Exclusive: Thermaltake's Jaw-Dropping Level 10 Chassis Unboxed!
Posted 09/28/09 at 09:00:00 AM by Nathan Edwards
Comments
Print
Email
Earlier this year, Thermaltake wowed us all with the announcement of the Level 10, a concept case designed in conjunction with BMW DesignWorks. Rather than a standard aluminum box, the Thermaltake Level 10 would incorporate a central pillar, with individual compartments hanging from it for the motherboard, PSU, optical drives, and hard drives. Here's a press shot of the Level 10.
The Level 10. It's high-concept! (click to embiggen)
We haven't heard much about the Level 10 since Computex in June; we were even a bit skeptical that such an outré case would ever come to market. But Friday morning we strolled into our secret lair to find an enormous box on our doorstep. After a hasty unboxing (documented on Page 2), we found a Level 10 of our very own, which we promptly shipped upstairs to our in-house photographers.
The Thermaltake Level 10 in all its glory.
As you can see, the production Level 10 is nearly identical to the concept shots we've seen earlier. Each compartment on the Level 10 has its own ventilation. The large panels on the lower left cover the motherboard mount, PCI-E cards, GPUs, and so forth. The six slots on the right are hot-swap SATA bays, connected to a large vertical heatsink. The bays have mounts for 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives. The top right box holds three optical drives, and the upper left box holds the power supply.
We didn't have time to hook up all the lights, but the Level 10 includes a red LED strip that runs from the case's front panel across the top and to the rear, as well as red LED intake and exhaust fans in the motherboard compartment. Each of the six SATA hard drive bays includes a red LED that lights when the bay is occupied (we stuck a hard drive in the top one to show how it works).
The Level 10 with power supply, motherboard, optical drive, and three hard drive bays open.
The locks on the rear panel keep the component bays secure.
The upper right lock secures the PSU and motherboard compartments,
while the left locks the hard drive trays and optical drive bays.
Next: The gut shot, plus the initial unboxing of the Level 10!
I was going to buy a car...
Submitted by winmaster on Mon, 10/12/2009 - 4:18pm
...but I decided to buy this case instead. Its not just a case, its a work of art.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
open jaw, insert. . . .
Submitted by xXaJaXXx on Sun, 10/11/2009 - 12:59am
foot! this is the perf case LIke mentioned b4, for those that can afford it, or shuLds i say don't even ask what it costs! For those of uy Lucky enuff to buiLd pC's fer the actuaL rich, teLL is what u put in it and how weLL it cools. And if 5870x2's or GTX295's fit. Mano, i7 extreme, 5870 x3 in CfX, RAID0 SSD's w/ RAID5 Storage, Eyefinity with some crazy 3x 60" plazma's, Does Bose make a PCIe card. . ?
Submitted by bensen408 on Fri, 10/09/2009 - 3:54pm
It's what you would get if you crossed a Cylon (reimagined BSG) with the WOPR from WarGames.
Meh..
Submitted by K0BALT on Fri, 10/02/2009 - 3:32am
I dont care what the article says. Even if each chamber has ventilation, it's not much. i can take my side panel off and remove all ten of my 120mm fans and have the same thermal performance. Interesting concept, but not for me. I like a big bulky case with over a dozen LED fans humming away to keep everything cool.
Submitted by knexkid on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 5:17am
Will it fit a 5870? What about 2 5870's? If the answer is yes, I'm gonna eat ramen noodles for the next year so I can get this bad boy. It is beautiful. I just wish there was a window in the motherboard compartment. With a little red tint, that would be sweet!
It sure is pretty, but.....
Submitted by ghot on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 7:43pm
.....does it come with someone to dust it? FAIL!
Take an OS, and edit out all the efficiency, and what you have left is a post-XP Microsoft operating system :)
There is nothing unique or
Submitted by Geeksquadmyss on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 3:32pm
There is nothing unique or different about macs they have looked the same way for what a decade? Macs stop looking cool 4 years ago this however is one hell of a good looking case, and i just may buy one to put my new PC in ill admit that a lot of PC cases suck and looks the same, however to say that macs look cooler is a bunch of crap since they remain pretty much uniform, and there more novelty now than anything, kinda like the Wii.
