’s Raven Series has been a firm favourite over the years and yet throughout each iteration there have been some significant improvements made – highlighting the fact that this manufacturer is keen to innovate.

This year SilverStone has decided to introduce a new subdivision – RAVEN X, and this first instalment is quite an interesting computer chassis.

From the outside the RVX01 is a stylish computer chassis which should pair up and complement other office appliances. Although the design targets the gamer, the aesthetics aren’t overly gaudy but we can understand the heavy use of plastics throughout based on the entry-level price point.

Adopting the renowned 90-degree motherboard tray rotation, RVX01 not only offers up a quirky internal layout but when combined with the trio of Air Penetrator cooling fans, the cooling performance is exceptional. The positive pressure design to which SilverStone has enforced for many years has proven time and again how reliable and efficient this methodology is.


The dimensions of RVX01 mean that this chassis uses a small footprint with a condensed feature-set and yet it can still house ATX motherboards and high-end hardware – such as large CPU coolers and big graphics cards. On the flipside of this, the installation is somewhat tricky in areas and extra patience is required; especially when moving the motherboard into the case and arranging the cables.

While RVX01 is an entry-level solution and we appreciate there must be certain cut-backs, for the cost we still expect reusable PCI covers which this case sadly does not come with. SilverStone supply one reusable cover but the rest must be disposed once removed from the case.

RVX01 arrives with a price-tag of £65 GBP / $80 USD which represents good value for money. RVX01 offers a strong feature-set and also comes with a trio of Air Penetrators so we think the asking price is certainly fair.

The RVX01 is a fine commencement for the new RAVEN X Series – SilverStone has supplied a small but capable chassis which continues to deliver the trademark RAVEN cooling performance.

VIDEO REVIEW – VORTEZ TV


Pros
+ Stylish design
+ Excellent cooling performance
+ Three cooling fans included
+ Condensed but can still house high-end kit

Cons
– Installation can be tricky
– Disposable PCI covers
– Cable management is tough

Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.

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David Mitchelson