Behold!
This is one of only two Thermaltake Level 10 cases imported into Singapore through Corbell…
…and it’s mine, all mine!
The Thermaltake Level 10 is a premium computer case designed in collaboration between Thermaltake and BMW Group DesignworksUSA. Yes, BMW, as in the German car manufacturer.
Now, I’ve not seen many reviews of this case out there, but seeing as how you’d want to know everything you can about this case before you plonk down a whopping SGD$945/- for one (ordered direct through Corbell, you’ll have to go there in person), I figured I’d put up a few tips about buying and building a system around the Level 10.
1. This case is big
The Level 10 comes in a huge box that weighs 25kg. I first mistook it for an office fax/photocopying machine. A smart person will pay Corbell to deliver it to you. I, however, am not a very smart person, and so I struggled to get it in the cab. Take note that if you take a cab, it will not fit into the newer, smaller ones. Get an old-style Comfort cab (the boxy ones) and it’ll take up the entire back seat. Of course you’ll be fine in a Maxicab too.
The case itself weighs in at 21.5kg empty and is a bit bigger than some full tower solutions out there, at about 66cm tall, 60cm long and 32cm wide. Make sure you have space, not just to put the case, but to show it off too.
Weirdly enough, though…
2. Not everything can fit inside it
You have some hard limits to the sizes of your CPU cooler, video card, and power supply:
CPU Cooler: cannot exceed 150mm height. This will be a fatal flaw for some enthusiasts out there. Top tier CPU cooling solutions for the LGA1366 socket, including the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme, the Prolimatech Megahalems and Scythe Mugen2 will not fit in this case if we obey this limit. I’m not about to find out if you can force one of these babies in. The Scythe Zipang2 will fit, but you may want to consider getting an alternate cooling solution like the liquid cooled Corsair H50, which is what I will have running inside my Level 10.
Video card: cannot exceed 310mm length. This may be a fatal flaw if you absolutely must run the new ATI 5970 cards. I don’t know if its true for all of the cards out there, but the ASUS 5970 is 317mm long. You can get around this if you’re willing to substitute the intake fan (about 25mm thick) on the Level 10 with something thinner. Or you could wait for nVidia’s Fermi to come out.
Power supply: cannot exceed 210mm length. I didn’t know that power supplies got this big, but it wasn’t an issue for me.
The size of the case also leads me to my next tip, which is…
3. Buy extension wires
The Level 10 has a modular design; the motherboard, CPU, video cards and RAM sit in one big module, and the power supply, 5.25″ bays and 3.5″ bays are all in separate modules.
Any wiring has to “weave” through the main vertical stand to get from point A to point B. While this makes for a very neat wire management solution in the modules, it does mean your standard-issue cables are not likely to fit. Depending on your motherboard configuration, you may need extension wires for practically everything. I myself needed to get longer SATA cables to connect my BD-ROM drive to the motherboard, and my front panel audio connectors still can’t reach the proper pins on the motherboard. I can confirm, though, that the Seasonic MI2D does have power cables long enough for all your needs, including PCIe cables that can reach the 2nd ATI 5850 further from the power supply.
My advice is to buy the case and the components first, and set aside a nice afternoon to back-and-forth between your home and Sim Lim Square to get everything sorted out nicely.
4. This build is not a solo affair
You’re going to need someone’s help to build this PC. You need someone to help thread wires through the main vertical stand, carry the 21.5kg case around, hold the power supply cage up while you screw it back to the main vertical stand, and so on. It’s not a solo build.
…and that’s it for my tips! I’ll leave you with a shot of the innards while it runs:
