Installation

The installation section of this article will also be quite detailed, as this case is designed unlike most cases you'll find on the market.

**click to enlarge**

A case this large obviously supports a wide range of motherboards.  While this product was tested on a quality Quad-Core system with a ATX motherboard, the Raven RV01 is large enough to easily support SSI EEB, SSI CEB and Extended ATX motherboards.  You can see just how much more room is available in the pic above. 

**click to enlarge**

The first thing that had to go was that obtrusive card support bracket.  While it functions as it should, it's not required and as I'll show you later in this section, it can get in the way of some cooling options.  A nice extra, but not exactly useful and more of a nuisance than anything else.

The PSU mount is isolated at the bottom of the chassis.  Due to its unique exterior, you'll definitely have to flip the case on its side to mount it easily.  Since it is located on a separate section on the bottom that is free from all components, you are able to mount large units here with absolutely no problem.  Above are some examples using the superb Silverstone Olympia OP1000.  Now, I recommend you run all wires through the rear of the case after install.  While I will say it will take more time to get everything connected, I'll show you why this option is best for this case a bit later.

The internal 3.5" bay brackets are excellent.  I work with servers on a daily basis and having these server-like mounting brackets are highly convenient.  They are not metal like I'm used to, but work well and the first of six total bays is hot-swappable and does not require you to remove the other side panel for removable of the drive.  Wish all where like this, but fortunately, this adapter is optional for the rest and Silverstone does offer them.  Installation of the hard disks was simple.  Just remove one of them and mount your hard drive using the special screws included.  Each bracket has rubber grommets in place to minimize unwanted noise from vibration and do indeed hold the hard drives tightly in place.

There's much to love about the completely tool-less 5.25" drive bay as well.  Installation of your optical drives and accessories couldn't be easier.  Simply slide them in and use the highly unique push button side locks to secure them in place.  They work well and is the first method of its kind I've seen on a chassis to date.

**click to enlarge**

While there is obviously plenty of space to support any high-end, internal cooling option, that card bracket may get in the way.  I used the excellent CoolIT Freezone as the CPU cooler and considering how impressed I was with the quality of the black interior, I even custom painted it to match nicely as well.  As you can see from the pic above, there's more than ample room to support such options and unlike your average case, the fan is on the top, allowing you to mount the cooler in a a quite unusual fashion that does look nice through the side window.

Plenty of thought was put into its design.  Yet another area is cable management, and the Raven RV01 is one of the few cases I have had the pleasure of looking at that does focus heavily in this area.  As I mentioned earlier, a tip is to run all PSU cables through the back side and then run each independently through as needed.  The result is a setup with less cable clutter and mostly all power cables on the back side and out of sight.  Heck, there are even some cable hooks on the back internal panel to help wrap excess cables in place and keep them completely out of site.  The SATA drive power is connected on the back side as well and depending on what components you choose, there will be very little power cables you'll run through the component side.  Above are just two sample pics.

**click to enlarge**

Remember that this case supports a unique 90º motherboard mount where all your usual connections are located on the top of the chassis rather than the bottom or top rear.  While this is new and some may or may not like it, I personally do.  Having all connections on top makes it easier for maintenance and moving and all are covered and out of sight via the removable top panel.  Can't begin to tell you just how much more convenient this really is.

Above are a couple of pics with the case powered on and showing the front accent lights.  The top has a very pleasant blue glow that is actually not that bright and quite acceptable for blue lighting.  The HD activity LED is red and located right in the center of it, resulting in a very light but noticeable and pleasant light red glow.  Overall, the accent lighting looks great and blends in nicely with it's design.

video clip

**click to play**

Finally, I felt it was important to cover that unique semi-auto front bay cover.  While I personally love it and find it a nice change, others who may access their external drives much more frequently may not.  With that said, I decided to provide a short video clip of it in action rather than ramble on trying to explain it in words.  Yes, it is a bit slow at reaching its final "closed" position, but it does work well and based on countless of open/close tests, it seams to consistently function as it should and I don't see any potential long-term issues.

Next:  Performance