ECS Liva Z11 Plus Review: A Punchy Little Workhorse for Wall-to-Wall Screens

Aesthetically, the Z11 Plus is simple and straightforward—just basic black—and compact enough to fit pretty much anywhere on your desk. It’s a petite box measuring 2.1 by 4.5 by 4.5 inches (HWD). Granted, that’s a tad thicker than the Asus NUC 15 Pro’s 1.6 inches and the 1.4-inch Geekom A6 Mini.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

On top of the case, you’ll find ridges leading to a glossy Liva logo, while honeycomb vents run along the left and right sides of the chassis for cooling. Speaking of the vents, expect to hear a lot of noise from them: This mini machine gets loud under pressure.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The front and back of the machine present an array of ports. On the front, you’ll find the power button, one 20Gbps USB Type-C port, three 10Gbps USB Type-A connections, and one USB 2.0 port for legacy peripherals. Around the back, you’ll spot another two USB 2.0 ports and two speedy 40Gbps USB4 connectors with DisplayPort 2.1 output support for external displays. Nearby are dual HDMI ports, so in theory you can connect up to four 4K displays, making this system great for multi-monitor workspaces or office digital-signage applications. Surprisingly, however, the desktop has no 3.5mm audio jack.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

For internet and wireless connectivity, this desktop features one 2.5Gbps and one 1Gbps Ethernet jack (for redundancy and connecting to more than one network at once), while Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 radios complete the package. 

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)