The Zhaoxin KX-7000 CPU, a recent release in 2023, features noteworthy capabilities such as support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, 8 cores, and competitive specifications that place it alongside older budget CPUs from Intel and AMD. Despite these promising specs, it has notable shortcomings in multi-core performance and higher power consumption.
The KX-7000 succeeds the KX-U6880A from the KX-6000 series, maintaining the same 8-core/8-thread configuration but with a clock speed bump to 3.6 GHz and better support for PCI-E 4.0. While these enhancements indicate progress, performance tests paint a different picture.
According to evaluations, the KX-7000 was benchmarked against older processors like the Intel Core i3 8100 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600G. Tested configurations included DDR4 memory at 3200 MHz, Windows 11 64-bit OS, and an RX 6400 4GB discrete GPU. While the KX-7000 does have an integrated ZX-C1190 GPU, it’s not yet suitable for gaming.
Key Specifications of the KX-7000:
– 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
In single-thread performance tests using CPU-Z, the KX-7000 managed 335.9 points, trailing behind the Core i3 8100’s 422.2 points and the Ryzen 5 5600G’s 615.3 points. Its multi-thread performance was better, achieving 2517.2 points, which is an improvement over the Core i3 8100’s 1618.4 points but far below the Ryzen 5600G’s 4790.5 points.
However, these results offered a fleeting moment of success. In more comprehensive evaluations like Cinebench R23, the KX-7000 lagged significantly, losing to the Core i3 8100 by 39% and the Ryzen 5600G by an astounding 145%. While it matched the i3 8100 in multi-core tests, it’s important to note that the i3 8100 is a quad-core processor, whereas the KX-7000 utilizes eight cores. The performance gap with the Ryzen 5600G remained notably significant.
Additional benchmarks reflect similar outcomes, where the KX-7000 struggled to keep up with entry-level processors, indicating the need for further refinement. The integrated GPU, in particular, proved weak even against the i3 8100 and the much more capable Ryzen 5600G APU, only sufficing for basic display tasks.
In terms of power efficiency, the KX-7000 consumed around 60W at idle and 110W at full load. In stark contrast, the Core i3 8100 peaked at 64W under load and a mere 23W at idle, highlighting the inefficient design of the KX-7000.
Despite being marketed as a next-gen CPU, the KX-7000 has seen limited advancements over its predecessor. While it supports higher memory clocks and a modest boost in clock speeds, the actual performance improvements and Instructions Per Cycle (IPC) enhancements seem minimal. Though the KX-7000 can handle basic applications, Zhaoxin has significant ground to cover to pose a challenge to Intel and AMD in the competitive CPU market.