Submitted by relaxed911 on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 12:59pm
As a designer, owner of a BMW and Mac Pro, and a PC builder and enthusiast, i have to say this case is pretty hideous and uninspired. The Mac Pro may be starting to show its age, but nothing could hold a candle to it for long time. I'm still amazed whenever opening up the Mac Pro at how well it's engineered and how elegant and intuitive the overall layout is. It seems sad and strange to me that the PC marketplace has so few stylish and contemporary designs made for adults.
Submitted by fullur on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 7:42pm
"It seems sad and strange to me that the PC marketplace has so few stylish and contemporary designs made for adults. " Mac has one design. PC has hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of case options to apply to virtually any taste. If you don't like pre-designed models (in which case you should hate Macs, but I digress) you can always buy components, and design your own. And what's more, if you want more memory later you will not void your warranty just because you added RAM yourself. Don't give us this "Macs have better design" crap. This is as old, tired, and untrue as the "if you want to do serious graphic design or video editing you need a Mac" garbage that is still so popular.
Submitted by lodc2 on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 12:05pm
I am both an owner and a fan of Apple products, but if you think a mac pro holds a candle to this design... my god you've had waaaay to much of Job's koolaid.
I Want...!
Submitted by Comic Book Guy on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 6:53am
I want one, time to get rid of the HAF 932, still think it was stupid of Cooler Master not to include any fan filters; hopefully the Level 10 by Thermaltake is better...wonder when the full specs are going to show up.
Comic Book Guy
Honestly... it looks cool...
Submitted by Xylogeist on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 6:44am
Honestly... it looks cool... and I want it... but why the F$%& is it 700$?! NO piece of metal and plastic no matter how neatly aranged with wires is worth that! Does it at least come with a power supply?!
Submitted by fnordfnord on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 5:03am
Why is this article split across two pages? The benefit of a web page is that you can fit an infinite amount of information (such as a long article) in a finite amount of space (on a computer's display) simply by using teh browser's vertical scrolling feature.
Everybody these days uses ad blocking software. If this article splitting is an attempt to raise revenue for the web site, it will not work. In fact, splitting the article across two pages actually increases your web site's overhead by generating up to double the traffic.
Submitted by winmaster on Mon, 10/12/2009 - 4:16pm
They have some articles that are 50 pages long. MaximumPC puts the same content in about 4 pages. It could be much, much worse.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Submitted by Frederico on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 11:45pm
I have to admit, on first glance, I was very impressed that something in the PC world could actually be so striking. Love it or hate it, too expensive or worth it, you have to admit it makes a statement.
What I also find interesting is seeing an almost even split in opinions in the comments; the only middle ground are those that like it but think it costs too much; otherwise it's lust or bust.
This may be the wrong place to point this out, but for those that dig it, you might just gain some insight as to why Apple customers are, in part, willing to pay a premium for their hardware. Not only is it (frequently) visibly striking, but it is (nearly) always well-made, of the best materials, and not only that, but it is *engineered* with remarkable thought towards achieving whatever is its primary goal. It may be all about looks, and then it may not be as easy to tear into; or it may be all about function, and looks become secondary -- but only just.
I'm not saying Apple is always perfect; I'm not saying that sometimes the quality just isn't quite as good as it should or could have been; I'm not saying every piece they make belongs in a museum; but, by and large, every Apple product made for the past fifteen years was meant to be *seen*, not just used. Love him or hate him, Jobs’ design aesthetics put very high demands on Jonny Ive and his team; for better or worse, Jobs' visions of simplicty, form and function are driving us towards some incredible technology, if for no other reason than it makes Apple's machines more beautiful (c.f.: Intel Light Peak).
I would like to go on about what makes Apple's rigs stand out, both inside and out, but this article is about the ThermalTake Level 10. So, allow me to make some observations, now that the initial impact of the vision is sinking in.
1) I notice both here and on the manufacturer's site, that there is a glaring absence of shots of the rear. I suspect that is because from the rear, it's just another ugly-ass ATX-style PC. There isn't much you can do without also building a slick rear panel cover to hide all the yuk that is the rear of an ATX mobo form factor, and then you need to do considerable engineering to make sure it still cools properly.
