SilverStone RV03 and FT03 Preview

Is champagne the right colour for the RV03?

The eagle eyed (and OCD) among you will notice the AP fans aren't placed uniformly - there's a reason for that. SilverStone again produced that mammoth Excel spreadsheet that included all the slightly different fan placements, with different fans (either 2x 180mm AP or 3x 120mm) and their effect on CPU, graphics and hard drive temperatures.

The best result was this slightly offset setup using the stock 180mm AP fans, with the one poking slightly behind the motherboard tray to ventilate the hard drives behind. However, SilverStone explained that an additional 120mm fan might still be an option for the back panel because the hard drive in the top corner behind the graphics cards was getting too hot.


The hard drives can be strapped to the back of the motherboard tray or several can sit on 5.25in to 3.5/2.5in adapters in the front of the case - it's your choice. In addition, the USB 3 cables in the pictures aren't final - they'll change to the official larger USB 3 spec connector come the final model.

Right now SilverStone expects the RV03 to be shipped with the top 120mm, plus the two 180mm AP's fan with an option for another two 120mm fans in the front of the case if you don't use the 5.25in bays. If you are using those front fans you'll want to pull off the front covers off to reveal the gaps and filters behind. We know the finish isn't final, but right now we're not sold on how that looks and works.

Also, how taken are you by the champagne-coloured bars up the sides and along the top? We asked about red or blue and SilverStone said too many other brands already used those colours. In our opinion the front panel just seems too busy. While the pointy downward arrows work to give it an aggressive edge, it's in need of some uniformity.


We expect the RV03 to polarise our readers. For those wanting a smaller Raven with more aggressive styling the RV03 is certainly a contender. As always, we'd strongly suggest waiting for the final product and review though as the case is far from finished. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts in the forum.