A Closer Look - Outside

It's said, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" and Thermaltake certainly understood this. Immediately the smooth sleek exterior makes a striking presence. The all black sides are sleek and only briefly parsed with small sections of perforated mesh for air ventilation. The side window is roughly 4x10" which is a bit small when compared to a standard panel window. The compartmentalized look is still a bit subtle but the depth difference is minimal between the "compartments". Interestingly the front side panel is equipped with a system security lock. An included key can lock the panel door or unlock it for access. Even more interesting is how this door opens, the Level 10 GT has a sleek access button hidden on the underside of the exterior, which we'll see more of in a bit.


The front and back follow suit with soft black steel and mesh ventilation over specific areas. The front has a unique layout with the power and reset button and four USB 2.0 ports along the top side, but vertically placed. The front panel can easily be removed by pulling out to clean a removable dust filter over the front 200 mm intake fan. The front also includes a security access lock for the hard drives. Each hard drive is numbered and includes a button to remove from the hotswap rack. The rear is rather standard, but not much is expected other than proper ventilation from the exhaust fan.


Here we have zoomed in a bit on the front and get a more detailed picture of the specific features. Starting at the bottom are the five hard drive buttons that release the tray from the hotswap rack. The locking mechanism is a very nice security feature and a nice touch overall. The bottom does have proper ventilation for a 200 mm ColorShift fan. The ColorShift fan has five color settings: all red, all blue, all green, a clockwise rotation, or a "party mode" that rotates all the colors a bit faster. These fans are specific to select Thermaltake model cases and not sold separately. The middle does have an access slot for a single 3.5" bay. The top houses four 5.25" bays, each bay cover with a nice dust filter built in.


Here we have the backside of the case which is fairly standard with the power supply located at the bottom. The middle area has a full eight PCI slots with a locking bar that screws on to secure any items placed within there. The PCI slots extend out the back of the case just enough to make for easy installation of any PCI cards. Up at the top is a nice 140 mm exhaust fan and three rubber holes for water cooling or cable routing. At the very top corner is a small key ring holder.


Returning to the front we have the connectivity and control buttons. There are four USB 2.0 ports facing out the front along with the power and reset buttons. The mic and headphone jacks are also faced out towards the front. At the top front of the case are two USB 3.0 ports and an eSATA port. Additionally there is the control buttons for the ColorShift fans. The fans can be controlled two ways: set either to HI or LOW and also by cycling through the five ColorShift options (or be turned off). The HI and LOW settings do change both the speed of the fans and also the brightness of the LEDs inside them. I've found to enjoy the multiple settings for multiple environments I've been in. At first the Party theme was rather annoying but after setting next to a single color for a while the mixture of color is a nice alternative.


Lastly the bottom of the case shows off the four shifting feet and the door access button. The case feet swing out, each up to 90º to provide further support for this massive case. Opening the case door requires the hidden button to be pressed from the underside. I totally like this as it reminds me of shaved handles from custom hot rods, it makes the case sleek and stylish and adds a touch of class.