Compare this to the rear of a Mac Pro (image), which, while not perfect, at least attempts to be as pretty as it can be, without making it difficult to access the ports or block the cooling. Look at the cover latch, if nothing else: that could have been really ugly, but Apple made it part of the form, blending it in as best as can be. They even moved the AC power socket, which in all prior cases of this form factor, was on the upper right, to the dead center, to grant a better symmetry. The I/O ports are intentionally grouped and balanced, too. The PCI gates are blended and molded to be as clean as possible. Even the primary MOBO fan grill is aligned diagaonally to match the perforation pattern of the body cover and not at 90 degree vertical/horizontal as you would expect any cheap PC to do. You would be proud to let someone see the back of this rig sitting on or under your desk.
2) The latter treatise leads me next to the lock-side of the Thermal 10; I can't say I love or hate the offset-T as part of the design, but I can say they *ruined* this progressive, striking form factor by putting cheap, ugly-ass barrel-locks just like you find on any other "secure" ATX case. And then to add all that hokey labeling -- S.S.S.: Smart-Lock Security System (Puh-leeeze!) and System Security Lock, and then to label what each lock secures with lines and target points and letters, is just plain awful. Why not use icon art, at least, indicating what each lock will do at a given position. And make it blend into the case using shades of grays, not bold white. And f you *had* to use cheap barrel locks, couldn’t you have designed a cover plate for them that reflected better the ‘cityscape’ concept of the opposite side?
Like it or not, the side panel design is completely at odds with the aesthetics of the component side, and especially the front side, which is truly minimal in text.
3) Which brings us to the front, which almost had me drooling enough to consider purchasing one for the lone PC I use, until I zoomed in on the optical bay cover. Oh, dear god, will PC designers never, ever take a cue from Apple? This gorgeous concept is *instantly* destroyed by making the optical bay no better, and not very different at all than any other cheap ATX box. Three drive bays, and each with a cheap plastic-looking facia plate. Even if you fill them each with three black-face optical drives, those drives will still *look* like 5.25’’ drives, complete with brand markings, burn-speed tags, buttons, and sometimes even audio jacks.
And even if you painted over all that ugly, you’d *still* see the gaps and seams where the drives protrude from the case! Why did we go to all the effort to build this gorgeous form factor, not only hiding, but giving glorious clothing to the uninspired, unattractive generic components, only to leave the most-often accessed pieces like any other ugly PC case.
Now, that said, I do see what looks like it might be a tiny button on the uppermost bay on the right lower side. This might actually be a flip-down drive-cover gate after all. But where are the button-plates for the lower bays? And why are they still ugly, looking like nothing more than cheap ‘there’s nothing actually in this bay’ blank covers?
Again, look at the Mac Pro (image and image). Is it the perfect design? No, but tell me those auto-drop hideaway doors are not sexy! Starting with the 1998 G3 towers, Apple has worked hard to hide the generic 5.25’’ drive faces seen everywhere else. Even before that, they used custom integrated bezels and snap-on face plates to make them blend as best they could. Even HP, Dell and others made decent attempts at this. And, yes, even Apple did a few rounds of drop-gate covers, but I promise you they all looked better than the Thermal 10, if indeed it even uses them.
For TT and BMW to overlook this section and come up with something so cheesey within an effort to redefine what a PC tower must look like is shameful.
And, once more, they ruined it with bright white, un-clever, unartistic branding on the upper left corner.
4) I am anxious to see one of these in person; or hear detailed comment from MaximumPC’s upcoming review as to how easy to access the HDD bays are. Because that is the single feature, mounted to the industrial exposed heat sink on this rig that looks totally awesome and beautiful, both. I have to be honest, they *look* as though they will be herky-jerky, wiggle-waggle, catchy-jammy to take in and out, if you know what I mean. But, if the slides and guides were machined properly, they might just slip in and out like a knife in the jelly jar. However, since the TT website claims it is *extruded* aluminum, not machined, I don’t have much faith.
Kudos, however, for making them 2.5/3.5 adaptable with no extra hardware. Big time points, there.
5) I’m not a fan of red LEDs, but I won’t penalize for that. No doubt the light effects are easily replaced with blue, green or whatever makes you happy. Likely even will become and option if they sell enough of these.
My question is, though, can I attenuate the brightness, or must I add a dimmer set to make the glow tolerable in low/no light conditions. Can I adjust from the outside, or will I have to open the case. Important questions for a case this expensive.
And, *please*, tell me they don’t pulse and throb with use. The company site seems to indicate it does under Design -> Stylish -> Lighting Effect, but it’s not clear. If it only does it when sleeping, I could probably live with it, but if it does it all the time, it’s a deal breaker. A novel effect for just about ten minutes, and then you’ll be putting electrical tape over the whole rig, especially if you’re trying to do a design layout, photo restoration, or editing a movie, and that pulsing red light keeps affecting your color sense.
6) Yes, the multitude of surfaces, especially those in the path of airflow, are going to get dusty. Keeping it clean will be tedious. But all computers, even Macs, get dusty -- inside and out. The question is, does this tiered, compartmentalized design allow for more dust to get inside or less? And, does it make it easier, or harder to clean the innards now and again to prevent overheating and static capacitance and discharge?
7) Double Branding Foul: Ten yard penalty and loss of down. You already put your name on the optical bay, must you also have it over the expansion bay, too?
8) At the end of the day, when you open up all the unique access covers, it’s still an ugly ATX, wire-harness spaghetti clusterfudge. Not TT/BMW’s fault, completely; after all, this is designed for universal ATX use, but, still, better effort could have been made to allow the steam/cyber-punk geeks to run open-frame or with clear-covers. Again, look at the current Mac Pro. (image) Tell me that’s not built with the idea it could be run sans dress plate. I promise you it’s predecessor, the Mac Pro G5, which included a clear cover underneath the dress plate, was meant to be, and is very often run open frame for those geeks that like to. This one is also meant to, giving easy access to the SATA hot-swap bays. You shouldn’t, but you can even hot-swap the ATA-133 optical drives from the quick-slide-out optical bay.
Like TT’s Thermal 10, Apple has gone to great efforts to create multiple, separated, distinct cooling zones, each fan system attenuated and regulated to the needs of the devices contained within. If the fans don’t need to run, they don’t, or they throttle up and down as its devices work harder. I hope the Thermal 10 does the same, and doesn’t just have four or five or six bigass fans blowing through every zone no matter what.
9) Hey, and thanks for that handle. 47 freakin’ pounds of thanks. Another thing the Mac Pro has retained from the first B&W G3, even if they will cut into your flesh if you try to carry with just one hand without gloves.
Anyway, I’m very pleased to see TT/BMW trying to shake things up in an otherwise dull and ugly PC landscape. Even if this first pass at art and excellence falls short, at least in my eyes, I hope they are not afraid to refine and try again and again till they get it right. That’s what Apple has had to do. Good design is both inspiration and evolution. You can’t have one without the other and expect to win.
Submitted by Frederico on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 11:45pm
I have to admit, on first glance, I was very impressed that something in the PC world could actually be so striking. Love it or hate it, too expensive or worth it, you have to admit it makes a statement.
What I also find interesting is seeing an almost even split in opinions in the comments; the only middle ground are those that like it but think it costs too much; otherwise it's lust or bust.
This may be the wrong place to point this out, but for those that dig it, you might just gain some insight as to why Apple customers are, in part, willing to pay a premium for their hardware. Not only is it (frequently) visibly striking, but it is (nearly) always well-made, of the best materials, and not only that, but it is *engineered* with remarkable thought towards achieving whatever is its primary goal. It may be all about looks, and then it may not be as easy to tear into; or it may be all about function, and looks become secondary -- but only just.
I'm not saying Apple is always perfect; I'm not saying that sometimes the quality just isn't quite as good as it should or could have been; I'm not saying every piece they make belongs in a museum; but, by and large, every Apple product made for the past fifteen years was meant to be *seen*, not just used. Love him or hate him, Jobs’ design aesthetics put very high demands on Jonny Ive and his team; for better or worse, Jobs' visions of simplicty, form and function are driving us towards some incredible technology, if for no other reason than it makes Apple's machines more beautiful (c.f.: Intel Light Peak).
