INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Towers with tempered glass panels and RGB LED illuminated fans are currently extremely popular among consumers from all segments of the market so it's no surprise really that they are the focus of every single PC case manufacturer. Still using tempered glass panels and RGB LED illuminated fans is not just quite enough to make a popular PC case, exterior design, features, interior space and even the fans used also matter and because they do matter not many manufacturers have a proven track record in the market with such models. Thermaltake is among a handful of manufacturers that do not only thanks to their long history but also largely because of their award winning RGB LED fans (by the way our RGB fan comparison is coming up soon). The Level 20 MT ARGB is among the latest tempered glass RGB mid-towers released by Thermaltake and today it's also on our test bench.

   The beginning of every myth and legend is about dreams and desire: the challenging, creative and combative features of Thermaltake Group create an exciting and fascinating user experience to share with everyone, while allowing users to enter a selfless state in terms of function and potential. Thermaltake Group's 3 main brands: Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 have been merchandising throughout the world, and have successfully established 6 business footholds in areas such as Europe, America, Oceania, Japan and China, with 95 regional distributors and over 4000 premium retailers. All product planning is orientated by observation of global PC peripheral market and understanding of consumer demands. Thermaltake creates direct contact opportunities with resellers and consumers by participating major global ICT exhibitions and trade shows every year, and develop innovative marketing strategies for the promotions of new products. Meanwhile, Thermaltake incorporates the composite marketing system by making branch offices and regional distributors both the distribution channel and technical support or service center to provide instant support; by maintaining close contact with end users, we manage to strengthen corporate competitiveness and create the momentum for the growth of accomplishments. With its outstanding wisdom and strength Thermaltake Group is recruiting creative talents to build a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology and lifestyle!

   The Level 20 MT ARGB is the third case by Thermaltake in their new Level 20 line (after the Level 20 and Level 20 GT) and as its name suggests it's equipped with their latest 120mm ARGB LED fans (5V/1000RPM/27.2dBA), 3 of them to be exact (a fourth 120mm non-LED fan is pre-mounted at the rear). The Level 20 MT ARGB also features two 4mm thick tempered glass panels (left side/front), RGB fan controller (7 effects with 27 different modes) compatible with all RGB sync technologies (ASUS Aura Sync, GIGABYTE RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light Sync and ASROCK Polychrome), PSU area cover/shroud and removable air-filters (top/side). In terms of interior space the Level 20 MT ARGB can hold up to ATX sized mainboards (Mini ITX and Micro ATX are also obviously also supported), has a total of 7 PCI expansion slots and has enough room for two 3.5" and two 2.5" drives (or four 2.5" ones), ten 120mm fans (or 8x120mm and 1x140mm fans) and/or two 240/360mm radiators (also possible to mount an 240mm radiator at the top of the chassis), 170mm tall CPU coolers, 260mm long graphics cards (366mm without an right side radiator) and 170mm long power supply units. On paper the Level 20 MT ARGB may not look impressive in terms of interior space so let's check it out and see for ourselves.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As with most PC cases by Thermaltake the Level 20 MT ARGB arrived inside a glossy box that has a product picture at both the front and rear right beneath the company logo and above several logos referring to its RGB sync compatibility.

 

 

Another picture located on the left side of the box is used to showcase the direct RGB control for the installed ARGB fans.

 

 

The specifications table is printed on the right side of the box.

 

 

Typically, the case is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed between two foam spacers.

 

 

Along with the case itself inside the box you will also find the mainboard speaker, 5 cable ties, 2 RGB extension cables, 8 round rubber pads, case sticker, warranty information paper, user manual and a small plastic bag with all the necessary screws and spacers to install your system.

 

 

THE LEVEL 20 MT ARGB EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measuring 455mm in height, 471mm in length/depth and 204mm in width the 6.75Kg heavy Level 20 MT ARGB certainly scores high in looks.

 

 

The entire left side panel is made out of 4mm tempered glass.

 

 

The fascia is also partially made out of 4mm tempered glass.

 

 

On top of the fascia we find the I/O which includes the RGB button, the typical microphone and headset mini jacks, two USB 3.0 ports, reset button, activity LED and the power on/off button and LED.

 

 

In order to access the three 120mm ARGB fans you can remove the fascia by pulling it outwards.

