Zhaoxin’s x86-Compatible CPUs for DIY Enthusiasts Now Available
by Anton Shilov on January 29, 2020 1:00 PM EST
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.
As it turns out, Xinyingjie, one of Chinese PC makers, uses the C1888 motherboard based on the KX-U6780A that is designed for enthusiast-grade PCs and therefore supporting expandability using a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, two SO-DIMM slots, M.2 slots, and various internal and external interfaces. One thing to keep in mind about the Zhaoxin’s KaiXian KX-6780A/C1888 platform is of course lack of CPU upgrade path because the processor uses an BGA packaging.
When Zhaoxin originally introduced its Kaixian KX-6000, it said that their performance was comparable to that of Intel’s 7thGeneration Core i5 processor, a quad-core non-Hyper-Threaded CPU. Since then, we have not really got a proper confirmation to the claim and will certainly be interested to test the chip in our labs.
According the to the video source, this mini-PC design is expected to be available from March for consumers. Currently this is a prototype, with enhancements expected between now and the final product.
Related Reading:
- Zhaoxin Displays x86-Compatible KaiXian KX-6000: 8 Cores, 3 GHz, 16 nm FinFET
- China Calling: AMD Forms Joint Venture for x86 Server SoCs in China
- AMD Creates Quad Core Zen SoC with 24 Vega CUs for Chinese Consoles
- Cypress and Zhaoxin Have USB 3.1 Gen 2 USB Controllers
Source: 二斤自制 YouTube Channel
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mode_13h - Friday, January 31, 2020 - link
He should put up a gofundme page.If he's lucky, his kit might even arrive with corona virus included, at no extra charge.
defaultluser - Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - link
It's probbly based on their CHA, just reusing the "AI procesor" qs a GPU.https://www.semiaccurate.com/2019/11/18/centaurs-n...
https://centtech.com/wp-content/uploads/MPR_19_12_...
scx - Thursday, January 30, 2020 - link
Impossible.Zhaoxin ZX-E (2018) is [000307B1] => CentaurHauls Family 7, Model 59, Stepping 1
VIA CNS (2019) is [00040671] => CentaurHauls Family 6, Model 71, Stepping 1
Both are derived from CNR, but that's it.
CNR → ZX-C → ZX-C+ → ZX-D → ZX-E
CNR → CNS
ZX-E has Chrome 960 (C-960) iGPU. It is basically a close derivative of the Chrome 600 series, well-known from the VIA VX11(PH) chipset.
Anyway, it has nothing to do with NCORE.
PeachNCream - Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - link
Overlooking the seemingly mandatory gripes about human rights and communism that typically pervade any article that has something to do with China, I'm rather interested in and looking forward to a possible sale of these processors in the United States just to mess around with one of these processors.mode_13h - Friday, January 31, 2020 - link
Why? In my opinion ARM, POWER, and RISC V cores are all more interesting than this x86 copycat.PeachNCream - Friday, January 31, 2020 - link
It'd be a toy and nothing more. I don't have a practical use for one of these processors and I highly doubt I would find one even if I could acquire one.Reflex - Saturday, February 1, 2020 - link
Why not just get the equivalent Via CPU?PeachNCream - Monday, February 3, 2020 - link
Toys don't need to be practical.Reflex - Monday, February 3, 2020 - link
Fair nuff..scx - Thursday, January 30, 2020 - link
> integrated DirectX 11.1-capable graphics (possibly S3 based but unknown)Not unknown. It is the Chrome 960 GPU, or rather C-960, since VIA sold S3G to HTC and no longer has rights to the Chrome brand.
It is basically a close derivative of the Chrome 600 series, well-known from the VIA VX11(PH) chipset.
List of GPUs used by Zhaoxin:
- Chrome 640 (C-640) iGPU & Chrome 645 (C-645) iGPU from the VX11/VX11H/VX11PH chipset - Vendor Id: 1106 ("VIA Technologies, Inc."), Device Id: 3a01 ("VX11 Graphics [Chrome 645/640]")
- Chrome 320 (C-320) iGPU from the ZX-100S chipset - Vendor Id: 1d17 ("Zhaoxin"), Device Id: 3a02 ("ZX-100 C-320 GPU")
- Chrome 860 (C-860) iGPU from the ZX-D/KX-5000/KH-20000 (codename "WuDaoKou") SoC - Vendor Id: 1d17 ("Zhaoxin"), Device Id: 3a03 ("ZX-D C-860 GPU")
- Chrome 960 (C-960) iGPU from the ZX-E/KX-6000/KH-30000 (codename "LuJiaZui") SoC - Vendor Id: 1d17 ("Zhaoxin"), Device Id: 3a04 ("ZX-E C-960 GPU")
- Chrome iGPU from the ZX-F/KX-7000/KH-40000 SoC