I would like to go on about what makes Apple's rigs stand out, both inside and out, but this article is about the ThermalTake Level 10. So, allow me to make some observations, now that the initial impact of the vision is sinking in.
1) I notice both here and on the manufacturer's site, that there is a glaring absence of shots of the rear. I suspect that is because from the rear, it's just another ugly-ass ATX-style PC. There isn't much you can do without also building a slick rear panel cover to hide all the yuk that is the rear of an ATX mobo form factor, and then you need to do considerable engineering to make sure it still cools properly.
Compare this to the rear of a Mac Pro (image), which, while not perfect, at least attempts to be as pretty as it can be, without making it difficult to access the ports or block the cooling. Look at the cover latch, if nothing else: that could have been really ugly, but Apple made it part of the form, blending it in as best as can be. They even moved the AC power socket, which in all prior cases of this form factor, was on the upper right, to the dead center, to grant a better symmetry. The I/O ports are intentionally grouped and balanced, too. The PCI gates are blended and molded to be as clean as possible. Even the primary MOBO fan grill is aligned diagaonally to match the perforation pattern of the body cover and not at 90 degree vertical/horizontal as you would expect any cheap PC to do. You would be proud to let someone see the back of this rig sitting on or under your desk.
2) The latter treatise leads me next to the lock-side of the Thermal 10; I can't say I love or hate the offset-T as part of the design, but I can say they *ruined* this progressive, striking form factor by putting cheap, ugly-ass barrel-locks just like you find on any other "secure" ATX case. And then to add all that hokey labeling -- S.S.S.: Smart-Lock Security System (Puh-leeeze!) and System Security Lock, and then to label what each lock secures with lines and target points and letters, is just plain awful. Why not use icon art, at least, indicating what each lock will do at a given position. And make it blend into the case using shades of grays, not bold white. And f you *had* to use cheap barrel locks, couldn’t you have designed a cover plate for them that reflected better the ‘cityscape’ concept of the opposite side?
Like it or not, the side panel design is completely at odds with the aesthetics of the component side, and especially the front side, which is truly minimal in text.
3) Which brings us to the front, which almost had me drooling enough to consider purchasing one for the lone PC I use, until I zoomed in on the optical bay cover. Oh, dear god, will PC designers never, ever take a cue from Apple? This gorgeous concept is *instantly* destroyed by making the optical bay no better, and not very different at all than any other cheap ATX box. Three drive bays, and each with a cheap plastic-looking facia plate. Even if you fill them each with three black-face optical drives, those drives will still *look* like 5.25’’ drives, complete with brand markings, burn-speed tags, buttons, and sometimes even audio jacks.
And even if you painted over all that ugly, you’d *still* see the gaps and seams where the drives protrude from the case! Why did we go to all the effort to build this gorgeous form factor, not only hiding, but giving glorious clothing to the uninspired, unattractive generic components, only to leave the most-often accessed pieces like any other ugly PC case.
Now, that said, I do see what looks like it might be a tiny button on the uppermost bay on the right lower side. This might actually be a flip-down drive-cover gate after all. But where are the button-plates for the lower bays? And why are they still ugly, looking like nothing more than cheap ‘there’s nothing actually in this bay’ blank covers?
Again, look at the Mac Pro (image and image). Is it the perfect design? No, but tell me those auto-drop hideaway doors are not sexy! Starting with the 1998 G3 towers, Apple has worked hard to hide the generic 5.25’’ drive faces seen everywhere else. Even before that, they used custom integrated bezels and snap-on face plates to make them blend as best they could. Even HP, Dell and others made decent attempts at this. And, yes, even Apple did a few rounds of drop-gate covers, but I promise you they all looked better than the Thermal 10, if indeed it even uses them.
For TT and BMW to overlook this section and come up with something so cheesey within an effort to redefine what a PC tower must look like is shameful.
And, once more, they ruined it with bright white, un-clever, unartistic branding on the upper left corner.
