The Zhaoxin KX-7000 CPU supports both DDR4 & DDR5 memory, features 8 cores, & is on par with older Intel and AMD budget CPUs.
Zhaoxin KX-7000 still lacks good multi-core performance but only when compared to much older Intel & AMD CPUs, also consumes higher power
Zhaoxin launched its fastest desktop CPU for mainstream PCs, the KaiXian KX-7000, back in 2023 which is an 8-core/8-thread chip. The KX-7000 is the successor to the KX-U6880A, the flagship processor of the KX-6000 family, & retains the same core count. The KX-7000 features a 3.6 GHz clock speed & support for PCI-E 4.0. The KX-7000 brings several major and minor improvements in specifications but looking at its performance, it's kinda lackluster.
PC Watch tested the processor against several generations-old processors from Intel and AMD, specifically the Intel Core i3 8100 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600G. The test bench included DDR4 memory clocked at 3200 MHz, Windows 11 64-bit OS, and the RX 6400 4GB discrete GPU. Keep in mind that the KX-7000 also features integrated ZX-C1190 GPU but it isn't any good for gaming yet. Following are the main highlights of the chip:
- x86 Century Avenue Architecture (Possibly 7nm)
- 8 Cores / 8 Threads
- 4 MB L2 / 32 MB L3 Cache
- Up To 3.7 GHz
- DDR5/DDR4 Support
- 24 PCIe Gen4 Lanes
- LGA Socket Type (Similar To LGA 1700)
As tested in synthetic programs, the KX-7000 is significantly slower in single-threaded performance in CPU-Z, yielding just 335.9 points against 422.2 points of Core i3 8100 and 615.3 points of Ryzen 5 5600G. In multi-threaded, the KX-7000 did satisfactorily compared to other programs, resulting in about 2517.2 points against 1618.4 points of Core i3 8100 but loses quite easily to the 4790.5 points by Ryzen 5600G.
However, this is just a short-lived victory in only one instance. In Cinebench R23, the processor loses by a 39% margin to the Core i3 8100 and by around a whopping 145% margin to the Ryzen 5600G. In a multi-core test, the processor is equivalent to the Core i3 8100 but keep in mind that the Core i3 8100 is just a quad-core processor while the KX-7000 is an octa-core. Compared to the Ryzen 5600G, the performance gap is just too high.
Other benchmarks show a similar result where the KX-7000 couldn't keep up with even the entry-level Core i3 8100 processor, suggesting that there is a lot of improvement needed for the processor. Meanwhile, its iGPU is quite weak enough to be compared against even the i3 8100 let alone the Ryzen 5600G, which is a dedicated APU. It's just enough for powering the display for basic uses.
In terms of power consumption, the chip consumed much higher watts with around 60W at idle and around 110W at full-load. The Core i3-8100 peaked at 64W at full load and 23W at idle & this showcases the inefficient architecture design of the Zhaoxin chip.
Even after 8 years, Zhaoxin processors didn't improve much, and even though the KX-7000 is provided with support for higher memory clocks and an increase in boost clock by 0.6 GHz over the predecessor, the IPC improvements are quite low. It's still good to see that the KX-7000 is quite usable in basic applications but Zhaoxin has a long way to go to compete against Intel and AMD.
News Source: PC Watch
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
