Zhaoxin has announced the launch of its next-gen KX-7000 CPU aiming at the high-performance desktop PC market with up to 8 cores.

Zhaoxin KX-7000 CPUs Aim At China's High-End Desktop PCs With Up To 8 Cores & 3.7 GHz Clocks, Tackling AMD & Intel With 2x Uplift Vs Prior Gen

The Zhaoxin KX-7000 CPU family is the follow-up to the KX-6000 series launched in 2020. The predecessor offered up to 8 cores, 8 threads, and up to 3.0 GHz clock speeds while utilizing an architecture based on the 16nm process node and x86 ISA. The company expanded the family by introducing the KX-6000G series in 2022, adding a mainstream CPU with an integrated graphics chip, a first for the company.

Now, Zhaoxin is launching its next-generation KX-7000 CPU family which features the x86 Century Avenue core architecture and offers 2x the performance uplift versus the KX-6000 series. The CPU family also comes with a brand-new platform ecosystem, offering the latest I/O capabilities. But we have to start with the CPU specifications first.

The Zhaoxin KX-7000 CPUs were previously mentioned to utilize a 7nm process node. The lineup is available in two variants for the KX-7000/8 series. Both models feature 8 cores, and 8 threads with the primary difference being the clock speed. The faster model runs at a base clock of 3.2 GHz with a boost clock of up to 3.7 GHz while the slower model operates at a 3.0 GHz base with a 3.6 GHz boost frequency. Both chips feature 4 MB of L2 cache & 32 MB of L3 cache. For memory, the CPU supports DDR5-4800 & DDR4-3200 (Dual-Channel) DIMMs with up to 128 GB capacities. So in a nutshell:

x86 Century Avenue Architecture (Possibly 7nm)8 Cores / 8 Threads4 MB L2 / 32 MB L3 CacheUp To 3.7 GHzDDR5/DDR4 Support24 PCIe Gen4 LanesLGA Socket Type (Similar To LGA 1700)

On the I/O front, you get 24 PCIe Gen4 lanes, 2 USB4, 4 USB 3.2 Gen2, 2 USB 2.0, and 3 SATA III ports. This time, Zhaoxin is also embedding an iGPU within its high-performance CPU lineup. The C-1190 iGPU comes with support for the latest APIs such as DX12, OpenCL 1.2 and OpenGL 4.6, H.265 HEVC/H.264 AVC support. The CPUs also feature the latest instruction sets and capabilities such as VT-x, BT-d 2.5, SSE4.2/AVX/AVX2, and conform to the C-States / P-States for thermal monitoring & control.

Why Do The Look A Lot Like Intel's LGA Desktop CPUs?

What's most interesting is that the Zhaoxin KX-7000 CPUs are compatible with an LGA socket which has the same socket dimensions as the LGA 1700 socket (45mm x 37.5mm). In the launch PR, the renders used by the company also resemble the existing Intel Alder Lake and Raptor Lake chips.

Intel hasn't launched any E-Core-only variant for desktops to date but they do have such designs for the embedded and mobile market. The 8-core, 8-thread chip sounds a lot like the N300 but it comes with a much higher cache plus Intel doesn't utilize chiplet architecture like these chips.

It won't be the first time that Chinese CPU manufacturers have rebadged or re-engineered chips from major manufacturers like AMD & Intel. Earlier this year, a company known as Powerstar rebadged Intel's 10th Gen Comet Lake CPUs and sold them as their own.

Specifications of Zhaoxin's KX-7000 CPU family. Image Source: Zhaoxin

Zhaxon has stated that its KX-7000 CPUs will be introduced soon and while the chips have been marked as "Launched", we haven't necessarily seen any solutions based around them yet. It is likely that those might be introduced in the coming year.