from the cheapest-compatible-computer-constructors-choose-chinese-chips dept.
Zhaoxin's x86-Compatible CPUs for DIY Enthusiasts Now Available
Zhaoxin, a joint venture between Via Technologies and the Chinese government, has been selling processors for various client systems for years, but recently the company rolled out its latest CPUs that some of the local PC makers position as solutions for DIY enthusiasts. At least initially, Zhaoxin's KaiXian KX-6780A will be available only in China.
Zhaoxin's KaiXian KX-6780A is an eight-core x86-64 processor with 8 MB of L2 cache, a dual-channel DDR4-3200 memory controller, modern I/O interfaces (PCIe, SATA, USB, etc.), and integrated DirectX 11.1-capable graphics (possibly S3 based but unknown). The CPU cores are in-house designed LuJiaZui cores, built around a superscalar, multi-issue, out-of-order microarchitecture that supports modern instruction sets extensions like SSE 4.2 as well as AVX along with virtualization and encryption technologies. The processor is made using TSMC's 16 nm process technology.
Zhaoxin formally introduced its KaiXian KX-6000-series CPUs back in 2018, but it looks like higher-end models like the KX-U6780A and the KX-U6880A are entering the consumer market this quarter.
Also at Wccftech.
Previously: Zhaoxin KaiXian KX-6000: A Chinese x86 SoC
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Zhaoxin Displays x86-Compatible KaiXian KX-6000: 8 Cores, 3 GHz, 16 nm FinFET
Zhaoxin, a joint venture between Via Technologies and the Chinese government, this week for the first time displayed its upcoming x86-compatible CPU, the KaiXian KX-6000. The SoC features eight cores running at 3 GHz and increases performance over its predecessor by at least 50%.
The KaiXian KX-6000 is a successor to the KX-5000 CPU launched earlier this year. Both chips integrate eight-core x86-64 cores with 8 MB of L2 cache, a DirectX 11.1-capable iGPU with an up-to-date display controller, a dual-channel DDR4-3200 memory controller, contemporary I/O interfaces (PCIe, SATA, USB, etc), and so on. The key differences between the KaiXian KX-5000 and the KaiXian KX-6000 are frequencies and manufacturing technology: the former is produced using TSMC's 28 nm fabrication process and runs at up to 2 GHz, whereas the latter is made using TSMC's 16 nm technology and operates at up to 3 GHz. Zhaoxin claims that the Kaixian KX-6000 offers compute performance comparable to that of Intel's 7th Generation Core i5 processor, which is a quad-core non-Hyper-Threaded CPU. Obviously, performance claims like that have to be verified, yet a 50% performance bump over the direct predecessor already seems beefy enough.
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China's Zhaoxin CPU Is in Its First Mini-PC
Networking specialist Ruijie Networks on Tuesday launched its first mini-PC featuring China's homegrown Zhaoxin KaiXian KX-U6780A processor.
[...] The RG-CT7800 takes the form of a 2.4-liter, black chassis. The device features a custom motherboard for the KaiXian KX-U6780A, since the processor is ball grid array-based. The motherboard comes with two SO-DIMM DDR4 RAM slots too.
[...] Ruijie Networks offers the RG-CT7800 with 8GB of DDR4 memory and a 256GB SSD. One of the product images show the device with what appears to be four USB 2.0 ports and two 3.5mm jacks for heaphones and microphones. It's unclear what other ouputs are on the RG-CT7800.
The RG-CT7800 is compatible with the Chinese-developed UOS (Unity Operating System) and NeoKylin operating systems, which are both based on Linux. Ruijie Networks has made the necessary software modifications so that the RG-CT7800 can run streaming software and office suites, such as Kingsoft WPS Office and Yongzhong Office. The mini-PC also supports a bunch of peripherals, including Pantum printers, CZUR document scanners, digital drawing tablets and bar code scanners.
KaiXian KX-U6780A is a "high-end" 8-core x86-64 CPU from Zhaoxin, a joint venture between Via Technologies and the Chinese government. Any way you measure it, performance is relatively low, but that is not the point:
According to GeekBench, the Zhaoxin KX-U6780A comes in at a 1910 on single core score and a 8670 on a multi core score. This is roughly comparable to a modern high-end Intel Atom, or 2012 era four-core Intel Core i5-3550U.
However, where this gets interesting is how it fits into China's "3-5-2" plan. This is Beijing's mandate to wean China's public sector off foreign technology. By the end of 2020, 30% of the technology infrastructure needs to be domestic, while by the end of 2021 this number jumps to 50%, while the remaining 20% would need to be replaced by the end of 2022. The RG-CT7800 -- while technically unremarkable -- will be a perfect cog in the machine for this plan.
Zhaoxin is ready to enter the domestic (Chinese) consumer market with its homegrown x86 CPUs, the KaiXian KX-6000 series. The CPUs will be used by Chinese ODM, IP3 Technology, in more than 50 products which include desktop PCs, notebook PCs, all-in-ones, Mini PCs & even industrial machines.
The Zhaoxin x86 CPU powered product portfolio was announced by IP3 Technology (Yingzhong Technologies) at an event hosted by the ODM. As mentioned above, there are a range of PC devices that will make use of Zhaoxin's KX-6000 series processors which are the only chips besides AMD & Intel to make use of an x86 architecture. While several products were showcased, IP3 Technology didn't unveil their respective specifications and prices yet.
[...] As for performance numbers, Zhaoxin x86 CPUs, while offering a 50% boost in performance per watt, don't necessarily have to come close to current Intel and AMD CPUs. Beijing primarily wants replacement of hardware made by international vendors with its homegrown Zhaoxin CPUs in various government organizations.
