Level 10 gt thoughts

[stuckinasquare3]

I not too long ago got a lanboy air (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129093). The thing has a ton of air flow due to the open design and plethora of fans I've got in it. I originally bought it because I thought it would be cleaner and more fun to work inside but it's really not. I'm tired of fiddling around with multiple cables trying to plug in hard drives. The cable routing isn't that good.

Then I saw this case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133192
The level 10 gt. At first glance it actually looks kind of ugly on the outside but there are a couple reasons why I'm thinking of buying it anyway.

1) hot swap bays for hard drives.
2) great cooling
3) plenty of cable routing
4) a cool feature that I really like is that all the fans are connected and the door fan uses a contact connection so you can easily take off the side

Does anyone own this case and have anything good/bad to say about it? Or can recommend a better/similar case

 

[Bad ConNecTioN]

The biggest caveat is the hot-swap mechanism is incredibly cheap. If you are constantly swapping drives in and out, it will eventually break. The drive sleds are solid plastic, but the locking mechanism is a little piece of spring steel that has a tendency to bend and jam...forcing you to break it in order to remove the tray. This is compounded by the difficult to press release button that often feels fully depressed when it actually isn't.
The good news is that the drive trays (and spring locking mechanism) can be replaced for cheap from Thermaltake. The bad news is you will probably be buying a couple of those new trays .

But overall its a nice case. The swing open door is a nice touch, and the integrated fan controller is easy to use. Its plenty roomy, and has EXCELLENT wire management. The right side panel is difficult to remove, and I found putting it back on more difficult then most cases. But you'll only be opening it during assembly, and after that its all good.

For $279 I'd take a pass, I just don't see the value. The black version sometimes goes on sale for around $200...its a decent deal at that price.

 

[bleucharm28]

The white one with window is pretty darn nice. But if I'm gona put some money it, i get something else like a Corsair Full Towers or Silverstone TJ07

 

[Jman13]

I know everyone's tastes are different, but I've seen this case in person at Microcenter, and it is obnoxiously ugly to my eyes...not just 'a little'.

But, then again, I've always been a fan of minimalist design.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

The biggest caveat is the hot-swap mechanism is incredibly cheap. If you are constantly swapping drives in and out, it will eventually break. The drive sleds are solid plastic, but the locking mechanism is a little piece of spring steel that has a tendency to bend and jam...forcing you to break it in order to remove the tray. This is compounded by the difficult to press release button that often feels fully depressed when it actually isn't.
The good news is that the drive trays (and spring locking mechanism) can be replaced for cheap from Thermaltake. The bad news is you will probably be buying a couple of those new trays .

But overall its a nice case. The swing open door is a nice touch, and the integrated fan controller is easy to use. Its plenty roomy, and has EXCELLENT wire management. The right side panel is difficult to remove, and I found putting it back on more difficult then most cases. But you'll only be opening it during assembly, and after that its all good.

For $279 I'd take a pass, I just don't see the value. The black version sometimes goes on sale for around $200...its a decent deal at that price.

+1

 

[stuckinasquare3]

For that much money I'd want something that's going to last and is a bit more sturdy. Can you recommend any other cases with hot swap capability that are more durable?

 

[stuckinasquare3]

I'm also looking at the Obsidian 800D. The Thermaltake certainly looks more...interesting...although some people will say it's ugly. They're all sort of in the same price range. $279 for the white GT, $239 for the black GT, and $259 for the Obsidian on Amazon. I think the Level 10 GT has better cooling and probably better cable management although I can easily add some more fans to the Obsidian. The hot swap bays seem more sturdy on the Obsidian although I don't really have any evidence as to that. There are only 4 of them though where the Level 10 GT has 5.

 

[Bad ConNecTioN]

Hot-swap bays are nicer on the Corsair, though still not the most durable units around. The Level 10 has MUCH better air cooling, however the 800d is more suitable to water cooling.
Take a look at the AzzA 3000, 10 hot-swap bays, and less expensive then the other two. Not the best looking case around, but it offers tons of options for expansion, plenty of fan locations and filters, and overall is a nice case. There is also the AzzA 4000, its an identical case to the 3000, just with an extra compartment on top for radiators and/or a second motherboard .

 

[stuckinasquare3]

That's an interesting case as well. Plenty of hot swap bays and cooling options. I think I may go for the Level 10 GT though.

 

[Topweasel]

HAF X and Cosmos II both have hotswap ports. The HAF X ones aren't the greatest though.

 

[TidusZ]

The HAF X is a good deal cheaper and has better cooling. It has 2 hot swap bays as well. Honestly, I couldn't see myself buying any case other than HAF. Even if you just need a cheap midtower for a family member the smaller HAFs are amazing. I have a haf 932 for my pc and I just picked up a HAF X in preparation for a new ivy bridge build.