SilverStone RV03 and FT03 Preview

SilverStone RV03 finishing touches

While the RV02W-E has had only an aesthetic change, the RV03 is still being tested and tweaked. Like the FT03 it has changed in many small ways since SilverStone showed off a prototype at Computex earlier this year, and we've been told it is still undergoing that process so please bear in mind the pictures show only the latest test-sample, not the final retail model. SilverStone is aiming for the $139 mark and a January release date and the company will more than likely listen to constructive comments as well, so don't be afraid to shout yay or nay.

Even though the RV03 keeps the same end-up system like the rest of the Raven-series, it's shorter than its older RV02 brother, so takes up less desk space (or, now actually fits on a desk!).


In the final design the case window will rotate 90 degrees to reveal more motherboard and the ventilation hole on the side for the power supply exhaust will be approximately half the size it is now, but as far as we know, will still poke outwards from the side panel. The rear vent holes will also shrink and the area will change shape too.

To clarify why, SilverStone produced a large Excel spreadsheet full of numbers in its three month test period to understand how best to cool the new design.


The fins on the top are, we're assured, designed not just for aesthetic reasons but to be less restrictive and guide air out without hot air being sucked back in, while also reducing noise from graphics cards exhaust. This is an impressive claim and will have to be tested and confirmed.

Inside the PSU now gets fitted in the front of the case, at the base, which limits its length to less than 180mm. It's only an issue for more powerful, long PSUs and those who use half a dozen graphics cards that need that power. We've as yet no idea how this orientation makes cable routing and tidying though.