Month: January 2022

ECS Liva Q3 Plus mini PC with Ryzen Embedded now available for $242 and up

The ECS Liva Q3 Plus is a tiny computer that measures 2.9″ x 2.9″ x 2.1″ but which is a full-fledged PC capable of driving up to two 4K displays thanks to Mini DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 ports and an AMD Ryzen Embedded processor. First unveiled about half a year ago, the ECS Liva […]

The post ECS Liva Q3 Plus mini PC with Ryzen Embedded now available for $242 and up appeared first on Liliputing.

The ECS Liva Q3 Plus is a tiny computer that measures 2.9″ x 2.9″ x 2.1″ but which is a full-fledged PC capable of driving up to two 4K displays thanks to Mini DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 ports and an AMD Ryzen Embedded processor.

First unveiled about half a year ago, the ECS Liva Q3 Plus is now available for purchase for $242 and up.

The little computer is available in two different prices/configurations at the moment:

According to a LinkedIn post from ECS, the higher-spec model should also be available from Amazon, but it’s currently listed as out of stock.

Both configurations feature the same compact chassis, LPDDR4-2400 memory, eMMC storage, and support for WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.1. And both have the same selection of ports including:

  • 1 x HDMI 2.0
  • 1 x mini DisplayPort 1.2
  • 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
  • 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
  • 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A
  • 1 x microSD card reader (up to 1TB)
  • 1 x power input

The key difference, aside from the memory and storage, is the processor. Both chips are first-gen Ryzen Embedded processors with AMD Zen CPU cores and Radeon Vega graphics, but the V-series chip packs a lot more punch. Here’s a comparison:

Chip Cores / Threads Base / Max freq GPU L2 + L3 cache TDP
Ryzen V1605B 4 / 8 2 GHz / 3.6 GHz Radeon Vega 8 @ 1.1 GHz 6MB 12 – 25W
Ryzen R1505G 2 / 4 2.4 GHz / 3.3 GHz Radeon Vega 3 @ 1 GHz 5MB 12 – 25W

The V1605B also supports 16 PCIe Gen 3 lanes and up to four displays, compared with 8 lanes and 3 displays for the R1505G, but those factors aren’t really much of a difference for the ECS Liva Q3 Plus, which doesn’t supports PCIe storage or more than two displays.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Ryzen R1000 and V1000 series chips are both first-generation Ryzen processors and, as such, they’re not officially supported by Windows 11. When it comes to Ryzen Embedded processors, Microsoft only supports Ryzen V2000 series chips at the moment.

That said, the ECS Liva Q3 Plus does have TPM 2.0 support and should work with Windows 10 or many GNU/Linux-based operating systems.

The post ECS Liva Q3 Plus mini PC with Ryzen Embedded now available for $242 and up appeared first on Liliputing.

Ars readers gave over $40,000 in our 2021 Charity Drive

Total charity haul since 2007 tops $435,000.

Giving a little joy.

Enlarge / Giving a little joy. (credit: xJasonRogersx / Flickr)

One month ago, we asked readers to donate to a couple of good causes in our 2021 Charity Drive sweepstakes. And boy, did you deliver. With the drive now complete and the donations all tallied, we can report that Ars Technica readers gave an incredible $40,261.71 to Child's Play and the EFF in the last month. That doesn't quite set a new record, but it surpasses our total charity haul for every annual charity drive except 2020. All told, total Ars Charity Drive donations since 2007 now total over $435,000. Well done, Arsians!

Thanks to everyone who gave whatever they could. We're still early in the process of selecting and notifying winners of our swag giveaway, so don't fret if you haven't heard if you're a winner yet. In the meantime, enjoy these quick stats from the 2021 drive.

  • 2021 Fundraising total: $40,261.71
    • Total given to Child's Play: $15,919.90
    • Total given to the EFF: $24,341.81
  • Number of individual donations: 359
    • Child's Play donations: 166
    • EFF donations: 193
  • Average donation: $112.15
    • Child's Play average donation: $95.90
    • EFF average donation: $126.12
  • Median donation: $51.80
    • Median Child's Play donation: $50.00
    • Median EFF donation: $66.95
  • Top single donation: $4,000 (to EFF)
  • Donations of $1,000 or more: 7 (!)
  • Donations of $100 or more: 134
  • $5 or less donations: 3 (every little bit helps!)
  • Total charity donations from Ars Technica drives since 2007 (approximate): $435,126.83
    • 2021: $40,261.71
    • 2020: $58,758.11
    • 2019: $33,181.11
    • 2018: $20,210.66
    • 2017: $36,012.37
    • 2016: $38,738.11
    • 2015: $38,861.06
    • 2014: $25,094.31
    • 2013: $23,570.13
    • 2012: $28,713.52
    • 2011: ~$26,000
    • 2010: ~$24,000
    • 2009: ~$17,000
    • 2008: ~$12,000
    • 2007: ~$10,000

Read on Ars Technica | Comments

Bis zum bitteren Boden-Burnout? Umweltpolitik im Kapitalismus

Die gerade noch “hinnehmbaren” Grenzen der Umweltzerstörung sind in diesem System nicht überschritten, solange kurz- und mittelfristig noch Profite möglich sind. Mittelfristig nur dank staatlicher Regulierung

Die gerade noch "hinnehmbaren" Grenzen der Umweltzerstörung sind in diesem System nicht überschritten, solange kurz- und mittelfristig noch Profite möglich sind. Mittelfristig nur dank staatlicher Regulierung

Bis zum bitteren Boden-Burnout: Naturbeherrschung im Kapitalismus

Die gerade noch “hinnehmbaren” Grenzen der Umweltzerstörung sind in diesem System nicht überschritten, solange kurz und mittelfristig noch Profite möglich sind

Die gerade noch "hinnehmbaren" Grenzen der Umweltzerstörung sind in diesem System nicht überschritten, solange kurz und mittelfristig noch Profite möglich sind

All hail the Ariane 5 rocket, which doubled the Webb telescope’s lifetime

“It would have been criminal not to do it.”

The Ariane 5 rocket, with the James Webb Space Telescope, at its launch site in French Guiana.

Enlarge / The Ariane 5 rocket, with the James Webb Space Telescope, at its launch site in French Guiana. (credit: ESA/S. Corvaja)

There were two stunningly good pieces of news about the James Webb Space Telescope this weekend. One was widely reported—that after an intricate, two-week process, the telescope completed its deployment without any difficulties. The next steps toward science operations are more conventional.

The other piece of news, less well-covered but still important, emerged during a news conference on Saturday. NASA's Mission Systems Engineer for the Webb telescope, Mike Menzel, said the agency had completed its analysis of how much "extra" fuel remained on board the telescope. Roughly speaking, Menzel said, Webb has enough propellant on board for 20 years of life.

This is twice the conservative pre-launch estimate for Webb's lifetime of a decade, and it largely comes down to the performance of the European Ariane 5 rocket that launched Webb on a precise trajectory on Christmas Day.

Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Canon: Der endgültige Beweis, dass DRM weg kann

Endlich gibt auch mal ein Hersteller zu, dass DRM nur der Kundengängelei dient. Es wird Zeit, das endlich zu lassen. Ein IMHO von Sebastian Grüner (DRM, Drucker)

Endlich gibt auch mal ein Hersteller zu, dass DRM nur der Kundengängelei dient. Es wird Zeit, das endlich zu lassen. Ein IMHO von Sebastian Grüner (DRM, Drucker)