TRYX LUCA L70 Rev 1.0 Mid-Tower Chassis Review

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

The TRYX LUCA L70 has faced its fair share of issues since its announcement, with reviewers primarily taking issue with the case due to concerns over build quality. Gamers Nexus, in particular, went as far as to say it is a disaster back in October 2024.

Since the initial reviews went out, TRYX decided not to launch the case until the required changes were made. Thankfully, TRYX has reset, done the right thing, appeared to have listened to the feedback, and has spent time trying to save their only case to date from being remembered for all the wrong reasons.

According to the TRYX website, the LUCA L70 features clear unobstructed views, has support for dual 420mm radiators, features a modular layout with top or bottom PSU mounting, can fit up to E-ATX or M-ATX to ATX BTF motherboards (with top PSU mounting), and can hold up to eight 140mm fans and a single 120mm at maximum capacity.

Going on that, then, this case has a lot going for it on paper at least. However, the case has an MSRP of $249.99 and doesn't include any fans or fan/ARGB hubs, so apart from its looks, it may be a tough sell.

Today I am looking at the TRYX LUCA rev 1.0 in black, with white also available, should you want a brighter interior. TRYX has even sent over a revision guide detailing the changes made, so hopefully, by the end of this review, there will be sufficient improvements to justify the high-end price tag.

Packaging

The TRYX LUCA L70 rev 1.0 (hereafter simply referred to as the "LUCA L70") arrived in a gigantic box; mind you, it isn't a small case by any means. Coming in at 16.2Kg, or 35lbs, the LUCA L70 is quite a beast of a case.

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At the front of the packaging, there is branding featuring a black printed strip at the bottom. From the product label, we can see this is the rev 1.0 version of the case.

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On the back of the packaging, TRYX highlights 7 key features of the LUCA L70. If you are wondering what the strange shape is in the middle, that is a cat head silhouette, so that once the case is unboxed, you can cut this shape out to your preferred cat roundness (Small, medium, and large felines are catered for), and recycle the box into a home for your pet.

Yes, it's a strange thing to do, but it's an attempt to recycle, so I'm not going to call TRYX out for coming up with this idea. I don't believe TRYX has changed the outer packaging for the Rev 1.0 version, and it makes sense to add a sticker rather than remanufacturing packaging at further cost and waste.

Outside the TRYX LUCA L70 Rev 1.0

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As part of the revisions, TRYX has improved the EPE material density; however, reviewing the revision guide, it appears that the image has simply been flipped to attempt to convince us of a change. I was not sent an initial LUCA L70, so I can't confirm if any changes have been made here.

I can confirm that the review sample arrived safely. I had no issues with the packaging, except for a rip near the box handle that the courier may have caused. Having said that, if my suspicions are correct, then it raises questions about the integrity of what TRYX is saying about the improved packaging.

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The case is removed from the packaging by removing the four plastic securing tabs. Then, the top of the box lifts off, allowing us to access the case. You then lift the LUCA L70 from the bottom of the packaging and set it aside. Before I do that, though, I need to figure out why there is a screw at the bottom of the packaging; more on this later.

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While my mind is wondering where that screw came from, the LUCA L70 is encased in a material bag to keep it free from dust and scratches. This is a nice change from the usual plastic bags we see, and I believe this one can also be recycled if you don't want to keep it.

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Removing the last of the packaging, the LUCA L70 is a great-looking case. It has been compared to other larger mid-towers, such as the ASUS ROG Helios, and I can see why. It is almost as if ROG and Lian Li had a baby, the "Helios XL Dynamic" if you will. They do have some former ASUS, Cooler Master, and Asetek employees working for them, so I can see the direction they were trying to take here. The front side panel is made of tempered glass, with space below for the "40mm raised X-shaped" aluminum feet/frame.

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The top of the LUCA L70 features a slotted, angled vent panel, as seen with the initial version. This plastic panel is magnetic and can be easily removed for access to the top of the chassis.

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Also to the top is the front carry handle, previously ridiculed for the "Unknow" text, TRYX has included this in revisions and has enhanced the blanking to the "w" also. The redaction makes it challenging to guess the full text underneath, while amusing, it doesn't affect performance at all.

