ECS LIVA Z7 Plus Barebone Mini-PC (Intel Core Ultra 5 125H)

[crazyeyesreaper]

ECS aims to deliver strong performance, reliability, and AI-driven benefits with the LIVA Z7 Plus barebones unit. Powered by an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, it provides ample power for everyday tasks and office work, all while being fairly quiet in regular workloads. Plus, it has a solid three-year warranty for added peace of mind.

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[Nin]

Do mini PCs not undergo noise tests? When it comes to computers you can't customise, I'm particularly interested in what the noise production is.

 

[bonehead123]

Do mini PCs not undergo noise tests? When it comes to computers you can't customise, I'm particularly interested in what the noise production is.

Noise figures are in the full review, and seem to be ok for this type of machine, but as with any system that has a fan, it is NOT & never will be completely silent, but it's not like it's a sonic-boom blaster either

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

Do mini PCs not undergo noise tests? When it comes to computers you can't customise, I'm particularly interested in what the noise production is.

The ECS LIVA Z7 Plus doesn't quite have the power to win any benchmark competitions, with the performance being mid-tier overall. However, that doesn't mean it won't perform well. With power consumption ranging from 8 to 85 watts (idle to peak) and averaging around 20–40 watts under typical loads, the system is well-suited for office use or as a home theater PC. Intel's Turbo Boost means the system pulled 85 watts at the wall maximum, but after a few minutes this drops to 48–54 watts under extended heavy load. Overall noise levels remain quite low thanks to the extra fan along with the CPU heatsink. They peak at 47 dBA at 6"/15 cm but under all normal loads the system remains exceptionally quiet in the low to mid 40 dBA range and if mounted behind a monitor via the VESA mount it will be even quieter. I will also note that I did see thermal throttling on occasion, but it was always at the very end of the Turbo boost time limit, usually in the last 5–10 seconds and only under extreme loads at which point the system would drop to its normal TDP limit and thermal throttling would no longer be a problem. Temperatures overall are average at best, with peaks of 100°C. However, the unit typically stayed between 40-45°C at idle, 60-75°C during moderate to heavy loads, and 80-100°C in extreme loads where the TDP limit would come into effect dropping temperatures to the low 80°C range.


literally first paragraph of the conclusion