CONCLUSION
NEXUS may not be amongst the most recognizable names in the industry like lets say Thermaltake or Cooler Master but both their Prominent R and now the new updated version of the Prominent 5 can easily go up against pretty much everything the top manufacturers have to offer, with of course a few exceptions which naturally are also quite more expensive. So the new Prominent 5 is basically a midi tower with a very high build quality, spacious interior, tool-less design, 2 pre-installed fans (140mm top/120mm front), 3 extra fan spots and plenty of noise-absorbing material on the interior of both side panels. The only downside i can think of is the lack of a CPU hole on the mainboard tray used to swap CPU Coolers and honestly i don't know why that is especially since most PC Cases offer that nowadays. Still just that wouldn't be enough for me to ignore everything else the new Prominent 5 has to offer.
The new Prominent 5 midi tower by NEXUS is also very reasonably priced since currently it can be found for at around 90Euros inside the EU. Unfortunately in the USA i was only able to find the previous Prominent 5 version which lacks the two USB 3.0 ports on the top I/O (has the Firewire/eSATA combo) and so i don't have a price for the new variant. However since the old variant currently retails for at around USD90 i expect the new one to retail for well over USD100. Bottom line if you hate noise and you don't change CPU Coolers on a regular basis (and so you really need a CPU hole on the mainboard tray) i really suggest taking a look at the Prominent 5 since i really doubt you can find something better or just as good in the sub 100Euros price segment and that's also why it gets our Golden Award.
PROS
- Build Quality
- Design (Simple But Elegant)
- Noise Absorbing Coating
- Air-Filters
- Room For Up To 5 120/140mm Fans (2 Preinstalled)
- Can Install Graphics Cards Up To 300mm In Length
- Spacious Interior
- Price (For Some)
CONS
- No CPU Mainboard Hole
- Drive Trays Are Not Very Sturdy (As With Most Cases Out There)