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Around the front of the case is a full-front tempered glass panel with IO ports below. One thing TRYX was called out for was that the power button was too hard to press; again, this is a revision that has been made, making it easier to depress. The front IO features four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port, and a combo audio/speaker jack.

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The rear side panel features venting for side wall fan/radiator placement, with an original slanted shape. However, this side panel is also full-length, flowing past the aluminum feet/frame, which prevents any fresh air from being pulled into the bottom from this side of the case. There is no captive thumb screw; it simply slots into place.

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Moving to the rear of the case, it ships with the PSU modular bay installed at the top with captive thumb screws. You can see the rear slot carry handle above this, with a standard 7-slot PCIe mount below the motherboard IO cutout. The LUCA L70 only supports a rear 120mm fan, and it doesn't include any vertical adjustment. The entire area for the IO is recessed approximately 30mm into the back wall of the chassis.

At the bottom, there is a vented blanking plate with four tie-down points running along the left-hand side. These are primarily used for inside the case, but could potentially be used externally too, by passing ties around them.

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Let's move underneath then, and take a closer look at the "40mm raised X-shaped" base. This acts as the feet for the chassis, but also restricts airflow into the middle third of the case, with only small areas cut away for air to move between and into the base of the case. There is also a full cover, framed dust filter that can be removed from the front of the case. You can see here clearly where the rear side panel extends to, preventing airflow.

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Before we go inside, TRYX includes a great accessory box with an assortment of screws, cable ties, and Velcro ties. There is also an instruction manual and a blanking plate for those who wish to change the PSU mounting position.

Inside the TRYX LUCA L70 Rev 1.0

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Starting with the removable top panel, there is good access to fit fans or radiators to the top of the case. With the plastic top removed, you can also see the rear carry handle and the front, which features the included text. With the top-mounted PSU bay, fewer fan/radiator installation options are available.

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The tempered glass side panel does include a captive thumb screw, but TRYX has eliminated the retention mechanism that failed in initial cases. Another revision is the inclusion of locating pins to ensure structural stability and alignment on arrival. There is some speckled banding to the top, and with the glass out of the way, you get a clear view of the interior layout.

The motherboard tray is removable, and while TRYX mentions a tool-free design, only two of the four screws here are captive thumb screws to the right, and two small screws to the left, along with some locating tabs to help position the tray. Just make sure you have a screwdriver to hand, it's certainly not a tool-less build. I will counter some of this "Tool Less" marketing we see from most manufacturers, though, every build is not tool-less, requiring at least a screwdriver for motherboard and cooler mounting, etc, so for me it's not a massive issue.

There is also an included GPU support bracket that is height-adjustable but lacks horizontal movement. It's not the best design I have ever seen, but it certainly isn't the worst. You can also see a side mount option for fans and radiators, recessed to the side of the motherboard tray with the rear side panel ventilation behind.

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The PCIe bracket features a spring-loaded front cover, which complicates the design but enhances the aesthetic, keeping it clean and tidy.

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The bottom of the case includes a removable fan/radiator tray with a captive thumbscrew. This is the third layer, with the bottom of the case and dust filter positioned below, making it harder for air to enter, especially with the foot design already providing restriction. TRYX should have eliminated this and instead used mounting points built into the chassis.

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Turning our attention to the back side of the motherboard tray, there are numerous drive mounting options here. The LUCA L70 can hold a total of two 3.5" drives or nine 2.5" drives.

Something that was picked up in initial reviews was the installation of 2.5" SSDs into the left-hand folding caddy. When cable connectors were added, it meant the hinged panel could not shut on the right-hand side. While this tray locks magnetically into either an open or closed configuration, it hampers layout design if you want to use the side-mounted fan area, as the tray will block the back portion, preventing airflow out the rear side panel. Note that while I did not use 2.5" drives here for our test setup, TRYX does not make any reference to this in the revision guide, so I can only assume this has not been rectified.

The right-hand side tray is deeper and swings open, secured by a captive thumbscrew located in a panel that sits behind the removable motherboard tray. This is where six 2.5" drives or the two 3.5" drives can be located. More revisions are made here to prevent interference with installation.

