When SilverStone expanded their Mini-ITX chassis lineup to the Raven series with the RVZ01, the 14-litre box is deemed as one of the best chassis to build the ultimate Steam machine. It’s uncommon that we could place a 300mm graphics card in a chassis this small that even a Titan X could fit in.Â
Today, we have the updated version of this revolutionary chassis, courtesy of SilverStone and Inter-Asia Technology, we have the successor, RVZ02. This gem from SilverStone is retailed at RM395 in Malaysian stores.
Technical Specifications
Overview
Atypical of the Raven series packaging, the RVZ02 comes in an overall black cardboard box depicting the chassis with a raven in the background.
Brief introduction of the RVZ02 can be found on the right side of the box.
Specifications on the left side.
Inside, the RVZ02Â is flanked by 2 pieces of moulded hard polystyrene foam that protects the chassis from damage during transportation. The chassis is also wrapped in a black cloth cover for extra protection against dust and scratches.
These are included accessories:
2 pieces of stand for the RVZ02 to stand securely,Â
PCIE riser for mounting the graphics card in a separated chamber located behind the motherboard tray
Rubber feet to stick onto one side of the RVZ02 if you were to have it oriented horizontallyÂ
Some screws and zip tiesÂ
PSU bracket to hold the power supply unit in place,Â
Graphics card holder to ensure that the graphics card is always in the right position,
An optical drive cover if you happen to install a slim optical drive
Appearance wise, the RVZ02 deviated from the traditional design of the other Raven series chassis and can be easily mistaken as an ordinary slim-type-ATX-chassis which many would have overlooked.Â
On close up, you will see the familiar looking Raven logo on the slide down front I/O port cover, an angular LED light is also present here that gives an orange glow when powered up.
Just like RVZ01, the RVZ02 had both CPU and GPU separated into 2 different compartments so that the heat generated by both components are not trapped in one single space given that the RVZ02 itself is already one compact ITX chassis. Both of the RVZ02 side panels comes with a vented transparent window to ensure the heat in each compartment can be dissipated easier without the need of additional chassis fans.
Curious of how slim the RVZ02 is? A view from back shows that its only slightly thicker than a 3 slot graphics card.
Looking inside, this is where the majority of the components will be.Â
The optical drive bay for slim type optical drive, especially SilverStone’s very own SOD02 or SOB02.
On this side, one could place up to 2 pieces of 2.5″ hard drives or SSDs. It might be a little problematic for those who needs more storage but it’s pretty reasonable for users who requires only one SSD for Operating System and another additional drive as storage – in fact, that’s a trend that we’re seeing in majority of PC build nowadays.
Internal cables are either sleeved or black in colour, a welcome feature in any chassis.
The L-shaped extension cable for the power supply.
As  stated, the RVZ02 will fit an ITX form factor motherboard. Note that huge cutout on the motherboard tray for accessing the back of the motherboard, this will make installing third party CPU coolers a lot easier.
You will need an SFX or a SFX-L form factor PSU for power if you decided to build in the RVZ02 and SilverStone’s own SX600-G will fit the bill nicely here (talk about monopoly!)
On the other side of the chassis is the segregated space for the graphics card; Yes you will be able to fit a 300mm long GPU there but do watch out as for GPUs thicker than 4.78″ else you might not be able to close the side panel.
Being a slim chassis, it’s only natural that we’d have it standing tall. The support feet provided are easy to install and gets the job done.
Stuffing the ROG Maximus VI Impact ITX motherboard, Prolimatech Samuel 17 low-profile CPU cooler and a pair of Corsair Dominator Platinum into the RVZ02 is easy as pie. Â
GPU wise, we went with the ASUS STRIX GTX 950 – Sorry, I wish we had the GTX Titan this time around to show as well…besides, our ST45SF couldn’t output that much of power for a GPU with that much of appetite either.
Testing
Test Rig Configuration
CPU Cooler
Prolimatech Samuel 17 + USV12
CPU
Intel Core i7-4670K
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus VI ImpactÂ
Memory
Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR3 @2400MHz
Primary Hard Drive
Crucial M500 120GB
Power Supply
SilverStone ST45SF 450W SFX Power Supply
Chassis
SilverStone RVZ02
As you can see from the specification above, we’re able to pack quite the machine there without much trouble. With ambient temperatures at about 30°C, lets see how these components fare in this tight space.
Looking good! despite the tight spaces of the RVZ02, temperatures are well within check with the CPU running at an acceptable 74°C with the stock cooler and GPU at 73°C at normal fan speeds. Using a suitable 3rd party cooler for the CPU such as the Prolimatech Samuel cooler will yield lower temperatures but we’d do better with a blower type GPU as cranking up the fans on the ASUS STRIX GTX 960 did little to help.
Conclusion The SilverStone RVZ02 is definitely a noteworthy Mini-ITX chassis with the dual chamber internal layout being the highlight in terms of features. The exterior though, is another matter. While we respect the designers at SilverStone for trying to be different, the RVZ02 did not look it belong to the series with it’s more angular features as opposed to smooth lines and curves of the older RVZ01. Fans of Silverstone do have another choice being the ML08 that shared the same internal structure as the RVZ02; really looking forward to the launch of this one soon. System temperatures are well within check despite the tight space the components are in. This means that we might be seeing more of this chassis in upcoming LAN parties soon enough.
Overall, the SilverStone RVZ02 gets the Silver and Recommended badge from us here at Tech-Critter.Com
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