Test – Silverstone Raven RVZ02: Specs | CPU | Hashrate | Review | Config

Test – Silverstone Raven RVZ02: Specs | Price | CPU | Profitability| Hashrate| best Coins | Configuration | Advantage (Pros) and Disadvantages (Cons) and other important features that will help you make better decision.

Silverstone is clearly doubling down on the mini-ITX boxes, not happy with the success of the ML07 / RVZ01 (tested here) which was also the subject of an article on the assembly of a mini-configuration. Top-of-the-range ITX here and its top-of-the-range version FTZ01 (tested here) it comes back to the load with an even more compact model, the RVZ02!

On the program a mini ITX case with a thickness of 8.7 cm capable of accommodating the largest graphics cards, on the other hand with such a reduced thickness Silverstone has overlooked the fans, indeed it will not be possible to do so. install active ventilation, it will be via two vents, one in front of each critical component. Findable at a price of around 110 € it is not cheap for a box that does not even offer fans, but miniaturization always has a price, let’s see if the RVZ02 is worth this high price!

Specification: Hashrate – Silverstone RVZ02

Like the old ML07 and RVZ01, the new RVZ02 consists of a steel carcass and side panels as well as a plastic front, aluminum point here which is reserved for the brand’s high-end Fortress cases. The dimensions could not be more compact, 38 and 37 cm sides for a record thickness of 8.7 cm, the weight is also very contained at 3.2 kg which places the beast in the lightest cases that I have had to test, a good point for those who have to transport their configuration.
On the storage side, the RVZ02 offers two slots dedicated to 2.5 ″ hard drives / SSDs, a 5.25 ″ slot for “slim” drives as well as a 3.5 ″ / 2.5 ″ slot that can be used behind the graphics card depending on the length of this last.
Despite its very small dimensions, Silverstone has done everything to make room for a graphics card worthy of the name, in fact the maximum length of the card will be 33 cm for 10.1 cm in height (more if we remove the plastic which serves to strengthen the maintenance of the card). The CPU cooler will not have the same treatment due to the very limited thickness of the case, it will be necessary to be content with a maximum of 5.8 cm in height, which will most certainly exclude overclocking.
Note that 2 versions are available, the RVZ02B-W (the test version) equipped with windows but without dust filters and the RVZ02B without window but with dust filters.
Offered at a recommended price of 79.90 € HT (therefore 96 € TTC) it can however be found at around 110 € and is placed in the upper range of what we find in mini-ITX format, for info the RVZ01 is located at around 90 € and has 2 fans and original dust filters.

On one side is a listing of the strengths of the RVZ02, length of the graphics card, thickness contained, mini-ITX motherboard, installation of hard disks without tools etc. We are also entitled of course to a table showing all the technical characteristics of the case, dimensions, weight, materials used.

The opening will be via the top.

Inside the box we find the case in a black bag which will protect it from possible scratches. As usual, two polystyrene molds will be used to maintain and protect the case during transport.

Here is the beast! We can say that the look is quite aggressive for a mini ITX case of this size! A large window is present on the motherboard side when the box is in the vertical position in order to breathe all these little people. The front face takes the very marked lines of the brand’s Raven models, some will like it, others not (for the latter there are the Milo ML08 versions which have the same interior but with a much more sober fairing). Let’s take a closer look!

As we could see above the dimensions are really very small, especially in thickness with 8.7 cm. The look of the Raven cases can be seen strongly on the front, especially with the logo in its center. The front is made of good quality plastic, nothing to say about it and everything is solid.

The logo slides to make room for the connections, 2 USB 3.0 ports and 2 3.5 mm jack connectors for a headset and a microphone.

A cache for a 5.25 drive in “slim” format is present for those who would like to install a DVD or Bluray burner, and yes it still exists!

The power button is present at the bottom left, it is placed so that it can be found and operated easily.

The top and the bottom are identical, there is the plexiglass window that will allow you to see the bowels of the beast as well as a large ventilation grid, this will clearly not be a luxury in a case of such a small size! The build quality is excellent here and the whole thing exudes quality.

Likewise the two sides are perfectly identical, a large ventilated window is present in the main components, on the left side the graphics card and on the right side the motherboard and therefore the processor. There is no active ventilation in front of critical components, hence Silverstone’s desire to provide as much ventilation as possible, this however will not replace fans, so there are no anti filters. -dust so you will have to take care to clean everything as often as possible unfortunately (otherwise you have to turn to the non-windowed version equipped with filters).

