Thermaltake Level 10 GT Full Tower PC Case Review+External Impressions of the Level 10 GT+Installing parts into the Level 10 GT

Thermaltake Level 10 GT

Last March Thermaltake, along with BMW DesignworksUSA, released a case that was to be a “Gaming tower showpiece” resulting in the Thermaltake Level 10. Coming in at $700 the Level 10 was, and still is, the single most expensive case we had ever reviewed at LR. The Level 10 was different, that is for sure; it took case styling up a notch, but was limited on space for cooling options. For the most part, people could not get past the cost to even seriously consider the case as an option.

Now, here we are a year later and Thermaltake has released the Level 10 GT, with an MSRP of $279.99; it is the more affordable and hardware friendly Level 10. The Level 10 GT has similar styling to its predecessor, but leans more to traditional case design by not being completely compartmentalized like the Level 10 was.

Having the extra room the Level 10 GT can accommodate larger CPU coolers with 190mm of head room. It even has mounting holes for internally mounting a 240mm radiator for water cooling in the top of the case. The Level 10 GT still has the hot swap drive trays, 5 in all; it also has room for four 5.25” devices. The Level 10 GT also has two USB3.0 ports and one eSATA port on the top panel, along with four USB2.0 ports and HD Audio ports along the front.

The Level 10 GT comes with what Thermaltake is calling QuadFan Ventilation. A system consisting of three 200mm Color Shift fans, side/front intake and top exhaust and a single 140mm rear exhaust fan. The Colorshift fans add a little flare to the case, but the lighting can also be turned off if you want. The fan speed can also be controlled with a fan controller on the top panel.

Features of the Thermaltake Level 10 GT

• 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.
• Hinged side panel to enable easier opening of the side door and access to computer for maintenance or upgrade.
• 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.
• Five hot-swappable hard drive bays, each with its dedicated backplane to support hot-swap. Hard drive mounting supports both 2.5" and 3.5" drives.
• 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.
• 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)
• Fan speed management control embedded. ColorShift fans can be easily controlled through controls on the top.
• Fully black-powdered interior.

Specifications of the Thermaltake Level 10 GT

• Part Number: VN10001W2N
• Warranty: 3 years
• 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

Installing parts into the Level 10 GT

Included parts for the Level 10 GT are a little sparse, but it is all that is needed. You get four reusable wire ties, hard drive mounting screws, extra fan screws, and motherboard mounting screws. You also get a 4/8pin extension cable, speaker, and the headset holder.

The headset holder has tabs that lock into the side of the Level 10 GT. It is installed and removed quiet easily for transportation.

The hard drive mounting screws have a flat head to them so they can mount flush to the drive tray and still slide into the drive cage

When I installed my NZXT Hale 90 power supply the thought I had earlier for possible issues for long body PSU's became a reality. The power supply is a standard depth power supply and the cables are up against the hard drive cage. The back of the power supply is very close to the upper tab on the motherboard tray. So if you have a long body power supply you will have to figure a way to get it in, or cut the tab on the motherboard tray off.

The rest of the system installed very easily and no major issues come up.

The wire routing was fairly easy as well. If this was a perment install I would have wire tied all the wires, but even as I have it I was able to get a clean look on the system side and I was still able to get the side panel on without hassle. The large CPU cut out even allowed for access to the CPU backing plate on the not so standard Intel DX59SO motherboard layout.

With the Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 Pro CPU cooler I have installed I was able to still reach the thumb screw for the upper security bracket. With a radiator installed this will be very hard to reach for anyone with large hands.

And the build finished with the addition of the headset holder.

With the system powered up. With the system fired up and running the fans on low are quite quiet. On high they are not to bad, definitely in the livable range. The fan control and LED mode back-lights are bright, looking straight at them is harsh. They will light up the ceiling above the case.

External Impressions of the Level 10 GT

The overall style of the Level 10 GT is similar to the original Level 10, but with some differences. First, and most noticeable, is the side panel window. The next is that the motherboard area and the power supply area are no longer separate and there is more side venting in both the motherboard area and in the 5.25” bays.

There are four external 5.25” bays and a single 3.5” bay. To the left of the 3.5” bay is the lock for the hard drive trays for the Pitstop Hot Swap system. To the right side are some of the front I/O ports. Top to bottom: power, reset, hard drive activity LED, two USB2.0 ports, audio ports, and two more USB2.0 ports.

At the bottom are the 5 hard drive bays. Each bay is able to hold either a 2.5” or 3.5” hard drive. Each of the bays is numbered which could make it easier to keep track of the disks for raid setups. Next to each number is a button. Once the cages have been unlocked pushing the button will release it from the cage. Also between the hard drives and the front of the case is a 200mm Color Change intake fan.

Looking at the top there is a vent in the rear and more venting for the 5.25” bays. Next to the 5.25” bay vent are more I/O ports.

Front to back: Fan LED switch, fan speed control buttons, two USB 3.0 ports and an eSATA port.

Moving around to the left of the case we can see the 200mm side intake fan, side panel window, and the side panel lock.

Near the lock is a lever; this lever is for adjusting a set of louvers that can direct air flow from the fan whether up or down.

The side of the 5.25” bay is vented, but also has mounting spot for a headset holder. When the holder is not in use the mounting hole is covered with a rubber plug.

The side intake fan has a removable dust filter.

Moving around to the back.

At the very top center there is a button; this is the release button for the top access panel. Just below that are three water cooling pass through holes and a security lock for peripheral cables. It is held in place with a thumbscrew on the inside of the case. Below those is the rear 140mm exhaust fan.

In the middle are the expansion slots; there are 8 in all. The one thing that is different than most enthusiast cases is that the expansion card hold down screws are on the outside of the case.

At the bottom is the PSU mounting area. To the right in the lower corner is another security lock for peripheral cables.

There is also another dust filter on the bottom of the case that covers both the power supply vent and the vent for the optional lower 120mm intake fan.

The Level 10 GT has 4 large server style feet that can rotate out to help stabilize the case and prevent it from falling over.

Just behind the front left foot is the side panel release button.

Swinging around to the right side there isn't much to see. The side panel has the Level 10 GT logo in the lower back, and there is a T shape stamped into the side panel.