First Look At Wild New "Level 10" Concept PC Case 287
notthatwillsmith writes "Maximum PC just posted an exclusive hands on with Thermaltake's unique Level 10 case. This concept design features individual compartments for different components (each with dedicated cooling) all mounted on a black steel frame. The case looks like a prop from 2001, rendered in black steel instead of white plastic. It's absolutely unlike anything I've ever seen before."
very pretty (Score:2, Interesting)
but for me, and my company, ludicrous to even consider. Laptops and Desktops and Servers are all throw-away* commodities these days. I have no use for this. But wow, it's pretty.
*recycle, Manbearpig thanks you.
Re:very pretty (Score:5, Insightful)
Personally, I kinda like it.
Re:very pretty (Score:4, Insightful)
And I find it rather ugly.
Re:very pretty (Score:5, Funny)
Re:very pretty (Score:5, Funny)
tl;dr Mac users won't be able to lift this thing.
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My Mac Pro weighs 42 lbs. That's not much less than this case.
Re:very pretty (Score:5, Insightful)
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Just saying "any normal geek" already excludes Mac users. It has nothing to do with when Apple stopped using CRTs.
Only for extreme definitions of "geek" (which is excluded by the term "normal geek").
Macs are very geek-friendly. Unix + a commercially-supported desktop system? Even Linus Torvals uses/used a Mac. He ran Linux on it (obviously), but still...
Now, had the term been "gamers" or "oss geeks" or something, you'd have a point.
/me dons asbestos undies
Or, paraphrased: I'm going to pre-label anyone who disagrees with me as a troll or fanatical fanboy.
Re:very pretty (Score:5, Funny)
Re:very pretty (Score:4, Funny)
That said, I've got to get back to using my carefully and conscientiously designed OS.
Was I being to condescending there? By the way, to be "condescending" means "to talk down to."
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47 pounds?! Hope you live next door to the factory because it'll cost more to ship than to build.
Re:very pretty (Score:5, Funny)
They've helpfully taken care of that problem, ensuring that the cost of the case is significantly more than the cost of shipping by setting the case's price at $700.
Re:very pretty (Score:4, Funny)
$150?
Fuck that. I just screwed all my components into a scrap piece of plywood.
Five years, no failures.
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When you're already paying $700 for the case, what's another $100 for shipping? That's like searching for a $10 discount on RAM when you're also buying a $1000 Core i7 Extreme (and then possibly using it for nothing more than Minesweeper). It's all about perspective...
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I live in Alaska, you insensitive clod! EVERYTHING costs more to ship than to build!
Sure, but most of that is all the overhead the post office has to deal with to make sure Putin isn't hiding in any of the packages.
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Today's geeks get to enjoy the luxury of being out of shape with their EEE PCs and Macbook Airs.
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Re:very pretty (Score:4, Interesting)
First, who moves their desktop computer? The reason we have laptops is so that we can move them around. Desktops are meant to sit next to, or under, or behind the desk, in a closet, on a shelf (a strong shelf in this case).
I have no problem with a 50-lb desktop case if it's quiet and keeps the computer's bits cool.
I hate having my computer crash because of heat when I'm right in the middle of a stunt run in Burnout Paradise.
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I wish I had known Perl and Linux back then..
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geeks?
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First, who moves their desktop computer?
Geeks going to LAN parties, of course. What's the point of buying a case like this, if you can't take it around and show to all your (now green with envy) friends?
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That's about the same as the PS/2 model 80 towers. They had a handle built into the top of the case.
Re:very pretty (Score:4, Funny)
Wait, I've got another one: (Score:4, Funny)
So does your mom, I hear.
One last one: (Score:3)
No need to bring Star Jones into this discussion.
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If a Mac user spends the money on something jaw-droppingly cool, they're an elitist snob who pays more for white plastic with a logo on it.
Actually no, they're still just a hobbyist who's into cool computer hardware because nothing that could be described as "jaw-droppingly cool" comes in white plastic with an Apple logo on it.
