Today we’re looking at the Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard which features Cherry MX Speed Silver switches, aluminium top-plate construction, 3-side RGB Customisation options, dedicated multimedia controls, audio & USB pass through & a dedicated iOS & Android app.
Product on Review: Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
Manufacturer: Thermaltake
Street Price: £149.99 GBP / $149.99 USD / $199.99 AUD
The Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is the latest addition to Thermaltakes Premium gaming line up and it has a massive feature set that rivals most, if not all of the other keyboards in the £130 – £150 price range.
Their previous keyboard, The X1 (The review for this can be found here.) was awarded our premium award for it’s wide ranging feature set and it would seem on first view, that Thermaltake have brought over all features included there and then improved on the design and construction quality.
The Level 20 RGB Keyboard is available with Cherry MX Speed Silver or Cherry MX Blue switches, as well as in a black and titanium finishes, so the there are a wide variety of options to ensure there’s an option for any aesthetic & the available switch types mean that Thermaltake have covered both ends of the Cherry MX spectrum.
The question we ask that is it worth the increase in price for the design improvements?
Thermaltake on the Level 20 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard:
Featuring a distinctive curved design with a 2mm thick aluminium top plate construction for enhanced strength, durability and structural rigidity, whilst at the same time combining a stunning cohesive look with unrivalled performance.
Technical Specifications
Colour: Black
Number of Game Profiles: 6
Weight: 1500g
Dimensions: 482 x 185.96 x 43.93 mm
Interface: USB
On-board Memory Size: 4M Bit
Polling Rate: 1000 Hz
Back-light: 16.8 Million RGB
Multimedia Keys: 5 + Volume Wheel
Cable Length: 1.8m
Switch type: Mechanical
Switch Name: Cherry MX Speed RGB Silver Mechanical
Actuation Point: 1.2 +/- 4mm
Key Stroke: 3.4 – 0.4mm
Actuation Force: 45g with Optimized Tactile Feel
Key Lifespan: 50 Million Clicks Lifetime
Number of Game Profiles: 6
Weight: 1500g
Dimensions: 482 x 185.96 x 43.93 mm
Interface: USB
On-board Memory Size: 4M Bit
Polling Rate: 1000 Hz
Back-light: 16.8 Million RGB
Multimedia Keys: 5 + Volume Wheel
Cable Length: 1.8m
Switch type: Mechanical
Switch Name: Cherry MX Speed RGB Silver Mechanical
Actuation Point: 1.2 +/- 4mm
Key Stroke: 3.4 – 0.4mm
Actuation Force: 45g with Optimized Tactile Feel
Key Lifespan: 50 Million Clicks Lifetime
Packaging & First Look
Looking at the front of the box and it’s adorned by a face on shot of the keyboard, along with the switch type the keyboard has and a bit of information surrounding the app integrations.
Turning the box around and focusing on the back and we can see Thermaltake have included a list of features in various languages along the bottom half of the box. The top half of the box is dedicated to the RGB, construction choices & a bit more information around the mobile app.
Opening the outer & inner box up and we can see that the Thermaltake Level 20 Titanium keyboard is really well packed and even the most vicious of delivery drivers would have to be deliberately trying to damage the keyboard to succeed.
Removing the keyboard and accessories from the protective packaging and we get our first look at the aluminium face-plated keyboard, as well as the replacement key caps which are quite high quality, however the keycap puller is not the best, and we found that it was scratching the paint off the original key caps.
Taking a closer look and we can see that there is an RGB Thermaltake logo in the top left, as well as a light bar separating the number pad & media keys and the typing set.
Closer Look
Taking a more in depth look at the keyboard and we get our first look at the Cherry MX Speed RGB Silver switches in action as well as the red key caps that are provided. We also get a glimpse of the Thermaltake logo lit up.Moving our attention over to the right hand side of the keyboard and we get a look at the 5 multi-media keys and volume scroll, as well as the keys to activate and de-activate game mode, adjust the LED brightness & to lock the windows key.
