A Closer Look

The LIVA Q3 Plus sees a slight change in looks—the top has the LIVA branding in white on a smooth black plastic top, with the outer edging being gold rather than the more typical orange and gray seen in past designs. Meanwhile, the bottom is much the same in that it's smooth black plastic with a serial number and a Windows sticker. Other than that, all there is to see are the four screws that hold the chassis together, and the two mounting holes for the VESA mounting plate.


In regards to the I/O, you will find the power button on the front-left with three USB ports below it. Two of the USB ports are USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 Type A, and the remaining port is your standard USB 2.0 Type A. Turning to the left, you will find an SD card slot that can handle up to 1 TB offerings for expanded storage. This is nice as the 64 GB of eMMC the system came with is extremely limiting. Also of note is the added ventilation for cooling as this system is actively cooled via a heatsink and fan.


The back of the LIVA Q3 has a full-size HDMI 2.0 port capable of 4K@60 Hz, along with a mini DisplayPort 1.4 for display outs. Also located here is the power jack and a Gigabit Ethernet port for networking should you prefer hardwired over WiFi. Finally, the right side has a Kensington lock, which is likely a smart choice considering the size of the unit. A second vent here also improves cooling; after all, the air coming in through the top needs to exhaust somewhere. Combined, this vent and the one on the opposite side should prove to be more than enough for the 15-watt TDP CPU used in the LIVA Q3.


As for the power plug, it is an Asian Power Devices 36-watt unit with model number WA-36N12R.


In regards to size, here is a quick comparison of the ECS LIVA Q3 with a generic sharpie, USB thumb drive and a 2.5" SSD.