Other than its familiar size and shape, the LX comes with a somewhat stiffer lid than the GX, for easier stacking. Less promising is the arctic-white painted finish, for easier scratching. The paint, admittedly, is fairly durable -- but we’d have preferred molded-in color. Along with activity and power LEDs, the front of the enclosure also has a painted stripe that suggests the drive slot found on the Mac Mini.

Around back, we find the same power connector, fan, and fan speed controls found in our NexStar GX review. The fan control allows the selection of low or high fan speeds, or a third, thermostatically controlled variable fan rate. New, of course, is the RJ-45 Ethernet network connection, and network settings reset button. USB 2.0 is an option for local access, but the LX loses the GX’s USB hub.

A top view shows a reinforcing rib around the edge of the lid, and the bottom view shows a redesigned sink. The new sink allows drive installation without requiring sink removal…

…but we removed it anyway, to show how it fits. While the GX mounted the drive upside-down and cooled the lid, the LX cools the drive motor instead.