BMW-designed Thermaltake Level 10 scores breathless review

As PC cases go, the Level 10 is easily the most outrageous design to ever get the go-ahead for commercial distribution, and according to PC Perspective the reason for that is clear: the product's workmanship and long-term durability match its most excellent looks. Weighing in at nearly 50 pounds of densely packed aluminum, the Level 10 sports a modular design with room for six hard (or solid state) drives, three optical drives, multiple jumbo-sized GPUs, and even an appropriately huge power supply. Alas, the one shortcoming of all this supersizing (apart from the price) is pretty big in itself -- the case turned out to be so large as to make it impossible to connect some components with their standard cabling. We'll call that a newbie filtration feature and continue to hope someone loves us enough to buy us one.

[CJ100570 Posted Dec 16th 2009 4:13AM]

I'm due for a new pc build and I'm seriously considering this case. The price is a little hard to swallow but this damn thing just keeps calling me.

[Hotrod Posted Dec 16th 2009 4:18AM]

@CJ100570 Do it! It will probably be the last case you ever buy.

[CJ100570 Posted Dec 16th 2009 4:19AM]

@Hotrod My wife would probably see to that if she ever found out the price. Lol.

[Munk Posted Dec 16th 2009 4:38AM]

@CJ100570 lol. The 50lbs weight is the harder thing imho. + it may be built to last, but the way technology works and keeps getting miniaturized, whats the guarantee that you will be able to upgrade the innards with stock components?

[SomethingInMyFrontPocket Posted Dec 16th 2009 4:58AM]

@Munk

Well, even if that were the case (no pun intended), new technologies, especially smaller parts, aren't adopted that quickly. And with USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gb/s only being used in a small amount of new products, I doubt that technology getting smaller is any reason not to buy a computer case.

[Plasmamonkey Posted Dec 16th 2009 1:09PM]

@CJ100570 Another problem is that you can't use EVGA's new 4-way Classified mobo on this thing. If you don't care about that though, then by all means go ahead and buy the thing. It's beautiful!

[MrArmageddon Posted Dec 16th 2009 1:23PM]

@Munk A lot of the larges cases on the market right now are up in the +50 lbs range. Take the Corsair 800D, the thing is huge, but I love it. So much room to work with.

If yo want to see just how big it is, check out my build log:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1455259

[Average White Boy Posted Dec 17th 2009 12:51AM]

@CJ100570

Might as well just junk this thing and buy a CTO Mac Pro instead.

[mtnDewFTW Posted Dec 16th 2009 4:23AM]

Wow! nice. Someone actually made something that looks as better/better than the Mac Pro.

[a dark day Posted Dec 16th 2009 8:37AM]

very true. the question is though, where does a normal person have for that kind of behemoth...? not that gamers are normal people or that no one has the space. Just askin.

[Phen Posted Dec 16th 2009 12:17PM]

@(Unverified) (the first reply)

I agree.

Wait - you're talking about the MAC right?


PS - go to the top of this page and register!! Takes 5 seconds - chop chop already!

[bex753 Posted Dec 16th 2009 4:42AM]

I have a quiet pc case that I have had for years that's an ugly beige. What I would want to know about this is how quiet is is in use.

IT does look super sexy though but hernia inducing if tou have to move it

[SomethingInMyFrontPocket Posted Dec 16th 2009 5:01AM]

@(Unverified)

Well, that's why you lift with your legs, not your back :)

[r3loaded Posted Dec 16th 2009 5:10AM]

Want it, but it costs £££ - almost as much as a Radeon 5970 :(

I wonder if they're planning a cheaper, cut-down version - call it the Level 5 perhaps?

[Indyaner Posted Dec 16th 2009 5:27AM]

Hello feather duster

[Benhur Posted Dec 16th 2009 5:31AM]

Does anyone know if having all the components separated has an effect on temperature?

[Phen Posted Dec 16th 2009 12:19PM]

@(Unverified)

If anything - it would make it cooler. Increased circulation around each component - and the CPU heat isnt shared to the HDD's

[JPeak Posted Dec 16th 2009 5:32AM]

Ahhh I must have it, even if it's more of a waste of electricity than a broken power line.

Too bad my net worth is a snickers bar.

[ekim1093 Posted Dec 16th 2009 5:55PM]

@JPeak +1 haha

[RitchieTheBrit Posted Dec 16th 2009 5:42AM]

Just.... just... WOW

[pfromg Posted Dec 16th 2009 5:59AM]

This is the sort of monstrosity that happens when you an engineer to do a designers job.

[Tres Posted Dec 16th 2009 6:05AM]

Gross, Thermaltake, worst brand ever.

