General Analysis

The ECS LIVA Z is quite interesting in many ways. Multiple configurations exist. One has no OS and usually goes for $179, while the other has Windows 10 Home 64-bit and a price tag of $259. At the time of writing, the Windows 10 option was available for $199 with a $20 rebate, getting it down to $179, which makes for a damn good deal.

If you are looking for a compact HTPC, the ECS LIVA Z is quite good for its size, with the Intel N3350 SOC doing an exceptional job considering its TDP is just 6 watts. It had no problems streaming Netflix or Hulu, and with MPC-HC (Media Player Classic Home Cinema), 4K content played back perfectly. While the unit can put out 4k 60 hz via the mDP port, the HDMI port being 1.4, it really is not up to the task, not to mention possible issues with HDCP 2.2. 4K via Netflix is just out of reach for this little system, which is a bit sad, due to HDCP 2.2 and HDMI 1.4. That said, Youtube 4k worked fine, so that's a plus. If you plan to primarily stream 720p to 1080p content, the ECS LIVA Z will make an exceptional little HTPC. Finally, streaming games from my main system to the LIVA Z via Steam worked beautifully. I hooked the system up to the living room TV and played some Fallout 4 and Total War: Warhammer with no issues to report. In fact, the experience was downright enjoyable as sometimes, it is nice to be able to relax on the couch as you strike down a horde of green skins or blow apart some raiders with the Fat Man launcher.

In terms of traditional tasks, such as web browsing, Youtube, spreadsheets, etc., The ECS LIVA Z proved more than adequate. While it won't win awards for its performance, I had no issues doing typical office work on the system. Even editing the photos for this review on this tiny system worked decently well. This makes the LIVA Z an affordable, compact system for non-enthusiasts, like grand parents, children, etc. If a child needs to do some online research or write a paper for school, the LIVA Z has you covered. If you are looking for a cheap system with which to use Quicken to keep your finances in order, the LIVA Z again has you covered. For the typical hum drum tasks of life, the LIVA Z proves to be more than enough. It may even prove useful in some enterprise and general business environments as it does support VT-x, VT-x with EPT, and VT-d.

Build quality is above average, with the LIVA Z being very solidly built. Better yet, it's also easy to disassemble. Tearing the unit down for basic upgrades was simple - anyone can do it. Upgrading the system to 8 GB of RAM or adding an M.2 2242 SSD is quick and easy, which is good because the 4 GB the system comes with in its stock configuration, while adequate, is only barely so. The other downside is that the memory is configured in single channel due to the stick of DDR3L. Dual channel should improve memory bandwidth by a sizable amount. Same goes for the 32 GB of eMMC in that it's just barely adequate. That said, the ability to upgrade it when necessary and its attractive price help mitigate these shortcomings.

The dual Realtek Gigabit LAN ports, while not amazing, are good enough to make the ECS LIVA Z an attractive and affordable option with which to configure a pfSense box. The Intel WiFi in its 1x1 configuration is a bit more anemic for a true router. Its small size, ultra-low power consumption, and passive cooling make for a completely silent system, which makes it a very attractive option for that purpose. If you are a Linux fan and don't need no stinkin Windows 10, you can always buy the cheaper version with no OS and install Unbuntu 16.04 LTS.

Overall, this tiny little system tries to be a jack of all trades and as such is a master of none. This is not a bad thing as we use PCs as general-purpose devices. The ECS LIVA Z can serve as a solid HTPC or Steam stream box with added benefits. It has some advanced features and is semi upgradable. In general, depending on the configuration and thus price, the LIVA Z can be quite of good value.