With the arriver of Big Picture mode on Steam clean and Valve's Debian-based SteamOS, the call for Mini-ITX boxes has unconnected as umteen gamers look for a solution that is more compromising than consoles and more compact than desktops. Having taken notice, case makers including Silverstone are answering that demand.

Unveiled at CES this year, the latest phallus to Silverstone's Raven kinsfolk quickly gained recognition for being the last Steam Motorcar inclosure. Named the Raven Z RVZ01, this gaming chassis is among the best succinct designs we've seen for cramming a to the full-fledged enthusiast PC into an impressively small quad.

Disdain advisement but 8.17lbs (3.71kg) with a tiny 14L capacity, the RVZ01 is bound for big things with support for enthusiast gear including a dual-slot GPU that's upwardly to 13" (330mm) long -- technically going enough room for the GeForce GTX Titan. Perhaps equally beautiful is the RVZ01's asking price of only if $85.

This is fifty-fifty much impressive when you compare it to the recently reviewed Xigmatek Nebula, which has a 22L capacity (57% larger than the RVZ01) but is limited to much shorter 175mm dual-slot artwork cards and is currently exit for $120. With that kind of an advantage on its side, the RVZ01 is bump off to a great jump.

Being a member of the Raven series, the RVZ01 is very aggressive looking at and should appeal to gamers, though it's deserving noting that Silverstone will release a to a greater extent sedate version called the ML07. A date stamp hasn't been released on that thus far.

Measuring 382mm wide, 105mm tall and 350mm deep, the RVZ01 features a capability of just 14L and weighs just 3.71kg, fashioning information technology only slightly bigger than the Xbox One. The cause is designed to either stand up like a tower or set up thin equivalent a screen background case. The Raven logo on the front can also be orientated horizontally regardless of whether the case is used as a tower or desktop, which is kind of nice.

The subject has a matted black finish, which typically is good for avoiding feel marks. However piece the impressionable front panel and side are fairly finger print nonabsorptive, the nerve top and bottom panels are passing prone to assemblage fingerprints.

The three plastic panels look very aggressive and feature film the same pattern plant on the much larger RV04. Largely we really like the design and believe it will speak to gamers OK. That said the front mounted blue USB 3.0 ports do vitiate the aim somewhat, using black USB ports mightiness throw been the way to pass Hera.

On with the USB 3.0 ports Silverstone has colored both 3.5mm audio jacks black on with the power and reset buttons. There is likewise a slot-in slim optical ride slot if you will to install an optical drive.

Personally, I did off with optical drives many years agone in real time, just Silverstone sent its 8X DVDR drive (SST-SOD02) which costs about $75, close to 3x much a standard 5.25" optical force. Ironically the one-armed bandit-in slim optical drive costs almost as very much like the RVZ01 itself, so we feel nearly will miss to buy it.

If you lay the case unqualified in a desktop type orientation the left and right sides characteristic aggressive plastic panels that are ventilated to allow hot air out as Silverstone has past with a positive air travel pressure design. Some of the ventilation slots can as wel be used to install four rubber feet which are provided in the software program should you choose to stand the case up like a tower.

Alternatively, when laid flat like a background in that location are antithetical rubber feet that can beryllium used to rise the suit about a centimetre soured the ground.

Around back, the RVZ01 looks a bit unusual featuring nothing much an I/O slot for the motherboard, a 3-pin magnate in-put and a pair of enlargement brackets that look to be mounted the wrong way (we will explain this presently once we get inside).

Fan grills are on the brand panels that we spoke of earliest in the top and bottom when the chassis is in the desktop position. The top off panel features a single 120mm fan grill while underneath there are two. What's great about these fan grills is that they feature external dust filters that snap into locate using magnets. Apart from looking skillful, they are a extremely practical manner of guardianship dust impossible of the RVZ01 as they tail end be quickly removed for cleaning without having to take the system apart.

These dust filters are highly effective attributable the way the fans inside the RVZ01 are configured. As strain going into the case is filtered, the positive pressure means debris cannot get inside through other slots and vents around the case as it is constantly being exhausted though these openings.