Thermaltake Level 10 GT: Monument to Excess
by Dustin Sklavos on July 26, 2011 11:50 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Thermaltake
- Full-Tower
Introducing the Thermaltake Level 10 GT
This promised to be a good month for big stonking enthusiast-class cases, and we're delivering on the second half of our one-two punch with Thermaltake's monstrous Level 10 GT. This is the biggest, most expensive enclosure we've reviewed to date. It was one of the major centerpieces of Thermaltake's line-up back at CES, and later it showed up housing one of the most powerful gaming systems we've ever reviewed, the CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme FTW. Today we get to take a look at the Level 10 GT on its own and pit it against the best and brightest we've been sent so far.
When I reviewed the CyberPowerPC unit back in May, I found myself with some reservations regarding the Level 10 GT. A great many of those were ameliorated when I went to actually test that tower and found it to be a remarkably capable enclosure, able to dissipate the heat generated by a pair of GeForce GTX 590s and a massively overclocked Intel Core i7-990X without creating too much of a racket. At the very least on that front it seemed like it would be a winner, and spoiler alert: it is.
Within that review I stated that I'd come back and review the Level 10 GT on its own merits, and that's on the docket today.
| Thermaltake Level 10 GT Specifications | ||
| Motherboard Form Factor | Extended ATX, ATX, Micro ATX | |
| Drive Bays | External | 4x 5.25", 1x 3.5" |
| Internal | 5x 2.5"/3.5" (see above) | |
| Cooling | Front | 1x 200mm fan |
| Rear | 1x 140mm fan | |
| Top | 1x 200mm fan | |
| Side | 1x 200mm fan | |
| Bottom | 1x 120mm fan mount | |
| Expansion Slots | 8 | |
| Front I/O Port | 4x USB 2.0, headphone and mic jacks | |
| Top I/O Port | 2x USB 3.0, eSATA, fan controller, fan lighting toggle | |
| Power Supply Size | ATX | |
| Clearance | 13.5" (Expansion Cards), 190mm (CPU HSF), 290mm (PSU) | |
| Weight | 28 lbs. | |
| Dimensions | 23" x 11.1" x 23.2" | |
| Price | $269 | |
From the stats it's pretty easy to tell: the Level 10 GT is big. Off the cuff it looks like it retains a lot of the design and compartmentalizing cues from the original (and comically expensive) Level 10, but as we get into the review you'll see the Level 10 GT is really a very different beast.
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DethFiesta - Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - link
I have an FT02 and find it to be an excellent case. Huge and heavy, yes, but highly functional and understated (except for the size). I look forward to the comparison between the Level 10 and Ft02, but even if the FT02 comes out behind, I wouldn't swap over due to the absurd look of the Level 10.Also, "duckets" are spelled "ducats."
hammer256 - Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - link
I Recently got the FT 02 to build a machine for work, and man I am impressed. Curiously to see what the review says.A few things I really like about the FT02:
1. all the connections are on the top of the case, so much easier to access than the back.
2. The video card hangs vertically, so less bending on the motherboard.
3. Really quiet fans with lots of airflow. I only keep them at low.
4. really clean, professional looking case.
But, I wish it didn't have five 5.25 bays, and instead another 5 bay hdd cage. Also, the top cover and latch could be better. The space behind the motherboard tray could be a bit wider, for easier cable management. Finally, would be nice to actually access the dust filters without opening the case. Fairly minor gripes, all things considered.
Dustin Sklavos - Thursday, July 28, 2011 - link
I'll be doing thermal testing this weekend, but early impressions are very favorable.Our rep was hesitant to send it to us because it's (in technology years) a fairly old chassis, and I'm sure they're probably working on refining it. But it's still fantastic, and truthfully the clearance behind the motherboard tray is about on par with most other enclosures these days. It could be wider, but it's not too bad.
When I go to review it I'll have suggestions for the next revision, but my major takeaway is just...with this as a reference point, the Raven RV-03 feels like such a step back despite being newer.
rickon66 - Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - link
My build before last was in an Antec Nine Hundred, but my last build was in an Antec Two Hundred that I got for $30 at Micro Center last fall. It does everything that this Thermaltake does -Great cooling, very roomy and it holds all of the stuff that makes up a computer togeather. What really do you need more than that? I adjusted my expectations of a case down so that I had more cash for a processor and video card that makes a real difference in performance. . Kind of like a rat rod - no show, just go. Unless you have money to burn a super fancy case is just bling.james.jwb - Thursday, July 28, 2011 - link
Apple fanboys don't have much real ammunition to throw at PC users, but when a case like this comes out i can see them all laughing their asses off, and justifiably so.It
is
hideous.
WT - Friday, August 12, 2011 - link
I love this case. Started off looking at an NZXT Phantom or a Corsair 600 SE, but after watching some vids of the Level 10 GT, I really do want it to be #1 on my list.My fave features:
SATA backplane - no more cable mess !!
Side fan features a touch contact - no more umbilical power line !!
Support for a dual radiator - was going to go H80, now I can go H100.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One thing about this case is it is definitely a conversation piece as opposed to the average black box.