Thermaltake Level 10 GTS Snow Edition

When it released its Level 10 two years ago, Thermaltake announced to the world it was setting a new standard in case design. Crafted with the help of BMW DesignworksUSA, it was a one-of-a-kind creation with a one-of-a-kind problem: its $800 price.? So one can?t blame Thermaltake for wanting to capitalize on the original model?s innovations by creating (necessarily lesser) versions ordinary people could afford.? The first arrived last year with the sub-$300 Level 10 GT, and now there?s the Level 10 GTS, which is priced at just over $100. Our review unit was the $114.99 (list) Snow Edition, which bears much of Thermaltake?s usual commitment to quality, but is a bit too confused to grab anyone who really cares about aesthetics.

As its name indicates, the Snow Edition is colored white.? Or, to be more precise, off-white:? It?s not beige, but it?s also more tinted than the tundra, or even Thermaltake's own Armor Revo Snow Edition.? (The Level 10 GTS is also available in traditional black.)? We don?t have a problem with this approach in theory?the Level 10 GT Snow Edition was actually more attractive than its corresponding black version?but the other treatments the Level 10 design has received here stick out a bit more.

What characterized the series' two earlier cases was a commitment to originality that manifested itself in everything from the ornamentation of the side panels to the 3.5-inch drive bays.? Whereas the original Level 10 stood alone?with each component (power supply, motherboard, 5.25-inch drives, and each individual 3.5-inch drive) in its own compartment?the Level 10 GT pulled back on this to suggest the same effect with less elaborate engineering.? The Level 10 GTS has gone further still, to the point that it now resembles almost every other case out there.

You get that from the four hot-swappable 3.5-inch drive bays, which are lockable as a group (a key is included, and can hang on the rear panel); each opens when you press a corresponding button on the front and pull it out.? But except for a round vent (that is filtered but not paired with a preinstalled fan) and a headphone hook, the side panel is completely bare and nondescript. The right-side ?tower,? which provided an anchor for the racing strip?like light on the Level 10 and the Level 10 GT, is now gone as well.? Even the sturdy retractable feet of the Level 10 GT have been replaced by smaller round rubber models.

The good news is that, as a gaming case, the Level 10 GTS otherwise accomplishes everything it needs to.? It has all the obligatory features: a hole cut in the motherboard tray to facilitate installation of an aftermarket CPU cooler; grommeted holes for routing cables and wires into a decent-size cavity beneath the motherboard; tool-free construction for the drive bays (the aforementioned 3.5-inch bays, plus one external 3.5-inch bay and four 5.25-inch external bays), seven expansion slots, and the doors; a vented floor panel for the power supply; sufficient cooling (provided by one 200mm intake fan on the front panel and one 120mm exhaust fan on the rear panel, though you have enough clearance to add a ceiling fan or the radiator for a liquid cooling system as well); enough room to install even the longest video cards on the market, like the AMD Radeon HD 6990; and even a fair selection of front-panel ports (two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, and headphone and microphone).

All this means that you?re most likely to be disappointed in the Level 10 GTS if you expect it to live up to the standards set by its bigger, more expensive brothers.? Don?t misunderstand: We don?t expect a case at this price to be the same quality in every way as one that costs three or (sigh) seven times as much.? But as part of a series so focused on design, the Level 10 GTS is at best a half-hearted fit.? The hot-swappable bays may be useful, for example, but they're flimsy?we broke the thin metal restraining clip just by tugging lightly on the drive when it was locked.? And without the other Level 10 physical elements, the bays' rounded edges and horizontal lighting strike us as out of place.? And, its useful features aside, much of the rest of the case strikes us the same way.

We like the Level 10 GTS's useful features, but ultimately it seems to be more about compromise than giving you top-level looks at an entry-level price.? You can get more consistent styling, inside and out, from something like the cheaper NZXT H2 or even Thermaltake?s own, slightly pricier, Chaser MK-I (our Editors? Choice) or Armor Revo Snow Edition.? Or, of course, if you want something bigger and appropriately flashier, splurging on the Level 10 GT will pay somewhat more impressive dividends.? As it is, the Level 10 GTS Snow Edition gives you a taste of Thermaltake?s unique kind of case luxury?but only a taste, and one that will leave you wanting more than this budget-friendly model can quite deliver.

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