PC_Powerplay-Iss_275_2019

Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Mechanical

Gaming Keyboard

Packed with bells and whistles. Perhaps... too many...

PRICE $199

http://www.thermaltake.com.au

T

hermaltake’s Level 20 brand has
become somewhat diluted of
late. It used to be about over-the-top
tech indulgence, as typified by the
original, BMW-designed Level 20 case.
Following cases have been a little less
insane with each new iteration, and
you can now pick up budget-level gear
that bears the Level 20 moniker. This
epically-proportioned new keyboard is,
however, truly deserving of the brand.
First up — it is big. Built around an
elegantly curved and notched slab of
aluminium, the Level 20 RGB takes some
getting used to, especially if you’re used
to using a trim ten-keyless design (which
is my standard these days). But it’s very
comfortable to type on, and its sturdy
mass keeps it rigidly locked in place on
your desktop, regardless of how many
times you slam your mouse into the
Level 20 while getting used to its girth.
The main driver behind the Level
20’s size is that it is decked out with an
almost ridiculous level of RGB lighting.
Since it’s a frameless design — which
we really like, by the way — you can see
the RGB-lit keycaps clearly, but there’s
an RGB strip around the entire edge of
the board, as well as a nifty little notch
in between the Ctrl and cursor keys, and

MECHANICAL GAMING KEYBOARD

The main driver behind the

Level 20’s size is that it is decked

out with an almost ridiculous

level of RGB lighting.

VERDICT:While it may be too

large to be new favourite keyboard

to use, if you’ve got the room than

Thermaltake’s latest will

not disappoint.

9

•Verywellbuit

• Wide range of lighting options
  •Ontheflymacros

•Sobig

another very bright lighting strip above

this. There are five levels of brightness

and a mess of lighting effects, and you

can cycle through a range of presets for

lighting specific keys for FPS, MOBA,

and RTS games. Some of the colour and

pattern combinations are downright

pretty, but the edge lighting is a little lost

• it’s hard to notice in any kind of strong
  lighting as it’s inset to the chassis. The
  only people who’ll really see it would by
  anyone sitting next to you – or you, while
  sitting a distance away admiring your
  PC setup.
  There’s lovely onboard macro
  recording, which is always handy, and
  the board we’ve reviewed features
  Cherry MX Silver switches, which we’ve
  not really spent a lot of time with in the
  past. The big sell of these switches is
  — unsurprisingly — that they are fast,
  and we can concur. The super shallow
  1.2mm actuation point really makes this
  keyboard sing in everything from fast
  paced FPS games to typing. In fact, the
  latter is lovely, and the Level 20 isn’t too
  loud, either. With a USB and audio pass-
  through, media keys, and a wonderfully
  tactile volume roller, there’s not much at
  all missing.
  There really is very little to fault

this keyboard. The lighting might be a

somewhat over the top, and with the extra

width the edge lighting calls for — and

given that it’s practically invisible in use —

we could easily have done without that

feature (and enjoyed the subsequently

lower cost). But that’s not really what the

Level 20 brand is all about. If you want a

keyboard that lacks for nothing, look no

further (and maybe wear some shades).

DAVID HOLLINGWORTH

TECH REVIEW W