The panels are a bit special compared to what we find on all the other boxes, in fact they are not a simple plate but cover two sides, which will facilitate the installation of the components while allowing to widen the plexiglass window. Note that despite the lightness of the panels, they are solid and exude quality.

At the back we can see that Silverstone has done everything to ventilate the beast as much as possible, and that will not be too much when a gamer configuration is installed inside this small box, grilles in the shape of a honeycomb. bee wherever it was possible to put it as well as PCI brackets, also ventilated. Compared to other boxes such as the FTZ01 there is not much that changes except the position of the power connector and the general thickness of the beast, the graphics card will be more limited in thickness than on the others since it will be very close to the side panel, you can see a photo of the back of the FTZ01 here for comparison.

The interior layout was largely inspired by older versions, but with a few welcome updates. The motherboard will be housed on the top left, the power supply on the right (without using a cage this time, and therefore impossible to install a 3.5 ″ hard drive on top). The 2.5 ″ drives will be placed in the same location as on the ML07 / RVZ01 / FTZ01 but have a tool-less installation, and the optical drive is in the same place. Let’s take a closer look at all of this.

The power supply will be installed in a more conventional way on the old models, the disappearance of the cage will allow all this to be installed from the outside of the box (which will then be hidden by the side panel).

Silverstone thought to facilitate the installation of the peripherals 2.5 ″, in fact it will be enough to pinch the plastic bases, to tilt them, to place the disks there and to put it back in place. Everything is really well thought out and the installation without tools is really a nice touch, even if in the end dispensable.

The optical drive in “slim” format will take place here, again without screws.

The cables of the various connectors and buttons are of very good quality, when they are not braided they are sheathed in black which will keep the whole much more pleasing to the eye.

On the other side we can see the slot for the graphics card, (at the top of the photo), it will be easy to install a good big beast without forcing thanks to the side panel covering two sides. We also see that Silverstone has not forgotten to leave room at the back of the motherboard to facilitate the installation / change of the cooler. A small rubber pad is also present in the middle in order to make contact with the side panel and solidify everything a bit.

The two extension brackets are metal and perforated.

The bundle consists of:

• 1 Silverstone RVZ02 box (yes yes!)
• 1 Manuel
• 2 feet for vertical installation
• 4 feet for horizontal installation
• 1 x 5.25 ″ optical drive blank
• 1 PCie extension to connect the graphics card to the PCIe riser
• 1 plastic adapter to secure the graphics card
• The necessary screws

As we can see the bundle is rather complete, despite the absence of fans, we can install the box either horizontally or vertically (which I strongly recommend if a graphics card is installed) and the graphics card will benefit from ” a plastic support (if its height does not exceed 10 cm).

The configuration used during the tests is as follows:

• Processeur: Intel Core i5 655K @ Stock
• CPU Fan : Silverstone AR06
• Motherboard : Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3
• Carte graphique : XFX 7870 Black Edition
• Mémoire: Corsair Vengeance 1 x 4 Go 1600Mhz
• SSD: Intel X25-M 80Go
• Alimentation: Silverstone SX500-LG
• Operating system : Windows 8.1 64bits

The assembly in the RVZ02 went very well, more easily than in many mini-ITX boxes to be honest. Everything is planned to facilitate the work of the assemblers here, the SSD engages without tools, difficult to access screw point to replace the power supply cage, the graphics card is installed very easily thanks to the absence of metal frame etc. In the ML07 / RVZ01 and FTZ01 the assembly was already quite simple (although rather long and tedious) here Silverstone has thought of everything (even the passage of the cables between the motherboard part to the graphics card) and we can see it clearly.

Despite the little space available in the case due to its size, it is clear that it is well used! Indeed the motherboard breathes, the power supply has a little more space for modular cables than on the ML07 / RVZ01 / FTZ01 and the 2.5 ″ peripherals do not interfere with the rest of the configuration.
At the back, the graphics card has all the space it wants, there is nothing that will interfere with it and the installation of a large watch over 30 cm will be done without the slightest problem.

And here is the beast once closed with its feet, it will clearly not go unnoticed but without going into extravagance!
In the end, even if the base is quite similar compared to other mini-ITX boxes from the Silverstone brand, it has managed to improve a lot of small details that make the assembly in the end easier.