4) I am anxious to see one of these in person; or hear detailed comment from MaximumPC’s upcoming review as to how easy to access the HDD bays are. Because that is the single feature, mounted to the industrial exposed heat sink on this rig that looks totally awesome and beautiful, both. I have to be honest, they *look* as though they will be herky-jerky, wiggle-waggle, catchy-jammy to take in and out, if you know what I mean. But, if the slides and guides were machined properly, they might just slip in and out like a knife in the jelly jar. However, since the TT website claims it is *extruded* aluminum, not machined, I don’t have much faith.
Kudos, however, for making them 2.5/3.5 adaptable with no extra hardware. Big time points, there.
5) I’m not a fan of red LEDs, but I won’t penalize for that. No doubt the light effects are easily replaced with blue, green or whatever makes you happy. Likely even will become and option if they sell enough of these.
My question is, though, can I attenuate the brightness, or must I add a dimmer set to make the glow tolerable in low/no light conditions. Can I adjust from the outside, or will I have to open the case. Important questions for a case this expensive.
And, *please*, tell me they don’t pulse and throb with use. The company site seems to indicate it does under Design -> Stylish -> Lighting Effect, but it’s not clear. If it only does it when sleeping, I could probably live with it, but if it does it all the time, it’s a deal breaker. A novel effect for just about ten minutes, and then you’ll be putting electrical tape over the whole rig, especially if you’re trying to do a design layout, photo restoration, or editing a movie, and that pulsing red light keeps affecting your color sense.
6) Yes, the multitude of surfaces, especially those in the path of airflow, are going to get dusty. Keeping it clean will be tedious. But all computers, even Macs, get dusty -- inside and out. The question is, does this tiered, compartmentalized design allow for more dust to get inside or less? And, does it make it easier, or harder to clean the innards now and again to prevent overheating and static capacitance and discharge?
7) Double Branding Foul: Ten yard penalty and loss of down. You already put your name on the optical bay, must you also have it over the expansion bay, too?
8) At the end of the day, when you open up all the unique access covers, it’s still an ugly ATX, wire-harness spaghetti clusterfudge. Not TT/BMW’s fault, completely; after all, this is designed for universal ATX use, but, still, better effort could have been made to allow the steam/cyber-punk geeks to run open-frame or with clear-covers. Again, look at the current Mac Pro. (image) Tell me that’s not built with the idea it could be run sans dress plate. I promise you it’s predecessor, the Mac Pro G5, which included a clear cover underneath the dress plate, was meant to be, and is very often run open frame for those geeks that like to. This one is also meant to, giving easy access to the SATA hot-swap bays. You shouldn’t, but you can even hot-swap the ATA-133 optical drives from the quick-slide-out optical bay.
Like TT’s Thermal 10, Apple has gone to great efforts to create multiple, separated, distinct cooling zones, each fan system attenuated and regulated to the needs of the devices contained within. If the fans don’t need to run, they don’t, or they throttle up and down as its devices work harder. I hope the Thermal 10 does the same, and doesn’t just have four or five or six bigass fans blowing through every zone no matter what.
9) Hey, and thanks for that handle. 47 freakin’ pounds of thanks. Another thing the Mac Pro has retained from the first B&W G3, even if they will cut into your flesh if you try to carry with just one hand without gloves.
Anyway, I’m very pleased to see TT/BMW trying to shake things up in an otherwise dull and ugly PC landscape. Even if this first pass at art and excellence falls short, at least in my eyes, I hope they are not afraid to refine and try again and again till they get it right. That’s what Apple has had to do. Good design is both inspiration and evolution. You can’t have one without the other and expect to win.
I'm sorry....
Submitted by ShroudedWolf51 on Tue, 10/06/2009 - 11:07am
I'm sorry, but is it just me or does someone seem a little too obsessed with the Mac Pro?
I read through the whole thing (yep, I sure have a life XD), but from what I can see, it's basically saying that at first glance, you thought it was amazing, then 9 rather extensive points on why it sucks. Apple fanboy much?
Now... No doubt that this could use some improvement, but... Really? Saying that the computers that only have one single design is always better, is that really the way to do that?
A Note
Submitted by 010000100110010... on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 8:39pm
Double Posted.
Would love to see a better, cheaper version of this...
