Introduction

From the ECS website:

Founded in 1987, ECS, the Elitegroup Computer Systems, is a top-notch manufacturer and supplier of several families of computer products in the industry. With almost 30 years of experience, ECS not only produces high-quality products such as motherboards, desktops, notebook computers, graphics cards and other mobile products, but also provides customized computer programming and hardware/ software design service for a wide variety of customers.
More than two decades, ECS has overcome a great deal of obstacles encountering new businesses and has experienced the joy of significant growth and development. ECS is strongly committed to develop cutting-edge technology in order to generate innovative products under environmental friendly designs. ECS comprehensive system of quality control provides our clients with reassurance and fosters long term cooperation.

Elitegroup Computer Systems has been around since 1987. Known primarily as ECS, they are an industry-leading OEM that also dabbles in the consumer market, offering mini-PCs, laptops, graphics cards, motherboards, tablets, and IoT devices. Put simply: even if you haven't bought an ECS product, you have probably used or owned one that was manufactured by them. Overall, ECS looks to be on a path of diversification, and as such, I expect we will see more products from them as the the Internet of things continues to grow, allowing for more opportunities to diversify the business.

Today's review focuses on the ECS LIVA Z Plus, the bigger brother to the previously reviewed LIVA Z. Utilizing an Intel i5 7300 U and a 128 GB M.2 SSD, it is a huge upgrade compared to the entry level offering. The upgrade in specs did not come with an upgrade in size as the LIVA Z Plus keeps the same tiny footprint. Small and surprisingly powerful, let's see what this tiny system is capable of!

Packaging and Contents

The box the ECS LIVA Z Plus comes in is 21.4 cm long, 21.8 cm wide, and 5.7 cm thick. On the front, you will be greeted by an image of the LIVA Z Plus and the phrase "show you more versatile life". Other than that, there's not much else to see, other than a few logos. One side details the system's specifications and has a bar code, while the other goes into more detail on the system specifications.


Opening the box shows the ECS LIVA Z Plus sealed inside a small plastic bag. The rest of the parts are placed around it, partitioned off with cardboard.


The bundle is very much bare bones, but does include everything necessary to power up the system and mount it to the back of a TV.

• LIVA Z
• Power brick
• VESA mounting plate
• VESA screws

A Closer Look

The top is a mix of a slightly rough and smooth circular design. A yellowish-orange circle with "LIVA" in the middle adds some much needed color and contrast to an otherwise black case. When it comes to the front, the unit has three USB 3.1 Type A ports and a single USB 3.0 Type C port. An audio jack and the power button fill out the rest of what you will find on the front. The back has two Gigabit LAN ports, a mini-DisplayPort, and a HDMI 1.4 port for connectivity. The power plug is also here.


Both sides have venting. One side allows cool air in while the other acts as an exhaust port. The bottom features two screw holes for mounting the VESA plate, alongside some information regarding the unit.