Home : Hardware : Reviews : NZXT Lexa Mid-Tower Case
While it’s not necessarily the easiest computer case to work in, the flashy looks and smooth design of NZXT’s Lexa make it a sure winner for any gamer.
It used to be that well-made computer cases were about one thing: creating a design smart enough to hold everything the computer needed in a confined space, but leaving enough room for proper airflow and for the case’s owner to do maintenance and add/remove parts without cutting themselves on a sharp edge or accidentally breaking something. These days, though, thanks to the success of companies like Alienware, the serious gamer wants something more than a well-designed, well-made case; they want something with looks, something they can truck to a LAN party and impress their friends and foes alike with a flashy design.
Enter the Lexa, an aluminum mid-tower case designed by Taiwanese corporation NZXT. With its mirrored front surface, glossy black finish, symmetrical design, viewing window and heavy use of blue LEDs, the Lexa is certainly a beautiful case to look at, but does beauty on the surface mean pain underneath? We go under the hood of the Lexa to find out.
Installation
Two things caught my eye about the Lexa right from the start: first, the Lexa really is an attractive computer case. You could put it in a room designed by Contemporary Furniture and a team of professional designers it would fit right in. It certainly makes my work area (definitely not designed by a team of professionals) look futuristic by its very presence. Second, the case came with a three-foot steel long sword, a limited-time promotional item included with the case by NZXT. Yes, that’s right, buy this case and you have the opportunity to purchase a sword straight out of Conan the Barbarian – and a wooden mounting bracket to match. Intrigued (and impressed), I started the installation.
First thing’s first: get inside the case, which proved to be a small problem. You see, the side panel of the case not only comes equipped with a (optional) viewing window, but with a latch, giving easy access into the case. Pretty standard these days. Unfortunately, the nice-looking symmetrical design of the case creates for a bit of a problem when you want to get inside: the plastic frame on the back screws directly into the side panel, which means you need to unscrew half of the frame to open the case. To be honest, if you can’t open the case up with unscrewing half of the back, I’m not sure that the case really needs to be symmetrical.
Although the Lexa does not include a motherboard tray, there’s more than enough room to slide in an ATX motherboard without problems. The designers very kindly marked out which holes to use for your motherboard, so you can place the standoff screws quickly and easily. The USB, Firewire and front-port audio connectors are solid blocks instead of individual wire connectors, so you can slide the block on quickly without trying to read the labeling on your motherboard – a nice touch that saved a lot of time. Within minutes I had my ASUS motherboard and Antec power supply bolted in and ready to go.