Everything I've ever bought from them has broken in some way and the cases that I bought from them in the past were always terrible. One of their shitty PSU's even fried a motherboard of mine.

It's kind of a cool design I guess, but I'd never buy anything Thermaltake again.

[tgluak Posted Dec 16th 2009 6:15AM]

Pity the compartments sag, usual Thermaltake quality :|

[UnsilentMajority Posted Dec 16th 2009 7:00AM]

The case provides a way to tunnel the air from the outside across the components so the cooling would not be as good as a normal case.

Other than that this thing looks sick, this is a case you show off. With that said I personally do not like seeing cases at all. The only thing on my desk is monitors and my massive case sits behind them which you can not see unless you really look. So the case is largely irrelevant to me.

[YpoCaramel Posted Dec 16th 2009 9:17AM]

@UnsilentMajority That's the thing. I'm all for cool case design, but a $300-400 premium spent here can easily be spent on stylish clothes, furniture, art ... things that are designed to be displayed and impress.

Well, I'm certain there'll be LAN gamers who would be after this despite the tremendous weight...

[lonlime Posted Dec 16th 2009 7:55AM]

hello all,

no offensive, but this thing is way too big for today technology, waste your spaces, heavy, cost $$$, other than that... it looks like my closet

i thought today everything goes as small as possible??

[YpoCaramel Posted Dec 16th 2009 9:11AM]

No temperature comparisons? Purely qualitative review? Seriously?

[jasonlenik Posted Dec 16th 2009 9:39AM]

WOW

--that's all i've gotta say--

[Tidal Posted Dec 16th 2009 10:17AM]

When I read the words 'Breathless review" I figured they were referring to crappy airflow. I was seriously expecting them to talk about the thermal performance of the case. I was sadly mistaken. All I know is that it looks cool and can only assume that the thermal performance is crappy.

[YpoCaramel Posted Dec 16th 2009 11:13AM]

@Tidal Or noise performance, at that. They do go hand in hand ....

[bnutzinger Posted Dec 16th 2009 10:22AM]

now lets put aside the (valid) concerns sourrunding its price. And lets assume that everybody thinks this is one badass looking case.

This thing still makes no sense.
1) it is certainly to big to sit ON your desk, where anybody could see it
2) it is to beautiful to sit BENEATH your case where nobody can see it
3) it is way to heavy to bring somewhere where anybody can see it (eg LAN-Party or whatnot)

So altough I think this is one of the most beautiful industrial designs ever made I also think this is probably the most stupid industrial design at the same time...

confusing...

[Streetfights Posted Dec 16th 2009 2:12PM]

@(Unverified)

Yes it is far "too" beautiful to put under a desk. That is "too" true.

[Lowest Ranks Posted Dec 16th 2009 10:28AM]

I don't think you can even use water cooling in this case and that is a big let down for me. They could build something like this http://www.million-dollar-pc.com/systems-2009/special/lessdegrees/pius-edelweiss.htm

[arcasinky Posted Dec 16th 2009 10:35AM]

A design like that with so many horizontal surfaces is just begging to become a dust magnet. Have fun keeping it clean.

[Torpedo Vegas Posted Dec 16th 2009 11:09AM]

I really enjoy this design and would love to buy it. But then you see it's xbox huge and that it's $900. I think the latter is really the killer for me. I have problems with $100 for a case. I could buy some really lovely things with almost a grand. You know, like a new computer.

[FORDY Posted Dec 16th 2009 11:18AM]

It's clearly aimed at gamers from the name "Level 10" - nevertheless, if it weren't about £680 (just a guess) I'd buy one straight off.

As it is, I'm gonna have to wait till my PC needs completly rebuilding, it's too much for an upgrade.

[aoi tsuki Posted Dec 16th 2009 1:38PM]

i know i'm in the minority here, but this looks hideous. It's a horribly convoluted design that, at best, looks like something from Tron, REZ, or a building from a futuristic sci-fi epic.

It's disappointing coming from BMW, but then again, if this is aimed the hardcore PC gamer market, i guess it fits.

[specialbuddy Posted Dec 16th 2009 2:12PM]

$849? No thanks. The case is ugly as hell anyway.

[Rohcky Posted Dec 16th 2009 4:32PM]

If thermaltake shrinks this down (2-3 hdd bays and 1-2 optical bays) I would be all over this.

[Solidstate89 Posted Dec 16th 2009 4:52PM]

Give me a Lian Li case. This thing is ridiculously ugly.

[Javindo Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:47PM]

Looks like Scylla :) (Prison Break)