ECS LIVA Q3 Plus

[crazyeyesreaper]

ECS once again redefines the performance one can expect from a PC that can fit in your pocket. The LIVA Q3 Plus obliterates the previous-generation LIVA Q2 and even manages to compare favorably with larger Mini-PCs. But with an increased price and zero upgradeability, it's a system geared towards particular needs.

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[TheLostSwede]

@crazyeyesreaper I think you got the Bluetooth spec a bit wrong in the features table, it seems like the QCA module supports Bluetooth 5.0.

Qualcomm QCA6174a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth SoC | 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5 Wireless Network Adapter | Qualcomm

Explore the Qualcomm QCA9174a wifi chipset - featuring high-performance dual-band 802.11ac wifi, MU-MIMO, and bluetooth 5.0 radios. For mobile and consumer electronic apps.

www.qualcomm.com

Problem is that the initial product with that model name is from 2014 or there about, but I guess ECS would be using a current product like the one in the link above.

Just FYI, ECS is sort of pitching these things as digital signage solutions, rather than as desktop replacements.

 

[Dristun]

Could you please make some snaps of the unit next to everyday objects for scale next time? Would be a nice addition to all these reviews of supermini-PCs!

 

[Tardian]

AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B vs AMD Ryzen 7 4700U

AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B vs AMD Ryzen 7 4700U. Benchmark, test, review, comparison and differences between these CPUs in Cinebench 23 and Geekbench 5

www.cpu-monkey.com

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

@crazyeyesreaper I think you got the Bluetooth spec a bit wrong in the features table, it seems like the QCA module supports Bluetooth 5.0.

Qualcomm QCA6174a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth SoC | 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5 Wireless Network Adapter | Qualcomm

Explore the Qualcomm QCA9174a wifi chipset - featuring high-performance dual-band 802.11ac wifi, MU-MIMO, and bluetooth 5.0 radios. For mobile and consumer electronic apps.

www.qualcomm.com

Problem is that the initial product with that model name is from 2014 or there about, but I guess ECS would be using a current product like the one in the link above.

Just FYI, ECS is sort of pitching these things as digital signage solutions, rather than as desktop replacements.

For the WiFi i erred on the side of caution and went with ECS's stated support when it comes to the Bluetooth aspect.

Straight from the conclusion :

Ever since its first incarnation, the LIVA Q series remains stuck in the same pocket-sized rut. It's the perfect PC for grandma to check Facebook and look up recipes, and in fact, my grandmother absolutely loved it. It's also more than enough for the kids to do their homework while giving parents the option to take it away if necessary. That said, its current price means a laptop still makes more sense. The LIVA Q3, like its predecessors, is, as you might have guessed, use-case specific. It is tailored more for digital signage, industrial applications, or even as a client system for the office where more and more work is done via the cloud. But for most consumers, a laptop will make more sense. While I do like it as a home theater system as it easily handled 4K streams and allowed me to bypass the built-in apps on my smart TV, which are moving towards adding advertisements and other annoying features, I wouldn't spend $550 to do that. Even going with the no-OS option at $420 still feels a bit steep.

 

[Chrispy_]

As cool as these tiny PCs are, I can't help but feel that they need to incorporate the power brick into their design until they can run off your ordinary 15W USB power brick.

The whole point of these things is miniaturisation and yet you're still required to huck around an extremely uncommon, effectively-bespoke AC adapter that's almost the same size as the PC its powering. We already have rPi equivalents and USB-powered phones/tablets/thin-clients that admittedly aren't as small or capablle as this, but also don't require bespoke power solutions.

Per cubic mm, this is impressive performance but it's not powerful enough that it crosses the boundary or blurs the line between this sector and a pocketable desktop replacement, and this sector is "tiny, low-power". The performance isn't the selling point for the demographic to whom this appeals, so breaking records on that front isn't really an achievement, yet making it require 36W of chunky, awkarwd power delivery is a pretty major drawback.

I dunno, this is already super niche, perhaps there's an even smaller niche within that niche consisting of people who need just a bit more performance and are willing to deal with the brick.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

Could you please make some snaps of the unit next to everyday objects for scale next time? Would be a nice addition to all these reviews of supermini-PCs!

 

[Tardian]

As cool as these tiny PCs are, I can't help but feel that they need to incorporate the power brick into their design until they can run off your ordinary 15W USB power brick.

The whole point of these things is miniaturisation and yet you're still required to huck around an extremely uncommon, effectively-bespoke AC adapter that's almost the same size as the PC its powering. We already have rPi equivalents and USB-powered phones/tablets/thin-clients that admittedly aren't as small as this, but also don't require bespoke power solutions.

I think they should be powered by the monitor through USB 3/4.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

I think they should be powered by the monitor through USB 3/4.

Now that would be an amazing idea. However, not all monitors / TVs have that functionality. Still as time goes buy I can see that becoming a viable option.

 

[Zareek]

I love these ECS micro PCs. I'm currently using a first gen ECS LIVA as my home Wi-Fi controller/logger. It is running on Ubuntu and only has 2 GB of RAM and a dual-core ATOM CPU but it literally sips power. I've used this unit as a VPN host, living room streaming box and many other things over the past 6 or 7 years I've owned it.

That being said, holy cow, the price on this unit is INSANE! My original LIVA was like $150. I would say the price is about 100% too high. I know it is significantly faster than an ATOM based unit but ECS needs to remember their market for these devices. The price tag is a big part of settling for a PC with basically no expansion capabilities. This is a disposable PC, if one part goes bad it is trash.

 

[micropage7]

8Gb ram and 64Gb storage, it's kinda tight especially 64Gb, except you do nothing more than office and browsing

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

8Gb ram and 64Gb storage, it's kinda tight especially 64Gb, except you do nothing more than office and browsing

Keep in mind that is the review sample retail units will have 128 GB of eMMC

 

[Chrispy_]

Keep in mind that is the review sample retail units will have 128 GB of eMMC

64GB is still plenty for a light-duty system. A full, clean W10 21H1 uses around 20GB so even 64GB machines are okay for casual users that mostly deal with webapps and some lightweight local utilities.

 

[Tardian]

64GB is still plenty for a light-duty system. A full, clean W10 21H1 uses around 20GB so even 64GB machines are okay for casual users that mostly deal with webapps and some lightweight local utilities.

256GB SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Pen Drive PN SDCZ430-256G-G46 ​

usb Flash Drives, Storage Size, 256gb

Browse the range of USB Flash Drives at Computer Alliance

www.computeralliance.com.au

There are no problems, only solutions.

 

[Chrispy_]

an SD card works too - I have a Samsung and a Sandisk that'll both read over 100MB/s and write at about 80MB/s. Plenty fast enough for this class of device.

 

[Tardian]

an SD card works too - I have a Samsung and a Sandisk that'll both read over 100MB/s and write at about 80MB/s. Plenty fast enough for this class of device.

I agree but there are faster cards e.g. V90.

• 300MB/s Sustained Read Speed
• 280MB/s Sustained Write Speed

 

[Chrispy_]

I agree but there are faster cards e.g. V90.

• 300MB/s Sustained Read Speed
• 280MB/s Sustained Write Speed

Oh for sure. I just buy the cheapest cards because generally if you're requiring additional storage on a device, it's a low-cost device due to limited budget in the first place.