| Thermaltake Level 10 GT VN10001W2N |
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Reviews -
Featured Reviews: Cases
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| Written by David Ramsey |
| Wednesday, 09 March 2011 |
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Page 1 of 7
Thermaltake Level 10 GT Computer Case Review
Manufacturer: Thermaltake Technology Inc.
Product Name: Level 10 GT Modular Computer Case
Model Number: VN10001W2N
Price As Tested: $269.99 at Newegg
Full disclosure: The product used in this review was supplied by Thermaltake Technology Inc.
Thermaltake set the computer case world on its ear in 2009, when it introduced the amazing Level 10 computer case. Designed in collaboration with BMW, the Level 10's unique design, with separate compartments hung from the side of a central "spine", was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. But so was its price, at $800.00. The high price kept it out of retail stores and also kept sales low. The Level 10 GT attempts to incorporate some of the features and style of the original Level 10 at a lower price that's still at the high end of the mainstream case market. Benchmark Reviews takes a look at this latest salvo in the "case wars."
The primary function of a computer case is to contain your computer's components. But the secondary functions are more important when making a buying decision. After all, any case will "hold your components", but how easy is it to build in? How much space is there for expansion? How easy is the case to move around? And how does it look?
The original Thermaltake Level 10 Gaming Station was a solid-aluminum super case, with design and features that hadn't been seen before. But its price kept it out of the hands of all but a very few. The Level 10 GT costs about a third of what the original Level 10 did. Has Thermaltake found the "sweet spot" of high-end computer cases? Let's take a look and see.
Level 10 GT Features
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Performance cooling made quiet: one top 200mm exhaust fan, one front 200mm intake fan, one side 200mm intake fan and one rear 140mm exhaust fan.
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Hinged side panel to enable easier opening of the side door and access to computer for maintenance or upgrade
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Dramatically improved cable management. User no longer "hides" the excessive cable on the back, the Level 10 GT features numerous holders designed into the chassis for cable management.
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Five hot-swappable hard drive bays, each with its dedicated backplane to support hot-swap. Hard drive mounting supports both 2.5" or 3.5" drives.
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Connectivity array. Four USB 2.0 ports are conveniently located on the front bezel including a pair of audio ports. Two USB 3.0 ports and one eSATA port located on the top.
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Water cooling ready - 120mm or 240mm radiators can be easily attached to the top side of the chassis (top 200m fan needs to be removed)
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Fan speed management control embedded. ColorShift fans can be easily controlled through controls on the top.
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Fully black-powdered interior.
VN10001W2N Specifications
| Case Type |
Full Tower |
| Material |
SECC |
| Front Bezel Material |
Plastic |
| Color |
Exterior: BLACK
Interior: BLACK |
| Side Panel |
Window |
| Motherboard Support |
Micro ATX
ATX
Extended ATX |
| 5.25" Drive Bay |
4 |
| Ext. 3.5" Drive Bay |
1 |
| Int. 3.5" Drive Bay |
5 |
| Expansion Slots |
8 |
| Front I/O Ports |
USB 3.0 x 3
USB 2.0 x 4
eSATA x 1
HD Audio x 1 |
| Cooling System |
Front (intake):
200 x 200 x 20 mm ColorShift Fan x 1 (600~800RPM, 13~15dBA)
Rear (exhaust):
140 x 140 x 25 mm Turbo Fan (1000PRM, 16 dBA)
Top (exhaust):
200 x 200 x 30 mm ColorShift Fan (600~800RPM, 13~15dBA)
Side (intake):
200 x 200 x 30 ColorShift Fan (600~800RPM), 13~15dBA)
Bottom (intake):
120 x 120 x 25mm (optional) |
| Liquid Cooling Capable |
Yes |
| Power Supply Supported |
Standard PS2 |
| Dimension (H*W*D) |
584 x 282 x 590 mm |
| Net Weight |
28.0 lbs |
| Security Lock |
Front HDD Access
Side Panel
Rear peripherals |
| Application |
High Performance Gaming |
Features and specifications provided by Thermaltake Technology Inc.
Let's unbox this case and check it out...
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Comments
I'm ready tro give it a chance, but, at the same time, would like to try a water cooling ... Never did !
Thanks for reviuw,
Jean
Its super ugly and probably just as little functional as the original Level 10. Just to add extra SATA cables you have to pay $50+ and rip the whole case appart (even where it's glued) and spend the whole day on such a simple job.
Make no mistake - the original one looked OK because it was designed by BMW but it was still made by LOWLIFE Thermaltake - so go figure, the quality and common sense is not there.
Thanks God those Asians did not put flashy leds everywhere or other of the crap they love
Nutw, the only reason to buy it would be for its looks - that's why I bought my original Level 10 - any $100 full tower case will have more functionality anyways - and I agree it has no LOOKS...
The thing is they put a draft pic of a BMW automobile on the box and hope this ugliness will sell...
I bet it won't...
And yeah, the SATA backplane on the hard drive bays, very nice. How long till all manufacturers line up behind this idea?
I have a Phantom and have a similar issue with the MB cutout for mounting an add-on CPU heatsink retention bracket, cut-out being just off kilter for my ASUS board. Looks like the engineers need to measure more MBs?
Either way, working in a larger case is much more the pleasure than mid-towers, or smaller. Like you said, if an entusiast tinkers much, might as well get a case with plenty of room under the hood.
I showed it to many people and never mentioned price, and some were offered it free, and none were interested.
BMW needs to stick to cars, ThermalTake needs new designers.
also some facts are wrong when compared to FT02:
"..but the Level 10 GT case is not only much easier to build in, but can hold larger motherboards and more drives as well."
The FT02 can hold 5 x 3.5' , 1 x 2.5' and 5 x 5.25' drives...also it can hold 12? x 11? mb.
FT02 comes with 1 SATA backplane by the way.
by the way, all my fans are on low and I my cpu temp dropped about 10c degrees from my old Xaser III but i'm sure new thermal paste and some dust cleaning helped as well.
Sweet jesus is that thing harsh on the eyes. Looks like it was designed in the 80's.
It reminds me of concrete tower blocks.