| #869 - NZXT Lexa Blackline Case |
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| Written by Rodney Reynolds | ||||||
| Monday, 10 September 2007 | ||||||
Page 3 of 4 Case Layout and Specifications: The NZXT Lexa Blackline Case is mostly steel with a plastic front and back. The plastic is very shinny, which looks nice, but it picks up every finger print and speck of dust. The case dimensions are: 54cm (L) x 2.5cm (W) x 52.3cm (H), and it weights in at 8.2 kilograms. This case is currently only available in a black color. The overall look of the case is good, but will probably not appeal to a wide audience. I know I'm not that fussy about the styling. What I don't like is the top areas that stick up like peeks on the front and back. To me it makes the case look cheap. That being said, let's continue. 
At top front of this case is a display which shows 3 temperatures. The thermal probes for these are inside the case and can be attached to CPU, HDD, System, or whatever you like using the included tape. Since I could get the display to power on, I don't have a picture of it. I contacted NZXT about this and I'll update the review when I have a working display. The power button is located in this area as well which is a very convenient location if the case is positioned on the floor. I don't know if it's just this particular case, but the power button would sometimes stay in when pressed. The power button seems a little large for the hole so it's getting stuck (get your mind out of the gutter).  This case comes with a door which swings open to the right and has couple of LEDs. There's a long red vertical LED which is always on and a small LED below that which shows HDD activity.   Generally, I find doors to be a nuisance because it hinders access to drives and can block air flow. At the front there are 4 x 5.25" drive bays and 2 x 3.5" external drive bays. Installation on drives in all the drive bays in this case is a tooless operation using the included drive bay rails. The reset button in located just below the external 3.5" drive bays at the right.   At the bottom right is a Firewire port, microphone jack, headphone jack and two USB ports. The location of these ports is great if you have the case on your desk, but not so good if your case is on the floor. This is common for many cases though. I personally prefer they at the top because I have my case on the floor, so it's really a personal preference. 
Just inside the case at the front bottom in an included 120mm fan
with a removable filter. This fan intakes cool air inside the case, providing excellent
direct HDD cooling. BTW: The front panel gets removed by pulling at the bottom
front. A quick tug and it will separate from the case so drives can be installed
and the filter can be cleaned.
Both side panels can be taken off by first
removing the four (2 on each) screws at the back.
The left panel comes with
a few ventilation holes and a 120mm red LED fan. This intake fan provides
direct cooling to main computer components which is excellent. Also on the
left side panel is a latch and it can be locked.
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