Thermaltake Level 10 Full-Tower Case Review

1. Introduction2. Box, Bundle and Packaging3. The Thermaltake Level 104. Installation5. Testing Methodology and Performance6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

Last weekend KitGuru was reporting from Multiplay's i40 where we caught a glimpse of Thermaltake's range-topping Level 10 case which made us very excited.  So we had a word with the kind people at Thermaltake who let us have it for review.

It is clear from a glance that the Level 10 is no ordinary case due to its sheer size and unique design.  The design, by Thermaltake in conjunction with BMW DesignWorks, is influenced by aesthetics of games themselves, especially with regard to futuristic visual architecture and cityscapes.  While the components are laid out in a reasonably traditional manner, they are split up into seperate modules which gives the Level 10 a distinctive appearance.

Today we're going to have an in-depth look at the Thermaltake Level 10 and see if it can justify its hefty price tag of around £500.

Features

• Design Collaboration by Thermaltake and BMW Group DesignworksUSA
• Asymmetrical Balance design
• Open Compartment Architecture (O.C.A.)
• Smart-lock Security System (S.S.S.)
• A Ergonomically Positioned and Integrated Handles Removable Hard Drive Cases for 3.5? and 2.5? HDD/SSD
• Dramatically lighting effect
• Exposed Vertical Heatsink

Specification

Case Type	Full Tower
Dimensions	666.3 x 318 x 614mm (HxWxD)
Net Weight	21.37 kg (47.11 lb)
Colour	Black
Material	Aluminium Extrusion
Front (Intake) Fan	40 x 140 x 25 mm Red LED Fan, 1000rpm, 16dBA or 120 x 120 x25 mm fan
Rear (Exhaust) Fan	120 x 120 x 25 mm Red LED Fan, 1300rpm, 17dBA
HDD (Intake) Fan	Dual 60 x 60 x 15mm Silent Fan, 2500 rpm, 19dBA
Drive Bays	3 x 5.25″, 6 x 3.5″ / 2.5″ /SSD
Expansion Slots	8
Motherboards	Micro ATX, ATX
I/O Ports	USB 2.0 x 4, eSATA x 1, HD Audio x 1
PSU Standard	PS2 PSU

The Level 10 is supplied in the largest box that has ever entered our labs.  In fact it is so big that it's almost impossible to lift without assistance.  For shipping it is supplied within an outer cardboard box for extra protection.  Thermaltake have used a black livery for the box with a large product image taking up the majority of the front of the box.

Inside the box, we find the Level 10 wrapped up in the included dust cover, sandwiched between two slabs of polystyrene.

There is also a small box which contains all the required screws, an installation guide, a cleaning cloth and two keys for the system locks.

The Level 10's design is like nothing we've ever seen before.  It consists of four different modules (for the PSU, optical drives, hard drives, and motherboard) protruding from the aluminium backbone.  This is stabilised by a large aluminium base which protrudes out both sides of the chassis.

The case is finished exclusively in black anodised aluminium which means the aesthetics are beautiful.  Thermaltake have lifted the subtle design with a red illuminated strip which spans the periphery of the backbone.

On the front of the case there is a generous selection of front-panel connections, consisting of four USB2.0 ports an eSATA port and microphone and headphone jacks.  As the Level 10 was released a while back, there are no USB3.0 ports.  This is a little disappointing for a case of this price but hopefully it is something Thermaltake will add to the product in the future.

Protruding from the backbone of the case we find six removable hard drive caddies which support both 2.5″ and 3.5″ drives. Unfortunately only two of these are ‘hot-swappable' as Thermaltake only include two of the required SATA adapters that fit into the back of the bays so the four lower caddies have to be connected in the conventional way. Considering the price of this case we would have really liked to see these on all six.

The right hand side panel of the case is secured by two thumbscrews which remain permanently attached to the side of the case so there is no chance of losing them!  There is also two locks on this panel which secure both the side panel and all the modules on the other side of the case.  This would be a great feature for those going to events like Multiplay's i40 but the size and weight of the case would make this difficult.  It would seem that our sample originated from Yoyotech as it has some extra branding on this panel.

Unlocking these locks lets us to release the modules on the other side, allowing us to access the insides of the case.  In the top left we find the PSU module, with the optical drive module situated in the top-right corner.  This has three 5.25″ bays, the topmost of which has a bezel to disguise any ugly optical drive which may not complement the sleek design of the Level 10.

There are a number of features worthy of note in the main compartment including the removable motherboard tray that really is a must have on such a sizable chassis.  The modular design of the case means that we have no choice but to route the cables through the provided holes.  At the front of the compartment there is a 140mm intake fan which runs at 1000rpm and at the rear there is a 120mm 1300rpm exhaust fan.  Both of these fans are Thermaltake branded and are illuminated by red LEDs.