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A true geek appreciates the insides of a PC. A case is purely superfluous.
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Looks like a bit of a dust magnet (Score:2, Funny)
If you buy one of these suckers, you'd best make sure your girlfriend really enjoys dusting. Oh, wait a minute...this is Slashdot. Never mind.
Re:Looks like a bit of a dust magnet (Score:5, Funny)
I'd also point out that, in addition to slashdot, this is also the 21st century.
Re:Looks like a bit of a dust magnet (Score:5, Funny)
That means vacuuming instead of dusting?
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I'd also point out that, in addition to slashdot, this is also the 21st century.
Exactly! We can make our own mechanical women now, girlfriends are soooo last century!
Re:Looks like a bit of a dust magnet (Score:5, Funny)
Unfortunately, she never gets around to the dusting.
So I'm thinking of exchanging her for a newer model.
Your "mechanical women" seem like just the trick... can you please send me the technical specs and blueprints?
Re:Looks like a bit of a dust magnet (Score:4, Funny)
I'm a tad confused - is this a bug, or a feature?
Re:Looks like a bit of a dust magnet (Score:5, Funny)
Depends on if you're home when it happens.
Re:Looks like a bit of a dust magnet (Score:5, Funny)
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If you buy one of these suckers, you'd best make sure your girlfriend really enjoys dusting. Oh, wait a minute...this is Slashdot.
I'd also point out that, in addition to slashdot, this is also the 21st century.
I'd also point out, in addition to this being the 21st century, water is wet.
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I'd also point out that, in addition to slashdot, this is also the 21st century.
Exactly. Neither of us bother to dust.
Wait... what? (Score:5, Funny)
The case looks like a prop from 2001, rendered in black steel instead of white plastic. It's absolutely unlike anything I've ever seen before.
How can it look like a prop from a movie if its unlike anything you've ever seen before?
Logic failing aside,
It makes me think of what might happen if they combined the Death Star's Exterior with a PS3.
Motherboard? (Score:2)
Wow, that's just incredibly gorgeous.
Did anyone notice whether or not it can handle standard motherboards?
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It is indeed beautiful. And it's very cool that it takes standard hardware Every other commercial case I've seen is either a barebone with a non-removable motherboard, a conventional large box, or a large box with tacky plastic 'round the edges to make it look less like a large box. I couldn't imagine anybody spending this much on a non-standard case which will go obsolete, but a real case stays current for a long time, unless, of course, the PSU is n
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Gorgeous?
It barks.
Really. Who wants their home or office to look like a hold over from a 1920's industrial plant!?!
Can't wait to dust it. (Score:2, Insightful)
All those nooks and crannies, I'd say it looks like the moore's law version of an english muffin. Hope your apartment is actually a fab's clean room.
Duh (Score:5, Funny)
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The centrifuge is for enriching the uranium in your carbon-free nuclear gas turbine green-car, you unimaginative clod.
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1.21 gigawatts should be enough for anyone.
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Of course its like nothing you've ever seen. Its completely unnecessary. I've never seen a car with built-in centrifuge.. doesn't mean they should make one.
I travel by centrifuge you insensitive clod.
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Heck, a lot of hubcaps even have convenient little slots in them, that would be just about right for sample tubes...
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They do. [diesel-fuels.com]
Ok. (Score:5, Insightful)
Cool? Yes. $700 cool? No.
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Sigh, I have to agree. According to their website their target customer is architects (trying to make a good impression on clients presumably), high-end gamers (presumably the highest end gamers who have absolutely unlimited budgets) and content creators thanks to its thermal properties.
I don't see how this case could possibly be worth $700 to anyone that cares anything about money though (except for perhaps the architects). Sure, it looks pretty but it's also huge, heavy, difficult to clean and awfully exp
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(presumably the highest end gamers who have absolutely unlimited budgets)
This. $2000 can get you an essentially top of the line machine these days (at least, it did for me); if I were going to spend $700 on the case, I'd want to scale up the other parts appropriately (getting into you-have-to-be-kidding-me territory), and the machine would cost somewhere in the vicinity of $7000. Granted, it's not hard to put together a parts list far exceeding that cost, but no gamer really needs anything that expensive.
