Super small and well built, the ECS LIVA Z Plus fits in the palm of one's hand, and all things considered, the power packed into that tiny footprint is quite amazing. Compared to the LIVA Z, power consumption is still very low as the i5 7300U has a TDP of just 15 watts versus the N3350 at 6 watts. The upgraded CPU means the GPU also sees an upgrade from HD Graphics 500 to HD Graphics 620, which offers twice the execution units. Overall, the performance of the LIVA Z Plus is nearly double that of the LIVA Z.

As an HTPC, it can handle 1080p Netflix or Hulu and the like; however, 4K is out of reach due to HDMI 1.4 not having HDCP 2.2 and is also limited to just 30 Hz. That said, the unit can still play 4k Youtube videos with ease and handled on-storage 4k video files as well. The unit is capable of driving a 4k display at 60 Hz through the mini-DisplayPort connector. ECS includes an MLC 128 GB SSD from Transcend by default in this model, which, while a surprise, is still a welcome addition. Overall, the unit can still be upgraded like its less pricey sibling, but the gains of doing so are less pronounced. Streaming of games in Steam, much like with the less expensive LIVA Z, is just as good on the LIVA Z Plus. Metal Gear Solid V never looked so good on my living room TV. Of course, Fallout 4 and Total War: Warhammer played perfectly fine as well.

Connectivity features were great as well as there are just enough USB 3 ports for a mouse and a keyboard and external storage, or other devices. A single USB 3 Type C port is also present. New to this system was the active cooling element, which proved adequate, keeping the CPU below the thermal throttle point even when stressed to the max. Better yet, it did so while being silent. As with the previous LIVA Z, the LIVA Z Plus can be configured with pfSense, which may have it be the better option with the 2x2 Intel 8260 WLAN and single Intel NIC paired with a Realtek offering. In general, the LIVA Z Plus from ECS feels like a more robust and better-performing LIVA Z, which definitely is not a bad thing.

A few issues do stand out. First and foremost is that the LIVA Z Plus, just like the LIVA Z, only has 4 GB of included RAM. It's a single stick and is, as such, single channel. 8 GB would have been a nice inclusion here. There only being 4 GB not only limits the total system RAM as the IGB also needs memory, which limits memory bandwidth. The IGP, while good enough for video playback and office work, is still very weak. Dota 2 was playable at up to 720p with medium settings and shadows off. Beyond that, performance tanks to unplayable levels. However, I think the biggest problem is the price. Coming in at $489.99 with no operating system places the ECS LIVA Z Plus into a niche market as it is not as appealing as its more affordable sibling. Both systems do the same job. Yes, one is faster, but is it worth paying twice as much for? I don't believe so. To improve appeal, ECS could slot in 8 GB of DDR4 in a dual channel configuration. Doing so and dropping storage to 64 GB of eMMC while still allowing for an M.2 upgrade would better facilitate hitting that sweet spot.

In the end, the ECS LIVA Z Plus is a unique offering whose CPU side offers performance similar to or better than the AMD A10 7860K, and that at just 15 watts. It really is a fantastic system when you consider its small size and what it is capable of. I just feel the price tag is too high with the current configuration. It limits its appeal, which does have me scratching my head as most shopping at that price point will begin looking at a laptop instead.

If you are in the market for a mid-range SFF system to handle daily tasks, HTPC duty, or to just do some office work, the ECS LIVA Z Plus might be what you are looking for.