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The front glass of the LUCA L70 is hinged, with previous reports indicating that the bottom hinge may be bent upon arrival. In this case, I can report that we have no such issue with our sample. Having this area of the case easily accessible will make installation of larger systems a little bit easier.

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Before I move on to the build and testing, let's revisit the screw found in the packaging. While reviewing the case, given the size and type of screw, it appeared to be used for attaching something that required considerable strength. On investigating further, I found that this was one of the securing screws for the "40mm raised X-shaped" base. In the image above, you can see the gap between the case and the bottom frame. I refitted this screw and checked all the others on the bottom. I found two others in the mid-section of the frame to be loose and tightened these back up as well.

Installation, Testing, Finished Product, and Final Thoughts

Kris' Test System Specifications

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When building in the LUCA L70, I decided to utilize the removable motherboard tray feature. While not a tool-less experience, it was easy to remove the tray to fit the test system and slot it back into the chassis. You can see the structure behind the motherboard tray when removed and through the cutout into the drive mount cage.

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Fitting the power supply was also straightforward, and I decided to leave the PSU bay in the top-mounted configuration. This chamber has been revised to include a positioning guide. Additionally, the cable grommets in early sample cases had issues where they would not stay in place when cables were passed through. When building here, though, this was no such issue; again, a revision TRYX had made to their design.

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The finished system looks quite lovely. Given that the LUCA L70 does not include any case fans, I have decided to use the be quiet! Pure Loop 2 360mm AIO cooler for testing. There is plenty of room in the back to run spare cables within the storage cage.

The system I have built for testing includes an AMD Ryzen 5 9600X CPU, housed in an MSI B850 Tomahawk Max Wi-Fi Motherboard, paired with two sticks of 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 memory. Our CPU is kept cool using the be quiet! Pure Loop 2 360mm AIO. For storage, I am using a Corsair MP700 Elite 1TB NVMe M.2 drive. Finally, for graphics, I have an ASUS Prime RTX 4070 12 GB Super. Testing is completed with PBO enabled, AXMP1, and MSI Smart fan configuration.

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All testing was completed using Aida64 Engineer's System Stability Test v7.65.7400 for 2 hours. Other software used was HWiNFO 64 v8.28-5770, TechPowerUp GPU-Z v2.66.0, and CPU-Z v2.15.0 x64.

The LUCA L70, during testing, consistently maintained an average CPU temperature of 76 °C, with a peak of 82 °C observed on a day with an ambient temperature of 28 °C. The graphics card reached a maximum temperature of 75 °C, with an average testing temperature of 73 °C. The CPU clocks averaged just below 5GHz.

Overall, since there are no included fans, our setup creates negative pressure within the case, with the AIO pulling air from the top and bottom, exhausting it out the side. I find these results to be satisfactory, but they could be improved with the addition of more fans.

So, then, can I recommend the LUCA L70 Rev 1.0? Well, yes, and no. First, let's cover the good: it looks great, was pretty easy to build, and has good modular design capabilities.

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On the downside, the fit and finish could be improved. For example, the paint between the chassis and the motherboard tray wall was slightly lacking, and there are also initial user experience issues, such as finding a random screw from the feet frame.

Finally, the central issue for me is the price, at $249.99, which does not include fans, ARGB lighting, or hubs included with the case. All these issues just make it a bit of a swing and a miss in terms of being a good product.

I am not criticizing TRYX here; I am fond of what they have tried to achieve, but it just falls short in so many areas. While TRYX has addressed some of the issues found, they chose not to amend others. If this were a $130 case, the landscape would change considerably; however, there are still potentially better options available at that point as well.

In the future, though, I am excited to see what TRYX can do next, the sequel, so to speak. It's like watching Terminator, it was okay, but T2 is the one people always remember. If TRYX can come up with a well-built case with a similar, yet more functional feature set, including fans, and a competitive price point, then I can see them doing well.

If they back that up with excellent customer support and take on board the feedback from the LUCA L70 rev 1.0, then I look forward to seeing what they can achieve. For now, though, the Rev 1.0 has too many unanswered questions for me to recommend it at this price point.