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Sure, it looks pretty but it's also huge, heavy,
Oh now no need to make fun of Maximum PC's website ... Oh, wait, were you talking about the PC case?
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Cool? No. $700 cool? No way in hell.
If it was a choice between this and the Antec Solo with both at $89.95, then maybe I'd be interested in this case but it would be close.
Pretty but still not perfect (Score:4, Insightful)
If you look at the drive bay covers they are not perfectly aligned. For $700, you would expect Jobsian OCD attention to detail, regardless in shortcomings to the other design elements.
The bottom line: $700 (Score:5, Insightful)
That's all I really need to know. It looks interesting, it might be cool, but I'll never buy one.
steveha
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Makes me want to quantify the Mac tax I pay... as in I tend to equate to the days when Alienware and likes first hit the scene and a lot of us scoffed at paying for packaging... and here I am with an iMac and a MacBook Pro.
The problem I have with this case is that its shown in vertical. Granted the old style desktop is not in vogue anymore but towers just scream computer. I guess its why my preferred platform is a laptop operating closed (clam shell) most of the time. Its because I can place it somewher
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Especially since one can build a new machine for less than that total.
I'd love to meet the person who builds a machine that has thermal demands that necessitate a kit like this, then actually pushes the machine enough that he couldn't have gotten by spending 1/3rd of the price.
"Thermally isolated" (Score:2)
The guts of the Level 10: individual compartments keep components thermally isolated. And it looks wicked.
Sweet! Now my hard drives and CPU get hotter and my DVD drive stays at room temp! HOW ADVANCED!!!
Expensive! (Score:2)
The Level 10 will be available in mid-October for $700.
$700 for a case? I can buy a quad-core desktop with more RAM than I know what to do with for that much.
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Looks stupid, priced stupid (Score:2, Troll)
Definitely targeted at the "more money than brains" folks.
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Of course, it came from BMW Design Group...
Actually, I'd like to think of it as "Just as much money as brains"...
Anyone else remember the Cube? (Score:2)
Ah the simplicity of simple easy to access slots for things.
Hey this looks cool, but that is about my budget for a whole rig, so I will stick to something functional without stupid LED glowing in my eyes.
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If I wanted simple access to things, I'd by a server rack case with hot swap bays and a convenient door on the top of the case then mount it under my desk like a drawer. Come to think of it. That's what I want... Where are the computer desks with built in rails?
Terrible (Score:3, Insightful)
Why this case is a bad idea :
1. $700. That would buy a whole generation of core component upgrades (CPU/video card/RAM)
2. It uses small, noisy fans rather than larger, quiet ones like this case : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011 [newegg.com]
3. Having a sweet looking computer case isn't going to impress anyone any more than having a sweet comic book collection. Save the money for spending things on stuff that actually (theoretically) have a chance of getting you laid, like better clothes or a nicer car.
4. You could buy a vapor chill cooler instead and overclock like mad. This case won't give you any more performance than a standard case.
In short, $700? No Wi Fi? Less space than a server case? Lame.
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WiFi has no place on a boxt that needs to have a power cord plugged into the wall to function.
It's a luggable. (Score:2)
Didn't you see the handle? It's clearly meant to be a "luggable." A full-sized computer that you can move about the house when you want. Do you want to have to fish cat 5 through all the convenient locations in your house just to take full advantage of it? Wired ethernet has its own security problems btw.
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Wired ethernet has its own security problems btw.
Oh pray tell
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It weights 50lbs, you're not going to move it around your house at will unless you shove some wheels on it. Then you have to drag your monitor, find a flat place for the keyboard, plug all the 20 cables back in and so on. There's a handle I'm guessing so you can move it around at all without spending the next week with ice on your back.
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That was a riff on the :
No wi fi? Less space than a Nomad? Lame.
Joke that is floating around on slashdot.
