Introduction

Elitegroup Computer Systems, known to most of us as ECS, was formed in 1987. From their humble beginnings, they have become an industry-leading OEM that not only manufactures a large number of products for themselves but other vendors as well. ECS currently offers mini-PCs, laptops, motherboards, tablets, and other IoT devices under their various brands and has expanded into a large number of markets. Even if you have never directly bought an ECS-branded product, it is still highly likely that you have used or owned one they manufactured. With each passing year, ECS continues to grow, offering a larger and more diverse portfolio of consumer products.


In today's review, I take a look at the ECS LIVA Z2. While similar to the LIVA Z and LIVA Q, this latest model is a bit larger. Even so, it remains extremely compact and with the ability to be mounted to a monitor or television set with its VESA mount. Its increased size also allows for a single 2.5" HDD bay for expanded storage. Meanwhile, the CPU sees an incremental upgrade to Intel's Pentium Silver N5000 quad-core processor based on the Goldmont Plus architecture. Finally, these tiny systems are capable of 4K @ 60 Hz thanks to the implementation of HDMI 2.0. Overall, this feels like a solid update to the product line, but before making any snap judgments, let's take a closer look.