A small photo to also show you the power-on LED, this gives the case an even more aggressive look, the light is however clearly not disturbing, not too bright nor too dark.

In order to test the box, I will carry out an OCCT Power Supply test for 30mins and then take the temperatures of the main components such as the processor (average of the 4 cores), the motherboard, the graphics card as well as the hard drive. The box will not be tested with the Western Digital raptor hard drive this time because there is not really a slot available with the graphics card used.
Regarding noise pollution, I will proceed as in the file on silent PCs, namely 1 raised in front, to the right, to the left, to the rear and above with the box in a vertical position.
The RVZ02 will be tested against its big brother the FTZ01 as it is sold, ie with 5V and 12V fans.

Repos

The temperatures at rest are very good, the RVZ02 fits between the ML07 and the FTZ01, it is clearly more efficient than the ML07 (which does not have original fans either), certainly due to the much larger air vents on the last comer. With 32 ° for the processor, 34 ° for the graphics card and 50 ° for the motherboard the RVZ02 keeps components cool when idle, there is absolutely nothing to say.

Ambient sound level: 31dB

The results are also excellent in terms of noise pollution, and as proof it is the quietest in today’s comparison with a maximum of 33 dB on the left and on the right (where the vents leading to the components are). It is clear that the RVZ02 will be an example of silence since there is no hard drive that can generate vibrations, as long as the installed components are silent then it will please your ears.

The rotational speed of the fans does not change much with or without the fans, which is normal given the low heat generated by the components at rest. The fans do not move 966 RPM for the processor and 1200 RPM for the graphics card.

Charge

This is when it normally hurts in a mini ITX box, especially when there is no active ventilation, and the RVZ02 is doing admirably well! The processor does not exceed 68 ° in load, the graphics card 86 ° and the motherboard 61 °! The results are much better than what we have in the ML07 (which has no original fan, I would remind you), once again the larger vents do a better job on the RVZ02.
One thing is certain, for the size of the case the performance is really very good, there is not much to deplore for the moment, let’s see the noise pollution in load, there on the other hand there should not be a miracle .

Ambient sound level: 31dB

Indeed, miracles do not exist, with the little space and internal components the noise pollution is high under load, particularly the 51 dB observed at the level of the graphics card which spits out its lungs. Note that this scenario is clearly an extreme case, indeed in game it will never happen because the processor and the graphics card will never be at 100% simultaneously.
The noise nuisance of the RVZ02 is directly related to the components installed however, a noisy graphics card will be in any case, whether with active or passive ventilation, so the choice of components is crucial if the configuration is to be silent. .

As I just said the graphics card is the main source of noise and spits its lungs well with 3650 RPM, the processor fan turns at its maximum speed namely 1600 RPM.

Here we are at the end of this test, what about the Silverstone RVZ02?
Not content with offering top-notch mini-ITX cases that can cram and hold high-end components without worry (as you can see in my report on how to build a high-end mini-ITX gamer configuration) here) Silverstone gives a layer with an update of the ML07 / RVZ01 / FTZ01, and in short, the success is total!
The build quality is really excellent, all the elements fit together easily and strength is essential despite the lightness of the whole. The look is aggressive while remaining quite sober, we must not forget that we are facing a model from the Raven series, so necessarily not totally sober (there are the Milo ML08 versions for that).

Regarding performance and despite the total absence of active ventilation (therefore fans) the results are really very correct, thanks to the two large vents located on each side and close to the main components. The assembly is itself simplified compared to the previous boxes and it is very pleasant to mount a complete configuration in the RVZ02
The only problem that I see and which could pose a problem in the RVZ02 (in windowed version) is the absence of filters anti-dust, indeed it will be necessary to clean everything very often so as not to be invaded by dust. In terms of components it will also be necessary to pay attention to what is put inside, indeed components consuming a lot (such as AMD R9 390X) could suffer from the lack of active ventilation.

In the end, even if it is offered at a recommended price of 96 € TTC it is around 110 €, the RVZ02 is really an excellent box for a game configuration in mini-ITX format, even if the absence of fans could have lowered the rating a bit, but seeing the little competition it’s not going to happen anytime soon.

Advantages

• Look
• Performance for its size
• Build quality
• Graphics card size
• Ideal for a Steam Machine

Disadvantages

• No dust filters on the windowed version
• Recommended price not respected for the moment

Many thanks to Dana from Silverstone who allowed me to do this test.

Where can I find the Silverstone RVZ02?

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