A Closer Look - Outside

The chassis makes a great impression. From an exterior standpoint the Raven 2 Evo has not evolved much when compared to the original Raven 2.


The entire front is lined with external drive bays, but not all of them are usable for 5.25 inch drives. While this was the case with the original Raven 2, Silverstone has chosen to keep the overall looks the same, but due the interior design change the bottom three are blocked by the internal hard drive bays. Due to the unique layout of the chassis, you will not have any connectors going out the back of the chassis. Instead there is an opening to supply the power supply with fresh air. The protective cover is easily removable and can be cleaned if needed.


This unique interior also means that the main, open side is on the opposite side of the chassis. Thus, the window can be found on the right side of the chassis instead of the left. Silverstone utilizes silver rivets to hold the window in place. The other panel is completely solid and lacks any air vents. Due to the fact, that there is no company logo on the front of the chassis, Silverstone has placed one on either side of the case.


A large Raven logo has been placed on the very bottom of the front. There is no obvious functionality behind this plastic part. Above that are the afore mentioned bays, of which only the top five are usable. In the very top the large, v-shaped power LED is the only lighting aspect within the Raven 2 Evo.


The power & reset buttons can be found on the top panel of the chassis. These should easily be reachable even if you place the chassis on the table next to your monitor. A pair of USB 3.0 connectors and the usual audio plugs is all you get with the chassis. While this is enough for most scenarios, it would have been nice to have a bit more variety here. Behind this part is a large and somewhat unusually shaped top panel with metal mesh accents. It covers the mainboard connectors which come out the top of the chassis instead the rear.


Unlike in the Raven 3, the PSU bay is located all the way in the back of the chassis, with the connector facing upward of course. A 120 mm fan pulls air out the top of the chassis and has the same purpose as a rear unit in a traditional case. Above that - fairly center - are the seven mainboard expansion slots. It would have been nice to have eight such openings here, but for most scenarios the traditional seven are plenty.


Silverstone has also embedded three fan switches next to the top fan. These allow you to choose between a high or low setting for the Penetrator fans in the bottom. I suggest setting these to low and calling it a day, as they are quite audible at full throttle.


The bottom of the chassis has three large vents to give way to fresh air for the Penetrator fans. Interestingly enough there are two circular openings for water cooling tubes here as well.