ECS LIVA ONE Review - A SFF PC with Muscle

Introduction

Filling the gap between HDMI dongles and the traditional desktop is becoming easier as CPU TDPs drop while maintaining desktop level performance. Intel's 6th Generation Core family of processors ushered in CPUs ranging in TDPs from 35W to 91W, which expands the possibilities of desktop processors. The Core iX 6XXXT series of processors, such as the Core i3 6100T used in the LIVA ONE, are 35W counterparts of their non-T versions.

The big difference between the "T" and "non-T" other than the TDP is a reduction of clock speed. The 6100T clocks in at 3.2GHz, while the 6100 can run at 3.7GHz with a 47W TDP. These new lower power counterparts allow for much shorter, slimmer, and hopefully, quieter machines. Let's see if the LIVA ONE can lead the way.

Specifications

The LIVA ONE is a pre-built PC without an OS while the SF100 is a barebones version of the LIVA ONE. The LIVA ONE comes with an i3-6100T which is a 2core/4thread 3.2GHz CPU, a single 8GB DDR3 SO-DIMM (there is a second open slot), and an Intel 80GB M.2 SSD.

The unit has available space for a 2.5-inch drive in case you want to expand storage. Unlike many other SFF PCs, the LIVA ONE's USB Type-C port is a USB 3.1 port instead of USB 3.0 or USB 2.0. The device also supports both a 1Gbit LAN port and Wireless AC/BT 4.0.

Pricing

The LIVA ONE costs $450 while the barebones version will cost roughly $170.