Thermaltake Level 10 GT Casemod

One of the first projects I ever did for a website was a casemod.  The mod was quite simple and was built to accommodate a dual processor motherboard I had purchased.  Some of you may not realize this but old computer cases were not designed like they are today, they often came with smaller 80mm fans, lots of interior structure and no room to run wires.  They were also generally quite heavy and usually came in one color, beige.  Casemodding started as an attempt to resolve some of these issues and as a way to personalize your system.  For me the first mod was to improve cooling by adding additional 80mm fans. 

Casemodding isn’t a difficult undertaking.  It simply comes down to how much effort you want to put into your mod.  For instance changing the color of your chassis is rather straight forward and can be done with any “rattle can” paint from the local hardware store.  Cutting windows and modifying the structure simply requires a steady hand and some basic tools like a Dremel tool and power drill   Things get a little more complex if you want to spray special colors normally reserved for the automotive industry or bond additional parts to your build.

The modding project in this article is designed to highlight a casemod I have done to help promote my new hardware review site called Hardware Asylum (http://www.hardwareasylum.com).  I purchased the domain in 2012 with the soul intention that it will take over the review activities from Ninjalane (http://www.ninjalane.com).  As with any new website launch you need a few features to draw attention to yourself and for me I decided that a custom casemod is just the ticket.

I decided to go big with this mod and pulled aside a Thermaltake Level 10 GT as the starting point.  This was a review sample chassis that a held on to because of its modding potential and fact that it was quite large and would accomidate 4-way SLI and Crossfire systems. 

My plans for this mod were simple.  First I wanted to change the color of the chassis and second modify the side panel with a custom window and laser etched version of the Hardware Asylum logo.  As you'll see my thoughts changed slightly after diving into the chassis but, the end result is still quite good.