Submitted by w2ed on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 11:31pm
I love a lot of the ideas, and while the design, while very flawed, is still pretty sweet. The big problem I have, though, is the pricetag: even when you factor in how long cases usually last, it's still too much considering what it offers.
If someone would take some of the ideas, such as the form, the outer separate chambers, the design itself, and either added features to it (such as, since it loooks like it might be designed to sit on the desk, either a built-in LCD screen or LCD mount), or made the unit as-is cheaper, it'd be justifiable to have it. Can't wait to see the review of this, though: it looks freakin' awesome!
Submitted by fnordfnord on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 10:40pm
Good luck keeping that case clean. Though if you can afford to spend $700 on a case youprobably have someone around to clean things.
Breathtaking structure
Submitted by Cache on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 5:26pm
The case is nothing less than sculpted elagance; it is a visual feast for the senses that is without doubt the most artistic cases ever designed. Surely there are more capable cases for cooling the components, cases that can offer more drive bays, systems that are easier to carry around.
None can match the deliberate lines and natural grace offered in this design.
This is for people who require a piece of art in their home office, and will pay top dollar for something that carries sophistication rarely seen in computer hardware. Looking at this case is like comparing any modern high-end enthusiast case to the ancient beige boxes from years ago.
Never has a computer case left me awestruck by its' very beauty; I don't know if I will witness this level of sophistication again.
Submitted by zioburosky13 on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 4:03pm
Sexy.... probaly the case you would use for the next 10 years before getting a new one. :)
Submitted by 010000100110010... on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 8:37pm
Just around 500 too expensive for me.
Submitted by DRAGONWEEZEL on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 2:28pm
Neat Idea, but for the cost of 2 gtx295's... I'll take the video cards!
btw, grats on another slashdoting.
THERE ARE ONLY 11 TYPES OF PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD. Those that think binary jokes are funny, those that don't, and those that don't know binary
Submitted by streetking on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 2:07pm
lol the "official site" has a typo xD
Submitted by streetking on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 2:10pm
theres also a grammatical error FTL
Submitted by MrHorspwer on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 1:02pm
I don't see this so much as a computer case, but as an avant-garde piece of furniture. This isn't a piece you're going to stick under your desk. I think a case like this is intended to be a focal point of a room, be it an office or a gaming den.
I really think it's great that someone is out there pushing desktop design out of the box (pun intended). Face it, desktops are dying. The world has turned to portability over power. There has been some interesting developments and design in the all-in-one segment, but outside of that, desktops remain the same boring boxes they've been since the beginning. Functional? Yes. Beautiful? No.
It may be wishful thinking, but maybe case manufacturers will take a idea like this and run with it. Making it a bit more affordable probably wouldn't hurt. That said, if I were building a dream machine and had a library to put it in, I'd rock one.
Submitted by ShroudedWolf51 on Tue, 10/06/2009 - 11:19am
"I really think it's great that someone is out there pushing desktop design out of the box (pun intended). Face it, desktops are dying. The world has turned to portability over power."
While yes, that can't be said to be fully a lie, at the same time, I can't help but disagree with you.
Yes, it is true, that the use of laptops and netbooks is getting much more common, however, the group of people that something like this is meant for, the gamers and enthusiasts, will probably never stop using desktops since those can now (and probably for at least the next 20 years if not more) harness a LOT more power than any laptop out there.
Plus if desktops are truly dying, then why are so many new desktop parts being released? The ATI's amazing 5870 GPU? That is for desktops only. Intel's core i7 and (soon to be released) core i9? Now, so far, I've only seen 2 laptops that successfully are able to use the i7, however, with those prices, you might as well get several of these cases. 2TB drives? A laptop can only dream about one of those as an external. Need I go on?
Airflow
Submitted by Modred189 on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 11:39am
When you guys finally take a look to this thing in a full review, make sure to do some temperature comparisons! I have a sneaking suspicion that heat might be an issue...
Submitted by jongalt26 on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 10:24am
Is there enough space for the asus rampage extreme II ? The thermaltake shark was 1/4" too small.
Maybe I just dont appreciate
Submitted by Tekzel on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 10:00am
Maybe I just dont appreciate "art" but that is just goofy and ridiculous. I wouldn't use it if it were given to me. I might try to hock it on E-Bay though, and buy a case that doesn't offend me.
