Someone finally tested China's x86 CPU answer to AMD and Intel — the 8-core Zhaoxin KX-7000 processor is promising, but can't reasonably compete for now

The 8-core Zhaoxin KaiXian KX-7000 processor, China’s latest entry into the x86 CPU market, was recently put through its paces by PC Watch, and while it shows promise, early tests indicate that it falls short of competing with AMD and Intel’s offerings in key areas.

Developed by Shanghai Zhaoxin Integrated Circuit Co., the KX-7000 aims to carve out a niche for China in a sector dominated by the two giants. Zhaoxin is backed by Taiwan’s VIA Technologies and the Shanghai Municipal Government, and its CPUs are built on intellectual property acquired from Centaur Technology.

The KX-7000 is the successor to the KX-6000, which was released in 2019. Although the KX-7000 series was initially slated for a 2021 launch, the first compatible hardware only became available this year.

Still a way off the pace

According to PC Watch, performance benchmarks show that while the KX-7000 has made strides over its predecessor, it lags behind Intel’s older 8th generation Core i3-8100 in single-thread performance. Multi-threaded workloads, however, show improvement due to its higher core count. It’s compatible with AVX and AVX2 instructions but lacks support for AVX-512.

The KX-7000 has the potential to power basic desktop or office applications but struggles with more demanding software and games. Its integrated graphics, the ZX C-1190, supports DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, but it is roughly equivalent to a low-end GPU from a decade ago.

Overall, the KX-7000 represents a step forward for Zhaoxin, but its performance and software compatibility need substantial improvement before it can truly hope to compete with global rivals. As PC Watch points out, “If this could be distributed cheaply across China, it might gain traction… but with the current dominance of ultra-cheap mini-PCs equipped with Intel’s N100 series, unless there’s a specific need for China’s unique encryption standards like SM2, SM3, or SM4, it’s unlikely that the current low-profile sales strategy will change.”

For reference, the KaiXian KX-7000/8 setup costs the equivalent of around $270 for the CPU, with an additional $135 for the motherboard. The processor uses an LGA1700 socket similar to Intel’s (so it can accommodate standard CPU coolers) but the internal structure is entirely different and not compatible with Intel motherboards.