This latest S model carries on the Lexa name and improves upon the original Lexa and Lexa Blackline, bringing them up to date with all the latest case technology. New venting has been added or modified in the front bezel and side panel to improve cooling, a front-mounted eSATA port is available, 120mm and 140mm fans are now standard along with dual fan speed controllers, the power supply mount is now at the bottom, there's an opening in the motherboard tray for accessing the CPU backing plate, an adapter bracket for SSD mounting is included and the entire chassis has received the black-out treatment. Unlike the original Lexa, the Lexa S is constructed of steel rather than aluminum, however the mid-tower dimensions help keep the weight down and between the rolled edges and painted surface there were no sharp edges to be found.

I really like the addition of the black painted chassis the best. This gives a case a more finished look, particularly important for one with a side window. NZXT could have chased the threads in the motherboard tray to make standoff installation easier. And it's kind of a toss-up about the whole window tinting thing. It does look good and gives the case more of a stealth appearance, but inhibiting the view of the interior seems to contradict the whole purpose of having a window in the first place. The confines of the case are a bit snug when fitting a full-size ATX board or video card, and removing the front fan filter for cleaning is not as easy as it could be.

But overall there are very few negatives that can be said about the Lexa S when compared to previous versions, especially when it comes to price. While the Blackline dropped the cost about $30 from that of the original Lexa, so has the S come down nearly another $30 over the Blackline. I found the Lexa S online as low as $75, which I think is an outstanding price for a case with this high level of features. Those with a greater selection of hardware to install may want to look for something with a bit more room, but for an average mid-tower user the Lexa S makes a perfect choice.