Submitted by hiatus on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 9:55am
Now thats computer porn.
That is a really slick
Submitted by Caboose on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 9:07am
That is a really slick looking case.I wonder how easily full-length and oversized expansion cards will fit, as well as some aftermarket CPU coolers.
And as always, will it run Crysis?
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
I guess...
Submitted by UndeniablyPC on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 9:06am
I guess it's cool. It is unique, but I don't really see how this case is worth $700. I mean this isn't an enthusiests case by any means, because I see no room for water cooling or doing much of anything besides components. This thing will end up in a case museum at the end of the day. What a waste of time Thermaltake. Then again, most of your design choices are ugly and not really modder friendly.
People are making too much
Submitted by lunchbox73 on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 9:04am
People are making too much of a fuss over the price. Think of it as a luxury item that not everyone is supposed to afford.
A Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is around 300,000 grand which makes it around ten times more expensive than an average car. Does that mean the 612 is ten times as good? Not necessarily. It costs that much because it's a Ferarri and it's made for rich folk. Not the best metaphor in the word but I think I made my point.
Exactly! Those that
Submitted by cj100570 on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 10:18am
Exactly! Those that appreciate it's beauty and can afford it will buy it. Those that can't will bitch & moan!
Submitted by ShroudedWolf51 on Tue, 10/06/2009 - 11:22am
You can say that again!
ahhh, too late, i'm a laptop
Submitted by Sina on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 8:29am
ahhh, too late, i'm a laptop user now.
Thats a
Submitted by drunkalien6 on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 7:25am
Thats a pretty awesome case. According to Fudzilla its going to cost around $690 ( http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/15267/38/ )
Which i think is very over priced i think $350-$500, would of been ideal to alright.
Submitted by rseding91 on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 7:02am
It's about time somebody made a computer case built around the components - instead of the components built around the computer case.
This is awesome!
Standard computer cases are just boxes - BORING.
Submitted by Axeion on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 6:00am
with the bmw adds half that probly goes to them.very impressive looking case tho case modes have been around a while with similar designs .if it was around 300$ i would have considered it for next build.but 700$ ill stick to either another armor + or go with a coolmaster case.
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." — Robert E. Howard, The Tower of the Elephant (1933)
Submitted by mike2060 on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 5:52am
Case porn!!!
Submitted by Steelwells on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 5:01am
The pages of MaximumPC have featured dozens of great looking cases over the years, as well as dozens of awful looking ones. Just as with most things, aesthethics are completely subjective.
To me, this is an amazing looking case that I would be proud to show off to friends and family. I've really never seen anything like it and that alone makes it enviable.
I can understand why many would balk at the design since it is so original. I can understand why many more would balk at the price - this case is VERY expensive. But for those out there that want something truly unique, this case provides it - in spades.
Bravo Thermaltake and BMW Design. Amazing case.
I'll be watching for a review on building a system in the Level 10 and be intrigued to see performance numbers.
No way TT has made the most
Submitted by killerxx7 on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 4:40am
No way TT has made the most ugly case on the face of the earth....and are asking us to give thme money for the montrosoty!!!
Submitted by wzsteen on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 4:29am
No way dude that is just WAY too cool!
RT
www.total-privacy.net.tc
Must Read Articles
Feature
Review
Feature
Feature
Feature
Most Popular Articles
This Month's Issue
FEATURE How to Get FREE Programs, Services, Software & MoreFEATURE Digital Photo Printer RoundupHOW TOBuild a 3D CameraFEATUREDIY Arcade PCWHITE PAPERHow TRIM Works
Technology News
Computer Cooling Fans
Computer Cases
PC Game Controllers
PC Games
Computer Hardware
Headphones
MP3 Players
Stream Video
Computer Mouse
Monitors
Motherboards
NAS Storage
Networking
Laptop Computers
DVD Burner
Digital Cameras
Portable Storage
Computer Accessories
Smartphone
Antivirus Software
Sound Cards
Speakers
Computer Systems
Thumb Drives
Video Cameras
Video Card Reviews
Water Cooling
Gadgets
- Keyboards
© 2009 Future US, Inc. All Rights Reserved.