Rosewill RSV-L4000C 4U Mining Case

When trying to figure out how you want to build a mining machine, there aren’t many options to choose from concerning its skeleton. One option is to build or buy an open rig frame, another is to mockup some metal shelving and hang some gear from it with zip ties, and the last option is to purchase a professionally made, well-manufactured mining case. While Rosewill may not be that well known in the cryptocurrency space, they have made a name for themselves in the server market by manufacturing and designing quality components at a price point that most people can afford. With that kind of pedigree, Rosewill introduced the RSV-L4000B and, subsequently, the RSV-L4000BC; a 4U 6/8 GPU Rack-mountable Mining chassis.

This case is built on the same platform as the rest of their 4U server chassis lineup. It is similar to the RSV-L4000, L4500, etc. Although it shares many features, there are some significant differences. Immediately you will notice Rosewill incorporated a similar three fan design found at the front of the RSV-L4500 and a 15 bay E-ATX case designed for storage solutions…however, this one is missing some of the further refinements of the series; namely, the smooth black finish that their other server chassis in the series feature.

The details? The RSV-L4000C measures in at 7″x 16.80″ x 25″ and weighs about 30 lbs. The case sports exactly ZERO expansion slots in the back and is manufactured from 1.mm SGCC steel.  It’s a 4U rack-mountable chassis and has a front bezel that sports a key and a filter.

The front of the chassis has extremely strong and unusually large handles. They are sturdy, providing you with an almost ergonomic design. However, they are again large. So large, in fact, that to rack mount this chassis in my Norco server cabinet I have to remove them.

Additionally, the front bezel sports a keylock and an air filter. When opened, you will find your three 120mm fan mounting plates as well as restart and power buttons, a few LEDs, and two USB ports.

Each of the fan mounting plates are removable, three screws each, to allow simple installation of your primary cooling components. Having the fans sit behind a filter is typically a great idea, but with this case’s intent, perhaps less restricted airflow would be more appealing. I remove the bezel altogether. Although the plates have plenty of cutouts for significant airflow, some have a slight bend which causes the fan to brush up against them. Personally, I will be cutting these out altogether and using traditional fan guards instead. Not only will this provide the case with plenty of free air, but it will significantly improve aesthetics.

As soon as you remove the top panel, you see how simple the design is. Up front, there is a bar that spans the width of the chassis. In its native position, it can accommodate 8 GPUs; flip it around for 6. This bar can also be moved further back to flip the cards, depending on what kind of airflow you want. It is always advisable to have cool air enter through the front and exit through the back, especially if you are going to rack this case with other servers. Thus, the additional position allows this airflow configuration to be maintained while providing certain GPUs with the proper flow of air.

Sitting back a bit, about midway, is a removable fan setup built to home five 80mm fans, each of which is powered by a 3-pin adapter and the entire board is powered by a single 4-pin Molex connector. With most servers, fans in this configuration would be standard. However, with wiring up and mounting 6 or 8 GPUs, it can become a bit tricky and this fan mounting system just gets in the way. With a full system installed, it is easier just to remove it.

The motherboard tray is large enough to accommodate an E-ATX motherboard, as well as the rest of the standard sizes.

You will instantly notice that there are no expansion slots provided. Instead, you find the back of the case is designed for four 80mm exhaust fans, perfect to have the cool air drawn in by the front 120’s and pushed out the back. Had the case made room for expansion cards, leaving just two 80mm fans for exhaust, the middle row of fans would be required.

The PSU mount isn’t interchangeable (server vs consumer PSU), but it does allow a PSU to be installed in either direction, depending on where its cooling fan is.

To the side of the motherboard is a tray for a 2.5″ hard drive.

When installing a complete system, you are quickly impressed with how roomy this case is. The Motherboard, PSU (and cables), Risers, Video cards, all have plenty of room to breathe.

While this case is practical, it does leave me yearning for more. If I had a wish list for this case, it would be to include the same black finish the other cases from Rosewill sport. In addition to the paint, I would like to see the option for dual power supplies as having one beefy power supply is possible… but expensive. You can get more power and spend less money by going with two smaller PSUs.

With the current price for this chassis being inflated (costing nearly double that of others in the lineup), I would have liked to see Rosewill include pre-installed fans. I understand most of us would discard those quickly and replace them with better options, but I would rather have them and not need them. At USD 299 (at the time of writing this review), this case is on the higher end of the spectrum, so not including items like that is a downer.

When racked, the case looks right at home. If looks are your thing, which they are for me, it looks fantastic with some Blue LED 95CFM Cooler Master fans installed and illuminated. The unfinished, naked, steel does the job, but the black-front bezel would have looked better. Unfortunately, my server rack was originally configured to provide room for the SilverStone RM420 case, which moves everything else forward a bit.

Overall, I can say that there isn’t much wrong with this case other than the price, at least significant enough to keep me from buying it. Rosewill, among others, have slapped a premium price tag on this because of its intent – crypto mining. However, given today’s climate, I can’t blame them. The case is well thought out and well made… Kudos Rosewill, this is much better for my needs than an open-air frame…I have cats.

Bottom line, would I buy one? With high-end open-air mining frames outfitted with premium pricetags and having already built a wooden frame and scrapped it…it is much better for me to have my system “racked and stacked.” So yes, I would buy one, and I wouldn’t look back.