As a result of the extensive use of aluminium in the construction of the Level 10, it weighs in at over 20 kg which is very heavy even for a case this size.  Even though it has two handles, one on the top and one on the base, we wouldn't recommend it for anyone who will need to move it often as the size and weight make it very cumbersome.

It's quite clear that Thermaltake have designed the Level 10 with usability in mind.  To access the main components of the system we are simply required to unlock the two locks on the back and pull out the different module covers.  Unfortunately the installation process is hampered slightly by one of the most unspecific installation guides we've experienced.

Removing the motherboard tray is extremely simple, requiring us to remove four thumbscrews.  Once it's removed, we are required to install the motherboard standoffs before screwing down the motherboard.  The CPU cooler can be installed after the motherboard easily thanks to the large cutout in the tray.

The Level 10 has eight PCI slots, making it compatible with most motherboards although there are a few around which require 1 slots and wont fit.  Thermaltake have used standard screws, rather than thumbscrews, which means cards cannot be switched without a screwdriver.  But we usually find ourselves tightening thumbscrews with a screwdriver anyway so this isn't a great issue. When this is complete, we can place the motherboard tray back in the case and tighten the thumbscrews to secure it.

Installing the PSU is a little complicated, requiring us first to open the module and then remove the bracket before actually getting to the PSU itself.  Then we can insert the PSU into the bracket and secure it with the provided screws, before replacing the bracket and securing again.  All the cables have to be routed through the hole in the back of the module and then routed back through the motherboard tray before connecting them.

It is also a little more difficult than usual the install the optical drive as it requires us to completely remove the module cover and then screw the drives into place.  Sadly there is no tool-less option available here, either.

Installing the hard drives is a refreshingly simple process.  After pulling out the caddy, the hard drive can be inserted and then screwed in using the provided screws.  The caddies are designed for both 2.5″ and 3.5″ drives and require no extra bracket for 2.5″ drives as they are secured to the bottom of the caddy.

Finally we can plug all the cables into the motherboard through the provided routing holes and then secure all the modules and side panel using the lock mechanisms.

For testing today we will be using an Intel Core i7 920 based system cooled using an Arctic Cooling Freezer Xtreme (Rev.2) CPU cooler (review following shortly).  Ambient temperature was maintained at 27c for the duration of the tests.

Test System

Chassis: Thermaltake Level 10
Processor: Intel Core i7 920
Motherboard: Asus P6T
Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer Xtreme (Rev.2)
Memory: 6GB (3x 2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR3-1600 RAM
Storage: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB 7200rpm (HD103SJ)
Power Supply: Corsair HX850W

Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

First of all we're going to look at the Level 10's airflow setup.

There is a single 140mm fan acting as an intake at the front of the main module and one 120mm fan acting as an exhaust at the rear of the chassis.  There is also a small fan cooling the hard drive.

On the whole the temperatures recorded were quite impressive, a likely result of decent airflow combined with the thermal isolation of different parts of the system thanks to the modular design.  We felt the CPU temperatures were a little on the high side but put this down to the cooler rather than the case itself.  We ran the test three times (including remounting of the CPU cooler) and achieved concordant results, making us sure that our findings are correct.

When overclocking the CPU to 3.8ghz (using 1.29V), we felt the temperatures were also quite impressive seeing increases in load temperatures of 13c.

Thermaltake and BMW haven't only created something beautiful in the Level 10 but have done so with a completely unique design that is like nothing we've seen before.  We find it hard to believe that there is a case out there that beats the Level 10 when it comes to build quality and finish – we've certainly not tested one!

Of course there are some drawbacks to the Level 10.  The substantial size of the case creates a slight portability issue which is magnified greatly by the extreme weight of the case.  But for those who don't want to travel to LAN events and those who have plenty of space these issues won't be relevant.

In fact there are only issues we could find with the Level 10; the lack of a full compliment of SATA connectors in the hard drive bays and the lack of any USB3.0 connections on the front panel.

Unfortunately such an awesome case comes at a price.  In fact, the Level 10 will set you back no less than £510 at Yoyotech.  Any case would be expensive at this price, especially considering you could buy quite a reasonably well specced system for this price!  But there is one thing we are sure of, anyone who can afford the massive asking price won't be disappointed.

Those who can't afford the Level 10 but still want to get their hands on one are in luck.  We are giving away this case in a competition for one lucky reader!

KitGuru Says: A massive case with a massive price which is, without doubt, the best case we've tested to date.

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