 

 

Just past the three 120mm ARGB fans you can mount either an 240mm or an 360mm radiator (unfortunately there's no air-filter present here).

 

 

The top is perforated and here you can place either two 120mm fans or a single 140mm fan (a magnetic air-filter is placed above the area).

 

 

At the rear we find another 120mm pre-mounted fan (plain, no LEDs), 7 PCI expansion slots and the PSU area.

 

 

The case sits on top of 4 tall feet and has yet another air-filter right beneath the PSU area.

 

 

Thermaltake perforated a small section of the right side panel, the why we will cover on the next page.

 

 

THE LEVEL 20 MT ARGB INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a mid-tower the Level 20 MT ARGB has nothing to fear in terms of interior space from the competition.

 

 

Here we see both the front 240/360mm and the right 240mm radiator areas.

 

 

The PSU area cover/shroud has room for two 120mm fans on top right next to an removable 2.5" drive tray (if you decide not to use the last PCI expansion slot you should be able to mount an 240mm radiator here too).

 

 

This drive tray is made out of aluminum and is held in place with a small thumbscrew.

 

 

The mainboard tray has 5 holes meant for cable management and the usual CPU cut-out.

 

 

All 7 PCI expansion slots are held in place via regular screws.

 

 

Moving back to the right side panel as you can see Thermaltake has placed another magnetic air-filter on the interior.

 

 

At the rear of the mainboard tray we find the 5V RGB fan controller, drive cage with two 3.5/2.5" drive trays, vertical 2.5" drive cage and the PSU area.

 

 

All trays are made out of aluminum just like the one on the PSU cover/shroud.

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

With enough room for up to 170mm long power supply units you should have no issue mounting most models in the market (at least up to 1KW).

 

 

The Level 20 MT ARGB may not be the largest mid-tower we've ever tested but even after mounting our ATX mainboard there's still quite a bit of empty space left.

 

 

Although at the front there's room for 240/360mm radiators thickness is an issue so you can't mount very thick radiators (our 360mm model is 56mm thick so since it wouldn't fit we used an 28mm thick 240mm model for this review).

 

 

We also mounted the same 240mm radiator at the top so you shouldn't have a clearance problem with low profile RAM modules.

 

 

With room for up to 170mm CPU coolers you shouldn't have a problem picking one.

 

 

If you decide to use a radiator on the mainboard tray you will not be able to use long graphics cards so the front area is your best choice.

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically on top of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case doesn't have one, we use our own).

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   The Level line of towers by Thermaltake has always included impressive towers and although the very first Level 10 Full Tower released almost a decade ago still remains one of the most impressive models we've seen to date (we have BMW Group Designworks USA to thank for that) the Level 20 MT ARGB is not half bad. Yes, it may not be just as impressive as the very first Level 10 or the also recently released Level 20/GT models but thanks to its tempered glass side panel and its three 120mm ARGB fans (7 effects with 27 modes) it's certainly an eye catching mid-tower. Interior space may not be that great but still you can outfit it with up to 4 drives, 4 radiators (240/360mm – including the top and PSU cover areas) and or 10 fans (10x120mm or 8x120mm and 1x140mm), 170mm tall CPU coolers, 170mm long PSU’s and 366mm long graphics cards. If we could add two things to the Level 20 MT ARGB those would be a front air-filter (behind the fans so it wouldn’t be visible from the tempered glass fascia) and a 4th 120mm ARGB fan at the rear instead of the pre-mounted plain one.

   Thermaltake markets the Level 20 MT ARGB as the lowest-end model of their new Level 20 line of PC cases and so its current price tag is set at just USD93 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 73.85Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). On top of that let’s not forget that the three 120mm ARGB fans alone retail for USD41/43Euros so the Level 20 MT ARGB is basically sold for just USD50/30Euros (need we say more?). All said and done the Level 20 MT ARGB lands far from its brothers both in terms of size and features but it does look great and it should cover most consumers on a budget and for that it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Two 4mm Thick Tempered Glass Panels)
- Design
- Room For Up To Ten 120mm Fans or Two 240/360mm Radiators
- Room For 170mm Tall CPU Coolers, 170mm Long Power Supply Units & 366mm Long Graphics Cards
- Bottom/Top/Right Air Filters
- Three Preinstalled 120mm ARGB Fans (Compatible With Most RGB Sync Technologies)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Overall Interior Space
- Lacks Front Air-Filter