ECS Liva Z3: A Basic Mini-PC

Small PC, price, and performance

- BRIAN WESTOVER

ECS Liva Z3

PROS

Small, easy to hide. Included mounting gear. Access for storage and memory upgrades. HDMI and mini DisplayPort with 4K support. Affordable.

CONS

Modest performance rules out complex tasks. Peripherals not included.

BOTTOM LINE

The ECS Liva Z3 is a basic mini PC that resembles many other Intel NUC-style desktops, but it comes in well under $300 fully configured. Just expect limited performance from its inexpensive components.

Been shopping for a tiny desktop around the internet? The ECS Liva Z3 is going to look pretty familiar. These days, mini PCs from many different manufacturers look like they all come offthe same assembly line. Similar boxy profiles and basic black panels look like somebody copied-and-pasted the Intel NUC over and over again, with minor cosmetic changes here and there. The ECS Liva Z3 doesn’t stray from that template, looking just like the recently reviewed Beelink GK Mini and other NUC-like systems. But it still has something to offer: a low price that makes it a great budget choice. That’s provided, of course, that you can accept the performance limitations that come with the Liva Z3’s Pentium processor and eMMC storage.

COMPACT, BUT NOT COMPLEX