More lights for that go faster feel

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The NZXT Lexa Blackline is nothing new in terms of design. The whole shape, internal layout and features have already been seen, tried and tested in the original Lexa enclosure. The original was constructed out of aluminium rather than steel compared to the Blackline version (hence the jump from 5.8kg to 11.5kg), also the front is now plastic rather than being shear aluminium. You’ll also find that there is no carrying cradle that was sent with the original Lexa, although most users won’t worry about this accessory.

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Provided with the Blackline is a whole bunch of screws, some cable management devices, keys for the door lock, various drive rails and a manual.

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The design of the Blackline is a curved H shape when seen in profile which makes for a striking look; this is further accentuated by the large windowed side panel. The front of the case has a curve in it with a light bar running down the middle ending with a full stop, making the whole thing look like an exclamation mark. This is actually a door which swings open to reveal the drive bays, which consists of four 5.25” drive bays and the all important twin floppy disc drive bays. Mid-way between the two FDD holes is the slightly recessed, but easily press-able reset switch. Again, this button is glossy silver, which makes a stark contrast to the rest of the black case.

The top of the front panel – the ‘spire’ – actually has an interesting feature that you can’t see while the case is off. Behind the tinted plastic, there is a small back lit display which will be the same colour as the version of the case that you buy. This display shows the values of the three temperature probes inside the case. Next to this display on the right is a silver glossy plastic button which has a nice tactile feel to it.

The Blackline series is available in a variety of different types, with the main two options being either red or blue LED fans and front display. The other options are whether or not you wish to have a PSU, the wattage, and finally whether this power supply has a PFC. If you have a gaming rig (which would make sense for a case like this) then the PFC option is a necessity and the max wattage is 500 which may not be enough for some users. The option is there but I doubt it will be called on for many customers. To read more about PFC and its advantages, read our glossary entry here.

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The lower part of the front is a continuation of the front curve with vent on either side providing the 120mm fan behind with external air. On the right hand vent, it is interrupted with the I/O ports consisting of twin USB ports, a FireWire socket and audio in and out. This is a fairly out of the way position for these ports, unless you sit on the right side of your PC and it’s sat on your desk. Seeing as the windowed side of the case is on the opposite side this is unlikely. It would have been better to have positioned it on the top spire and if you use these ports extensively it’ll soon get annoying.