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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.
