SILVERSTONE RAVEN Series RV03B-WA Matte Black with Gray Trimming, Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Pros: We already have two of the previous, RV02 model Raven cases. Both are packed to the gills with computational and storage kit. They remain our overall favorite cases for builds that combine high performance with low noise. We have used the the newest Raven case for about 6 months and it is decidedly a compromise.

On the plus side, cooling performance remains excellent even though it only has two of the massive bottom fans compared with the three in the RV02. This, combined with a revised internal layout shortened the depth of the case by over 4 inches - a good thing for storing under a desk. The height, however, grew by a couple inches. Noise levels are, if anything, even lower than with the previous version. Our RV03 has dual Xeon processors, an NVIDIA workstation graphics card, and 4 HDDs and only produces a low murmur under load.

Cable management is also greatly improved, making clean installs easy. Silverstone embraced SSD drives, with several mounting positions behind the motherboard for seriously clean cabling. There is even a cutout for the CPU backplate, so you don't have to remove the motherboard to replace standard ATX or eATX processors or heatsinks.

Cons: All is not perfect with the Raves 3, however, There are four 3.5 inch drive caddies located behind the motherboard. Unfortunately there is little cooling, so you wouldn't want to use these slots for drives that get much use. Also, the mounts in two of the four slots are less than secure, so even moderate movement is enough to knock the drives loose, leaving them to crash to the bottom of the case. Hope your drives are still under warranty...

Speaking of drives, the Raven 3 the only traditional internal bays are for 5.25 inch drives. Adapters are included for 3.5 inch drives, but the shortened chassis has eliminated the fan that provided airflow across these bays. In our system, the HDD drives are only used in a RAID6 array for backups. As such, they are only used for short times late at night when the system is otherwise idle. If you plan on using a HDD as a system or data drive, you'll need to add internal fans to keep them cool.

Silverstone added USB3 headers to the case. That's good except that instead of providing cables to attach to internal motherboard USB3 headers, the case cables are simple extenders that (barely) reach the USB3 ports on the back (or top, since we're talking the 90 degree-rotated Raven) of the motherboard. So, yes you get two USB3 ports on the case, but these come at the cost of losing the two on the back of the motherboard. Thanks, I guess...

A final complaint is in order for the power supply placement. Unlike previous Ravens, the PS is now located at the bottom front corner. The case has a ventilated cutout that proved tight for even a standard-dimension, modular power supply (Corsair HX series). In the interest of clean design, Silverstone has an internal line power connector to the power supply. The wall plug is then built into the case, emerging stylishly to preserve the clean lines. What makes this approach boneheaded is that the on-off button for the power supply is inaccessibly buried in the case. You can't reach it from the outside. The only way to fully turn off power is to unplug the case from the wall - there's no external connector or switch on the case itself. Good luck if your system is connected to a UPS buried under a desk or reaching the wall outlet requires moving furniture.

Other Thoughts: Overall, the Raven 3 remains a very good case. Build quality is excellent, although they skimped on thumbscrews and went back to connectors requiring you to break out a screwdriver. The enclosure is clean inside, offering excellent cooling performance with low noise. They obviously thought out cable routing and made swapping processors and heatsinks as painless as possible - all good things for a high performance, enthusiast case.

The compromises and design decisions Silverstone made simply are not competitive in this market segment. HDD placement and cooling are, to be generous, not optimal. You need to choose between either no cooling at all and insecure mounting behind the motherboard tray or minimal cooling with extra fans and cables that disrupt the processor and graphics card airflow. If you only use solid state drives or, like us, have HDD drives only for backups, you'll appreciate the 2.5 inch drive holders behind the motherboard tray.

Design decisions such as the USB headers cannibalizing the motherboard ports and the power supply placement are simply silly. Overall, Silverstone made a step backwards with the Raven 3. I really wanted to like this case, but cannot recommend it.

Pros: Huge amount of space. Airflow is great if you are buying GPUs that are not opened air. Just got it today, but haven't used it yet cuz CPU hasn't come home yet.

Cons: Only one could be more organized manual.

Pros: -Tons of space
-Great build quality
-Lots of Airflow
-Comes with fans
-Multitude of HDD mounts

I used this for my second build because its 90* rotated mobo tray has all the outputs at top, which is super for me because I don't have a desk big enough to put this on, or enough room under, makes connecting my peripherals really easy.
Despite being a full tower case, its layout makes it little bigger than my HAF 912.
Cable management was super easy in this, there's tons of room behind the motherboard tray where, and it gives you the option to mount a 120mm fan behind the cpu, how cool and useful!
Loved being able to install 4 HDD's and 2 SSD's behind the mobo tray, keeps things clean and makes managing wires easy.
I'm fairly knowledgeable on computer tech, but am still a relatively novice builder (never had the time to build many rigs myself, had to go with pre-built) and this case made it easy, I was able to hook everything up in under an hour using its simplistic but effective manual.
It helps a little that it looks beautiful.

Cons: I wouldn't really call them cons, at least not enough of cons to warrant a removal of an egg, but I wish there was a way to route your peripheral wires through the case's top covering as opposed to going under the handle at the back, but that's solve-able with my garage's workbench, hehe.
I had a little trouble with the 5.25" and 3.5" drive bays, but I'd call it user error.
All in all it's a brilliant case and would recommend to novice and veteran builders alike.

Pros: Just the right amount of plastic structure with a great amount of steel reinforcement. I've had many cases in the past and this baby made me happy right out of the box.

Further inspection satisfied me that much more. Its easy to figure out, everything is very conveniently placed, lots of space, and room for options.