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Cable runs with good-looking and unobtrusive molding do not cost that much and are easy to run along where the ceiling meets the wall. Unless you're actually running a data center, you only need to run a single Cat 5 to each point needing connectivity; that's what switches are for (and you can get a good switch dirt cheap).
Because once you have WiFi, the power cord doesn't tether you at all! Note that I'm not arguing aga
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You don't need a wired house to use wired Ethernet. My cable wire runs into my office, where my cable modem, router, two computers, and printer are located. Why on earth would I use WiFi to connect all these to the router when it's right there on the same desk?
WiFi is for the laptop which roams around the house. Everything else gets a wire. And when I need to transfer large files to/from the laptop, I take it into the office as well and plug in with a wire, because wired Ethernet is far faster than WiFi
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Having a sweet looking computer case isn't going to impress anyone any more than having a sweet comic book collection.
I agree with the rest of your comment, but not this. Imagine you're looking to hire a graphic design company to design your new ads for $NEXT_BIG_THING. Company A has nice, sleek-looking cases and dual-monitor setups on each designer's desk. Company B has yellowed, coffee-stained beige cases and a pair of old 15" CRTs on each desk. Assuming each company produces work of equivalent quality, and both are willing to charge the same price, which would you hire?
Personally, I'd go for company A; nicer-looking
Re:Terrible (Score:4, Insightful)
It's like the myth that owning a motorcyle makes you cool to the opposite sex. Honestly in 7 years of riding I've met three random girls who liked the idea. Every other woman I've met when it comes up in conversation has used this exact phrase "Thats so cool, but I could never ride a bike its too scary." I ride a bike because its a joy, not because it makes me "cool". As for the Mecredes and the Audi pure luck from work rentals off of Hertz.
My point? Buy what makes you happy, if its a superbike or a massive comic collection. Just because you have a particular possession you won't magically become more attractive to the opposite sex. For me this case seems like a massive waste of money, but then I think iPhones are massive wastes of money.
Re:Terrible (Score:4, Insightful)
It's like the myth that owning a motorcyle makes you cool to the opposite sex.
How is it a myth again? The rest of that paragraph even shows it:
in 7 years of riding I've met three random girls who liked the idea. Every other woman I've met when it comes up in conversation has used this exact phrase "Thats so cool, but I could never ride a bike its too scary."
See? By your own words, every woman you've met thinks it's cool. (We assume that the three random ones that like it think it's cool.)
Incidentally, the ones who say "it's too scary" are waiting for you to convince them it's perfectly safe, so that you'll take them for a ride. :)
I ride a bike because its a joy, not because it makes me "cool".
Agreed. There is *nothing* like the freedom of a motorcycle.. the women are just a bonus.. (although not so much since I got married, but it's still a stroke of the ego when you're in your late 30's, get off the bike and a hot 19 year-old comes over to talk to you about it :)
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Just because you have a particular possession you won't magically become more attractive to the opposite sex.
A paid for house will.
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I'd like to hear where you shop for hookers, because I hear that $700 might get you....3 hours with a decent quality hooker.
Thailand. $700 will get you a small harem for a week. Hell, you can have them build you a custom PC case while they're not otherwise occupied.
no Firewire ports (Score:3, Insightful)
For $700 I'd expect at least one FW800 port on the front.
I see the bays... (Score:2)
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Mobo fits on the RHS, and big rectangular cutout for your enormous stack of CPU coolers.
I don't see where the air is supposed to go, though.
Oh, well this is just for the crowd who have a house full of lucite furniture and inflatable chairs, whoever they are.
"Central pillar" (Score:2)
Rather than a standard aluminum box, the Thermaltake Level 10 would incorporate a central pillar, with individual compartments hanging from it for the motherboard...
Now, I don't know what definition of "central pillar" they're using, but I would think that, at the very least, it would mean that components wouldn't all be mounted on one side of a giant panel that stretches from front to back and top to bottom.
