The ATX Mid-Tower has always been a favorite of PC builders. It can be transported with relative ease, while still managing to hold a respectable amount of very high-end hardware. The Spec-Alpha is Corsair's latest entry to the market and has gamers squarely in its sights. Priced at $80, this is a case that we very much expect to be a dominant force for a few reasons.
Silverstone's Raven RV01 caught our attention back in 2008 with a unique chassis layout that turned the motherboard upward so its I/O panel was on top of the enclosure instead of behind. Called the "stack effect," the design was highly original and more importantly, extremely effective for cooling. 2014's RV05 sticks to this layout but Silverstone claims to have eliminated much of the wasted space in previous models while bringing one of its better looking designs so far.
The Raven 3 (RV03) looks to improve on some of the RV02's weaknesses in addition to delivering a smaller footprint at a slightly lower price. The Raven 3 is said to have an MSRP of only $160, which is hard to believe considering the competition's pricing.
At just $160, we believe the Raven 3 could quite easily stand in a league of its own despite having some serious competition such as the Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced, Thermaltake Element V Black Edition, Antec DF-85 Black and Antec Twelve Hundred. Let's press on to find out how the RV03 "stacks up."