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NZXT LEXA-S Gaming Case LEXS-001BK E-mail
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Written by David Ramsey - Edited by Olin Coles   
Wednesday, 02 December 2009
Table of Contents: Page Index
NZXT LEXA-S Gaming Case LEXS-001BK
Closer Look: Lexa S Exterior
Detailed Exterior Features
Closer Look: Lexa S Interior
Detailed Interior Features
Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Detailed Interior Features

There are two knobs on the front of the case; each has leads to control up to two fans. Two four-pin Molex pass through connectors provide power for the front panel LEDs and the fan controller. The included 140mm top and 120mm rear fans, as well as the side panel fan, each have standard 3 pin power connectors as well as pass-through 4 pin Molex connectors, so you can connect them directly to your power supply, or to fan headers on your motherboard, or to the leads from the fan controller. I connected the front and side panel intake fans to controller #1 and the rear and top exhaust fans to controller #2. The fans were inaudible with the controllers turned down all the way, and emitted only a low hum when the controllers were turned up all the way. NZXT specs the fans at 43cfm and 23dB on their web site, but don't say which fans (the 120mm or 140mm) these measurements apply to.

nzxt_lexa_s_fan_connectors.jpg

One problem with the NZXT Lexa S Mid-Tower computer case interior is that fans mounted on the upper fan mounts intrude on the rest of the interior. Even the shortest optical drive will interfere with a 140mm fan in the front position, so if you're planning to add a fan here, your top 5.25" drive bay will have to be left open or used for something shorter. The rear 140mm fan is so close to the top of the motherboard that many aftermarket CPU coolers will not fit. Even the tiny stock AMD CPU cooler is a tight fit, with less than 1/2" clearance between the cooler and the fan. If you're using a CPU cooler that allows you to install it with the fan blowing up, you might be able to fit it in and take extra advantage of the top fans.

Dismiss any thoughts you may have had about mounting a dual 120mm radiator here; it would protrude so far down into the case that there'd be no room for the motherboard. If you want to use an external water cooling system, you'll have to remove the top fan since it blocks the cooling hose holes NZXT provides just above the rear fan.

nzxt_lexa_s_tight_fit.jpg

The rest of the case is reasonably spacious for a mid-tower design. Long video cards like the nVidia 280GTX fit fine, and the power supply area has ample room even for larger power supplies. The actual clearances are motherboard to case side, 6 15/16" (176mm); back of slots area to 3.5" drive cage (which defines the length of the video card you can use) 11 3/16" (284mm); back of case to 3.5" drive cage in the power supply area, 11 3/4" (298mm); and interior height (bottom of case to top of case, not including any top fans) 17" (432mm).

nzxt_lexa_s_clearances.jpg

The cable routing holes themselves are rather narrow, and the added thickness of the grommets makes passing thicker cables like the main ATX power cable a little tricky. The first time I tried, the grommet peeled right out of the hole. However, I was able to get it back in and the cable passed through successfully, but as you can see it was a very tight fit.

nzxt_lexa_s_mb_grommet.jpg

The right side case panel mounts very closely: the clearance between the back of the motherboard tray and the case panel is only 5/16" (8mm). You'll want to make sure any cables are snugged down as tightly as you can make them. Also, hard drives mount in their bays with the connector side in, and the length of a standard SATA data connector means it's going to be pressed right up against the side panel. Right-angled SATA connectors would be a good idea here.

nzxt_lexa_s_sata_cable.jpg

Aside from these clearance issues, this is an easy case to do a build in. In the next section I'll sum up my thoughts on this case.



 

Comments 

 
# Gtx 570 Windforce Gigabyte fit ?jonathan ibarra 2012-09-13 11:20
Hello, I want to buy this case but wonder if Gtx 570 Windforce Gigabyte fits correctly. What do you know . Thanks
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