It definitely looks "cool" but it also looks gigantic, heavy, and poorly balanced â" if you actually attempt to use that handle they stuck on there, I can't see how you don't cut up your shins on the razor-sharp flared base as 50 pounds of steel swings inconve
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The next version comes with a pair of complimentary hockey shin guards.
Dumb. (Score:5, Insightful)
I've been a system builder since the 486DX2 66MHz days and of all the case designs I've seen come, go, and be claimed to be the next coming, the only one to ever be a perfect blend of form and function is the Mac Pro cases by Apple. I'm not even a fanboy, and most of those cases probably were never even cracked, but there is no denying them. This thing is just dumb.
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[O]f all the case designs I've seen come, go, and be claimed to be the next coming, the only one to ever be a perfect blend of form and function is the Mac Pro cases by Apple.
My next system will be a Mac Pro for that very reason.
I sat down and calculated the costs of building something similar and compared that to the standard but comparable server offerings from Dell, among others. The first was cheaper, but simply wasn't worth the effort, and there was no guarantee I'd end up with something as good, or a
$700 for What? (Score:2)
Don't get me wrong, I think this case looks cool and I am assuming that keeping each component separate really will cut down on the overall heat generated by the computer. However, for $700 (a little less in some cases) you could get a water or liquid cooled case from Xoxide which would, in my theorycrafting as I haven't played with this case hands on, would keep your components a lot cooler. Perhaps if this case was around the $350 range it'd be more appealing to me.
Looks extruded from a smart surface (Score:2)
It looks like a computer was extruded out from a smart surface or something. The appearence is very appealing to me, very few structural parts. That must be why it is made of metal instead of plastic. Not seeing 80/120mm fan grills all over the place looks strange too. I'm skeptical about how cool it actually is... well, air cooling anyways.
Waiting for next revision (Score:5, Funny)
My case needs to go to eleven.
not very interesting (Score:4, Interesting)
I would prefer something with more class, more style, more customization and a price tag that doesn't make one vomit blood.
This is going to be my next case. Wood and brass (fake brass, but close enough). Great thing about a wood case is that it is easily modifiable with simple household tools.
http://www.nmediapc.com/htpc8000.htm
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Exactly. Its not expensive, is very stylish and easily modifiable. Unlike the huge clunky piece of steel the original article is about (some could justifiable argue that the Level 10 is stylish, but that is in the eye of the beholder).
One thing that I plan on doing is modding the top panel to hinge open instead of screw down, in that space above the drive bays I will have space for a multimedia remote, wireless mouse and possibly a wireless keyboard if I can find one small enough for a reasonable price.
Cables length? (Score:5, Insightful)
One of the strengths and unfortunate weaknesses of PCs is that components are interchangable. This is a plus, since it means anyone can replace a part, but the downside is, the replacement parts may not fit the "concept" quite wel.
In this case, it appears that while there's the central stand for wire routing, I'm not sure if it comes with the requisite power supply and cables trimmed to the right length. Too much cable is OK, you can hide the slack in the tower, but more often than not, cables are just a wee bit too short.
A design like the old G4 towers where one side flips down with the motherboard exposed and all the cables running along the edge is what I envision a good case to be, but even in OEM PC designs from Dell and the like, they incorporate such "flip open" design. Unfortunately, it fails as some cable is too short, meaning it flips open a little bit, you disconnect it, open it more, disconnect the next too-short cable, etc. A real mess that spoils the nice servicability.
My one concern is that - what happens if the power supply you bought doesn't have cables that reach? You have to invest in extensions? Or is that vertical stand contain a backplane, and all you do is plug the power/sata/IDE/etc cables into it, where they will go to the right component?
Will it hold a Mac (Score:2)
The price of two Lian Li 343B (Score:3, Interesting)
No thanks. I'll take my Big Black Box of Death [frozencpu.com] over this modular monstrosity any day of the week (and for half the price).
So which is it? (Score:3, Insightful)
Either "The case looks like a prop from 2001" or "It's absolutely unlike anything I've ever seen before."
Make up your mind.
C.