Previously: Zhaoxin KaiXian KX-6000: A Chinese x86 SoC
Zhaoxin x86 CPUs Available to PC Makers in China
China's Homegrown Zhaoxin KaiXian CPU Used in a Mini-PC
(Score: 3, Funny) by turgid on Wednesday February 05 2020, @11:18PM (5 children)
The question on all Soylentils' lips is, how does it perform on SETI@Home? How many gigaflops per core? And can the People's Liberation Army use any of my telemetry to find a cure for democracy?
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 05 2020, @11:28PM (3 children)
The *real* question on Soylentils lips is "how well does it play porn?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 05 2020, @11:29PM (2 children)
A Pentium 100 that could do that.
(Score: 2) by Acabatag on Thursday February 06 2020, @03:41PM (1 child)
We all had Pentium 75s. The rich kids had Pentium-MMX 133s.
Nobody much had 100s.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 26 2020, @11:58PM
I had a Pentium 100. It was my first pentium, replacing a 486DX4-100, which in turn replaced a 486DX33, which had dramatically improved over the 386SX16 I started PC compatibles with.
I actually still have that box sitting next to me right now. It's in operating condition with... 64 megs of SDRAM in it. It even has a single USB port on it if I got the correct header.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by driverless on Thursday February 06 2020, @04:49AM
It's just an update of the VIA architecture that more or less stalled with the C7 a decade or so back. They were always nice CPUs, focused more on features (e.g. VIA Padlock) and efficiency than Intel's speed-at-any-cost approach. So you buy them for their features, not because you want to sacrifice everything (power consumption, price, security) to be 10% faster than the other guys.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 05 2020, @11:30PM (5 children)
The ugly x86 isa drove all the fancy "elegant" risc schems into extinction, now even the chicoms succumbed to it. I supposed ARM is the only resurgent remaining.
This is how evolution truly works. "Better" doesn't survive, "better for the time" survives.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by takyon on Wednesday February 05 2020, @11:48PM (3 children)
Arm Eases Upfront Licensing Fees to Head Off RISC-V [electronicdesign.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday February 06 2020, @03:19PM (1 child)
We still need RISC-V. Otherwise the monopolists realize they have a monopoly and act accordingly.
See:
* Microsoft
* IBM
* Apple
* Hostess Twinkies
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2) by Revek on Thursday February 06 2020, @04:05PM
Those damn Twinkie barons and their delicious diabeetus makers.
This page was generated by a Swarm of Roaming Elephants
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 06 2020, @07:45PM
i use some arm now, b/c i can get a largely open board with a cpu that is not vuln to spectre/meltdown, but when i can replace with a fully open board using riscV, arm can fuck off. hopefully my next desktop CPU+board combo will be openPower based.
(Score: 2) by EEMac on Thursday February 06 2020, @03:24PM
If it helps, lots of processors have a long (and continuing) life in embedded applications:
The Z80 "eZ80" [zilog.com], 680X0 "Dragonball" [wikipedia.org], PowerPC/G3/G4 "Freescale" [wikipedia.org] and others are still produced, sold, and used.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 05 2020, @11:31PM (2 children)
Eight-core version is $29.95 with free shipping (and no IME)... guess Intel is fucked.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 06 2020, @12:36AM
The I in IME stands for intel.
FTFY.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday February 06 2020, @12:44AM
Linky or it didn't happen.
My attempt got zero hits [aliexpress.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Snotnose on Wednesday February 05 2020, @11:36PM (11 children)
The Chinese don't give a rat's ass about copyright, IP, nor patents. I'm guessing they stole, errr, acquired, the VHLC code a few years ago of the then current 10 y/o Intel chips.
Now, they've been using those designs for their PhD programs and folks are graduating. These folks are at least as smart as us, and much hungrier. I suspect more than a few of them have noticed the security issues. Wouldn't surprise me a bit to see some Chinese company being AMDs biggest competition, instead of Intel.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 06 2020, @12:41AM (7 children)
Via bought the IP right for x86, didn't they?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by coolgopher on Thursday February 06 2020, @12:49AM (6 children)
Via whom?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Thursday February 06 2020, @02:24AM (5 children)
Via technologies, of course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Thursday February 06 2020, @02:51AM (4 children)
They bought the IP rights through themselves?
Romanes eunt domus?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday February 06 2020, @03:41AM (3 children)
Does the idea of "recursion is not evil" overflows your stack?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Thursday February 06 2020, @03:50AM (2 children)
So it was turtles all the way down all along then?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 06 2020, @06:14AM
Of course, except not only "all along".
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday February 06 2020, @03:21PM
The senior us senator will be very offended by your use of that word.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by c0lo on Thursday February 06 2020, @12:59AM (2 children)
Isn't what most of the IT grunts (as opposed to MBAs) appear to be advocating for years? Why doesn't the above sound like a celebration? (grin)
Doesn't seem anything that nefarious there, see VIA technologies [wikipedia.org]
---
Well, 1999, acquisition of Cyrix...
But, yeah, enough room to grow. And it will happen sooner if the USoA persist in bullying them further [scmp.com]. Can you fault them?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 06 2020, @02:35AM
With that in mind, I wonder if it will go with "VIA VIA VIA" "CyrixInstead" " Shanghai " or something else on these.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday February 06 2020, @06:45PM
You can't, like, STEAL source code, MAAAN!!!!
Information wants to be FREE!!!!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 06 2020, @12:20AM (4 children)
coronavirus.exe for example.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 06 2020, @12:48AM
You mean Yellow Flu?
(Score: 4, Funny) by takyon on Thursday February 06 2020, @01:05AM
It can only survive for a week or two smeared on the box. Just choose no-rush shipping.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 06 2020, @01:09AM (1 child)
Please stop calling it corona-virus, it's racist against Mexico.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 06 2020, @01:45AM
Yeah... Coronavirus is spanish for drinking water.