iBuyPower Level 10 Gaming PC Review

Posted: July 12, 2010

iBuyPower takes gaming PCs in a completely new direction with their Level 10 rig, with its eye-catching compartmentalized case, an Intel 6 Core Processor, 6 GBs of RAM and a 3 year limited warranty for only $3,500.

What You Need To Know

This is one of the biggest gaming PCs we've had on the show.
It measures over 2' high and 2' long.
It weighs almost 50 lbs.
The reason for the segmented design is that it should be easier to get in and add parts. Plus, each piece has its own ventilation and airflow, making it cooler and quieter.
This actually works out: all you do is unlock the two locks that control each part of the case.
The mini cases open up to reveal the motherboard, power supply, Blu-ray drives and six hard drive bays.
There's plenty of room to work in each one of these compartments.
One thing that might get a little complicated is cabling an extra hard drive or Blu-ray drive, since you will have to pull off the side and run cables through the back.
Also in our testing, it's been very cool and quiet while playing games. There are very few fans.
This PC has an Intel Hexa-core Processor and 6 gigs of RAM, so it's sort of living up to its massive frame.
In our normal 3DMark Vantage graphics test, it scored relatively low for a computer of this caliber, mainly because it only has one video card.
That said, it will still play any game on the market with maxed out settings.
One thing it did really well was normal PC stuff like encoding video or Mp3's, editing and other productivity tasks, which we tested using PCMark Vantage.

Price

$3,500.00

Rating

3 Seals of Approval out of 5. (How do we rate gadgets?)
We like the case design but the performance was kind of lacking.

Want something reviewed on Gadget Pr0n? Email us your suggestions to gadgetpron@g4tv.com.

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Tags:

iBuyPower Level 10 Gaming PC, PC Gaming, PC, Gadget Pr0n, Kevin Pereira

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Neffness

First off, console gamers... just stop, quit trying to argue console vs pc. You can't win, you will never win, and all of us PC gamers are sick of getting headaces from rolling our eyes everytime a console gamer raises the question "why play on pc". I used to be die hard console, until I got to play Diablo 2 and Everquest on a PC, I have never looked back.

2ndly, Thermaltake, get off yourself. Your machine is not worth $3500. I love this case, I will one day own this case, regardless of all the lil problems it has, but you can't seriously expect to compete in a gaming market with this machine, at that price. Knock it off, its embarassing for you as a company. Even the people at G4 had to hold back from making you look stupid. Bring the price down, add another graphics card and get serious about your compay.

Posted: July 23, 2010 1:40 PM
MaelStrom_

if alison doesnt have a boyfriend, i'll eat my hat. (i'll have to buy one first)

Posted: July 15, 2010 4:51 PM
saitin

sadly the case probably costs over 2000.00 lol

Posted: July 14, 2010 2:10 PM
steveo_ttu

I just built a rig that would dance circles around this for 1500

AMD Phenom x6 core
4x 250gb Raptors (10,000 rpms) in a raid 10 array
8 gb of DDR3 ram

Build your own its cheaper and has less shovel ware

Posted: July 14, 2010 1:27 PM
saitin

Computer gaming is,has, and always will be a different level of gaming.
The same game on a console does NOT look or play the same on a pc.
PC gaming is about playing the game at it's best, the same game on a console will never be as graphically intense and will never look as good as the PC version.

On topic, 3500.00 and you don't even get single stage SLI that's kinda lame IMO....

Posted: July 14, 2010 7:32 AM
obanana1

i approve.
or just buy the best PC you can find and start pirating.(just an opinion).

Posted: July 14, 2010 1:56 AM
typhoon_2099

Wow, that's way too much to pay for a PC. Get a PS3 and 64 brand new games instead.

Posted: July 13, 2010 6:51 PM
monufrak1

I'm not trying to start a fight, but PC gamers, please explain to me why you are willing to spent so much money on a machine that plays the same games as a console? I understand that some games support more features on PC, but is it really worth it? 90% of games are multiplatform, and the developers are going to write there games for a multiplatform engine. They are shooting for even performance across all platforms, and it takes MONTHS to achieve this. Most developers' main platform is the 360, because that is where it will likely sell the most. This means matching performance to the 360 version. Lets talk about memory. This PC has 6 GIGS!!! You do realize that the 360 probably has about 512MB of SHARED memory between the CPU and GPU. So the game will run on a 360 with 1/12th the amount of memory in this PC. The game probably only has about 5-6GB of total data to begin with. VRAM is the biggest hassel for game developers anyway, not main memory. And a 6 core processor!?!? You do realize that in order for a game to take advantage of that it would have to be written specifically for that. The developers are not going to include 6 core processor functionality for the 0.001% of their target audience who have this. I respect the power of this machine, but is full DirectX 10 or 11 support really worth $3500? Please dont hate me, but I would really like a PC gamer to explain to me the benefits.

Posted: July 13, 2010 4:33 PM
WindFall259

So many sixes, the devil approves.

Posted: July 13, 2010 3:32 PM
chamillinator

Such a beast.

Posted: July 13, 2010 3:17 PM
zpjack

i can buy an HP with a 6 core and 8 gigs of ram for only 700$ at fry's, then pop in a top of the line graphics card for only 300 more, what is with this huge price?

Posted: July 13, 2010 2:46 PM
zpjack

i can buy an HP with a 6 core and 8 gigs of ram for only 700$ at fry's, then pop in a top of the line graphics card for only 300 more, what is with this huge price?

Posted: July 13, 2010 2:39 PM
unfungames

The problem is that 1/4 of the price goes towards the case. They should have given it a cheaper case and more in way of video cards. I bought an ibuypower PC for $3200 a month ago with the same CPU but had 2 Radeon 5850's.....I guarantee my PC is faster than this.

Posted: July 13, 2010 11:33 AM
Higgil

You do not even need a 6 core processor for gaming...half the games dislike more then a 2 core. Not to mention 6 gigs of RAM? Is it DDR3? Because 6 Gigs isn't worth more then a few hundred dollars. Hell, I am about to put 8 Gig in mine (yes i know i dont really need it, but i run VMs).

Also to be very nit picky, it runs a Nvidia Graphics card, which are completely blown out of the water by the Radeon 5870 series, not to mention the new ASUS RAGE 5870 which is ridiculous. Not worth the money, even for the pretty sweet compartmentalized design.

PS: Alison is particular good looking in that video. Im sure no one will disagree on that topic at least. (Yes, creeeeepy)

Posted: July 13, 2010 7:27 AM
slayingsumfools

This looks like one of the machines keeping Anakin alive as they were turning into Darth Vader.

Posted: July 12, 2010 10:35 PM
littleb242

3,500 bills, that beast looks like itll launch of my desk and orbit the earth

Posted: July 12, 2010 9:18 PM
Fusion13

I was worried about the podium breaking.

Posted: July 12, 2010 8:46 PM
BlackLable69

Its whats put inside that really matters.

Posted: July 12, 2010 7:20 PM