ECS LIVA Mini PC Kit Review

[section_title title=Conclusion]Conclusion

So, how do you test such a low powered system? Well I found the best thing to do was to simply use it. The main question though, is how well does it work and is it good value?

Well as I wrote the entirety of this review on the Mini PC Kit (though I did do the photo editing on my desktop), I do feel there is a market for something like this.  It might not have the biggest storage (this sample 32GB but it is available in 64GB) and it may not have the fastest CPU, but it certainly does the intended job pretty well.  I would say the main use for this, other than a small portable office PC would be HD video playback.  As the LIVA Mini PC Kit has built in Wi-Fi and HDMI, this could be an amazing solution for a tiny HTPC; albeit without the ability to store much media locally.

I did feel rather limited by the lack of USB connections and it would have been nice to see three rather than two; with one being used for my keyboard and the other for my mouse it was inconvenient to have to unplug an input device to use a memory stick, for example.  That being said, the problem could be rectified with the purchase of a combined keyboard with a track pad built in, which would add to the cost, but they can be pretty handy anyway.

The ECS Liva Mini PC Kit isn’t going to set the world alight with its speed, but what it lacks in performance it surely makes up for in aesthetics; without losing my credibility as being a big guy, I would say it’s cute!  It has a lovely small black stature and the black/orange contrast really does it for me, even though it’s just the LIVA logo.  With plenty of ventilation it is highly unlikely to overheat too.

Price wise, it is available for under $200 which is quite a good deal when you reflect on how much the individual components cost; the Intel SoC alone would set you back around $100, so it is clear ECS are sticking to their ethos of good quality products for good prices.  Some may disagree with me and point to the low £25 price tag of the latest Raspberry PI board.  Well without comparing the two, the Mini PC Kit offers tenfold performance over the PI, not only with specifications but actual uses too.  If I were in the market for a Nano PC this would certainly be top of the list.  One thing to note is the lack of an OS but this would of course add a premium to the price and seeing as ECS allow you to use whichever operating system you wish; it does add flexibility that most users will appreciate.

ECS have done a great job with the LIVA Mini PC Kit and I feel it deserves not only our design award, but also a gold award.  With Wi-Fi capability, the ability to stream films and browse the web as well as being able to perform basic desktop activities, it is hard to argue that this is not a fantastic product.

I would like to thank ECS for sending the LIVA Mini PC Kit in for review, I hope to see more from them soon!