Turning our attention to the rear of the keyboard and we see the USB & audio pass through port as well as the thick light strip that wraps around the edge of the keyboard.
Looking underneath the keyboard and there are 5 anti-slip rubber strips, as well as adjustable feet that have 2 levels of adjustment.
We can also see that the USB connectors are gold plated, and that the casing sports the Thermaltake ring logo, and on the reverse of the casing there is an icon to easily distinguish which USB is which.
Software
The Thermaltake level 20 RGB Gaming Titanium Keyboard uses the same software as the X1 and contains the same functionality between models. You can customise the keyboard to your hearts content, there’s an option to program macros, re-assign keys & adjust the RGB settings. A demo of the software is available below.Performance Testing
During our time with the Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium keyboard we have tested the keyboard in various situations, from photo editing & writing this review through to gaming, and it has performed extremely well.The model that we tested had Cherry Speed Silver switches, which are really sensitive and may take some getting used to if your daily driver has a higher actuation point than 1.2mm which the Speed Silvers have.
The lower actuation point on the speed silvers definitely aided our words typed per minute, increasing it from 90 on Razer Green switches to over 100, which is a testament to what these switches can do for you. Due to the higher sensitivity typing on the Level 20 RGB Mechanical Gaming keyboard is great and slightly less fatiguing than Cherry MX Red switches which is always a welcome positive point.
In gaming the Speed Silvers perform as expected, they respond a little quicker than MX Reds, while this isn’t going to turn you into a pro gamer, it certainly does give you a little bit more leeway with your reflexes.
In terms of aesthetics & build quality the Level 20 RGB Titanium keyboard is quite possible the best looking & well put together keyboard we’ve reviewed in recent times. The aluminium face plate is a sleek improvement over the X1’s plastic construction, if there was any flex previously it’s certainly no where to be seen now, however it does add more weight to the keyboard so it will not be suitable if you’re the type of person who frequents LAN parties.
It’s also nice to see the light strip being given a bit more girth, usually you only get a minimal amount for the light bar and its easy to get it wrong & it being underwhelming however that isn’t the case on the Thermaltake Level 20 Titanium keyboard.
Conclusion
Overall we’re really happy with optimisations that Thermaltake have done with the Level 20 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.The aluminium top plate with it’s bevelled bottom edge along with the RGB strips running down the middle and around the keyboard make for an extremely striking look, while this might not be to everyone’s taste it certainly appeals to the RGB lover in us.
The inclusion of the audio & USB pass through ports are always welcome as a feature. The pass through ports along with the cut out beneath the light bar that separates the number pad area, which is also useful for running a headphone wire through, is great for cable management and keeping your desk tidy.
One disappointing feature is the Thermaltake companion app, while you can use it for changing light effects, or as a virtual keyboard or controller, the use cases are a little thin on the ground, we found it was often more time consuming to use the phone app when the iTake engine is available straight away on your PC. The virtual controller does need some work for it to be usable for anything more than simple games, there is only the option to use a directional pad set up and this doesn’t accept multiple inputs, we would like to see a virtual thumb stick that can be seen in many recent mobile games.
Coming in at £149.99 GBP, $149.99 USD & $199.99 AUD the Level 20 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is on the higher end of the pricing spectrum, but the feature set definitely lives up to its pricing and then some, with this in mind we would like to award the Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium our Premium award.
The increase in price is justified by the increase in build quality, so we would recommend this over the previous X1 model.
Pros
+Sleek Looks
+USB & audio pass through
+Dedicated media controls
+Great pricing
+Excellent RGB features
Cons
-No wrist rest included
-Companion app
+Sleek Looks
+USB & audio pass through
+Dedicated media controls
+Great pricing
+Excellent RGB features
Cons
-No wrist rest included
-Companion app
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
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