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.

In terms of performance it does quite well, but it doesn't place in the top spot in any particular metric and instead appears to be very much middle of the pack. When you consider the cost to performance basis the system doesn't stand out. After all, when configured with 2x 8 GB of memory (16 GB total) and an SSD the price goes from $530 to $600 and that's before you factor in the cost of the operating system. You can of course use Linux, but, going with Windows 11 means there is an added cost here as well. While I think 16 GB is adequate for most consumer tasks, the SSD's limited space and less than stellar performance means you likely will want a larger and better NVMe drive. That will bump up the cost depending on the performance level you go with. Meaning if properly equipped the total price ends up around $650 before OS.

Although the system comes with no storage out of the box, it does feature two M.2 slots, one of which is your standard M.2 2280 slot and the other is an M.2 2242 slot, allowing for two NVMe SSDs. Configuration and upgrades are a breeze. The system is capable of handling a maximum capacity of 96 GB of DDR5 SODIMM memory, which is more than a system with this level of performance will ever need. As for the build quality I was quite impressed as the unit was well put together with no areas of concern. Overall, the LIVA Z7 Plus is incredibly user-friendly when it comes to servicing and upgrades and the teardown process is simple, which is a big plus compared to more complicated mini-PCs. Put another way the build quality is quite good. The only downside is software and that would primarily be the limited BIOS functions you have access to. I still think more manufacturers need to add a proper PWM fan control option in the BIOS so that custom profiles can be tailored to fit personal or business needs upon deployment.

In terms of multimedia performance, 4K content at 60 Hz played smoothly, and the built-in Wi-Fi worked flawlessly, even while streaming games via Steam from my desktop. For emulation, the system handled my PS2 games at 720p to 1080p with ease—though Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, as expected, posed a challenge as it always has. Other titles like Kessen III, Suikoden V, and Final Fantasy X ran without any issues. Emulating older consoles like the PS1 and N64 was smooth sailing as well.

The system could also serve as an expensive custom homebrew router, as the LIVA Z7 Plus offers two Intel LAN ports, however, since it has 2.5 GbE and 1 GbE it may not be ideal for power users that want more throughput. That said, I did not have the time or means to test if that would work. What I can confirm is that the USB4 ports do support eGPUs, and this greatly improved gaming and emulator performance compared to the integrated Intel Arc Graphics. While going out of your way to acquire an eGPU for this system is not something I would recommend, if you happen to have one already for a laptop or another system then it can be used here to pull double duty to greatly improve overall system performance.

In conclusion, the ECS LIVA Z7 Plus offers efficiency and effectiveness for specific use cases such as daily tasks, office work, media consumption, digital signage, and kiosks. Meanwhile, the three-year warranty is a nice bonus. That said, it typically excels in niche scenarios and the $530 MSRP may leave potential buyers seeking better value when it comes to a general purpose PC since the total cost for a fully functional system will end up closer to $600 even before the operating system is factored in. Therefore, I do think it's a solid unit for office deployment or for small businesses, but for regular consumers, better options are available.