She's a beauty and the price was a steal compared to the RV01 and RV02.

Cons: It has a handle built into the rear top of the case for easy transportation, but thats the only handle. I would have preferred Silverline to finish the idea and put a second handle on the opposite side of the case for ease.

Also the handle is plastic, so I foresee it breaking one day.

Other Thoughts: I purchased this baby because the RV01 was about 5x the price. I was presently surprised that she incorporates some of the best ideas of her two predecessors, thus making her better than the RV02 by far, but still second to the RV01. Again, for the price of this baby, she was a steal! I plan to purchase 4 more fans for this beauty since it has so much room for more!

Manufacturer Response:

Thank you very much for purchasing a SilverStone. The RV03's rear top handle is actually made out of polyoxymethylene (POM), a material that is much stronger than plastic so you shouldn't worry about it breaking for the life of the product!

Pros: Loads of room
Love the PS mounting!
Cooling is amazing
Mounting options are great
Clean looks
VERY easy to work with

Cons: Need a way to secure the AC power cord under the case.
Case fan filters are not attached well.

Other Thoughts: I always wait a while before I write a review of something. Gives me a chance to really play and see if there is anything that really drives me nuts about something. Here is my review of this Silverstone case after just over a month of tweaking, playing and working with it.
I built a dual processor Xeon based server with a total of 7 drives with a 1200 watt power supply in this case. There are two - 3Tb HDDs in a RAID, two - 256Gb SSD drives in a RAID and two - 2Tb HDDs in a RAID plus an 24x DVD optical drive. It was so nice to have all the mounting options that this case allows! I still have room, on the MB and in the case to instal FOUR more drives if needed! When building a server for a small business that doesn't want multiple boxes in multiple places this really was the ticket. And the customer LOVES the look as compared to a klunky rack mount system.
Anyone that has any problems working with this case just don't get it. It is a simple design that makes everything work. I added fans to the case simply because of the type of computer I was building and EVERYTHING stays nice and cool! Those 180 fans on the bottom really move air and with the RAM chips being vertical on the board, air really moves across them nicely. The processors are stacked on on top of the other in this case and the upper CPU only runs about 2C hotter than the lower one. And neither of them EVER gets hot while running.
It was very nice to be able to route wires and make a clean, clean install. There are almost NO cables, wires or anything crossing over the MB. I was even able to hide the CPU cooler cables! This case just allows so many great options. In my opinion you will need to add a couple of fans at least. I chose to install 120 PWM fans because my MB supported numerous PWM fans and it certainly made the finished product quieter. You can sit two feet away from this case with SIX case fans and TWO CPU fans running full tilt and still carry on a conversation with someone without having to even raise your voices! It is just "white noise" from anything past three feet or so. The customer could not believe how quiet this thing was! And, after it boots and the MB controls kick in and slow the PWM fans...... You can't even hear it from ten feet away. Period.
After seeing the old Transformer case and some of the R0-2 cases I was hesitant..... But Silverstone really hit it on the nose with this R0-3 Raven. It is a sweet case if you want to build a strong, clean and professional build! This case is worth every penny and it will definitely do the job for you.
If you are a "slap it together and run" kind of builder with no patience.... DO NOT get this case. You won't understand how it works and you will get frustrated. If you are a "plan it out and make it right" kind of builder you will absolutely LOVE this case!!
Build:
Tyan MB with dual Xeon E5-2420 processors.
64Gb RAM
2- 3Tb HDDs
2- 2Tb HDDs
2- 256Gb SSD HDDs
1- 24X DVD+R
Thermaltake 12

Pros: I own the RV02B version. I absolutely love it. I am building a new Rig for my neighbor and will use this RVO3B version.
RAVENS ROCK!!!

Cons: I dont really have any complaints.

Other Thoughts: So easy to access the cables from the top. Most all heat exits from the top. Gotta love it.

Pros: all i can say is i love it

Cons: cons?????????

Pros: The size of the case and motherboard options were good for me. I am doing a long term build. I customized the front bays with and an air duct and intake which worked good with the built in filters. Still decinding on cooling water blocks and such. Delivered undamaghed

Cons: none that I can see

Other Thoughts: I did add 2 more fans and an additional filter for the mother side of the case. So I have all intake fans filtered fine. There is allot of room for many different ideas and customzations.

Pros: Decent size and room inside.
Interresting lay out 90 degrees upward, it helps a lot for the airflow actually.
Charming look
I like the steel side of it, it makes the case sturdy.
I could mount my close loop Thermaltake liquid cooling with ease.
Good case overall and also really silent which is exactly what I was looking for!
Pretty genius side HDDs holding bays.
Helpful holes in the backplate for cable routing.

Cons: I may be too old, I do not know but it was my first tool less this and that and I did not like it. No even a bit.
I do not understand those clips lock and I still have to mount screws anyway.
Plastic clips? no thank you, never again, I seriously did not like it because I do not understand it, optical drive and NZXT fan controller 5.25 budge and move, no matter if plastic clips is locked or opened and as long as I do not install retaining screws.

Other Thoughts: Newegg rock on for shipping :P

Pros: The case is not cheaply made of plastics all around and does not rattle when fans are high or when shaken. The fans run extremely quietly because there are only 3. Two of the three are on when the fan switches on the case are at low and all three are on when the switches are at high. The fans are extremely quiet, to the point that i forget it's on. Airflow is superb, but i think that it could use one more fan.

Cons: the psu slot is a bit weird because you have to turn the psu upside down.
not enough fans
speedfan does not successfully control all fan speeds (maybe a bios setting change is needed, haven't tried that yet)