In the realm of gaming PC construction, enthusiasts often find themselves gravitating towards the familiar trio of Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD. However, one adventurous builder decided to explore uncharted territory by assembling a gaming rig that eschews these industry giants entirely. His goal? To determine if a complete gaming setup could thrive on alternatives, specifically from lesser-known manufacturers.
Guided by the insights from GPUSpecs, the journey began with the arrival of various components, each nestled in unassuming packaging. At the heart of this unconventional build lies the KaiXian KX-7000 processor, crafted by Zhaoxin, a Chinese company with roots tracing back to VIA and Cyrix. Complementing this CPU is a graphics card from Moore Threads, another Chinese entity known more for its workstation solutions than for gaming prowess. With the parts assembled, the system booted seamlessly into Windows 11, marking a significant milestone in this experimental endeavor.
Component Breakdown
The KaiXian KX-7000 boasts an impressive configuration, featuring 8 cores and 8 threads, with a maximum clock speed of 3.6 GHz and support for AVX2 instructions. Paired with the ASUS XC-KX700M D4 motherboard, a compact MicroATX board designed specifically for this CPU, the total investment in these two components hovers around 0, underscoring the seriousness of this project rather than a mere budget hack.
Memory selection proved to be a more challenging aspect than anticipated. Initially, the builder opted for two 8GB sticks of Micron DDR4 at 3200MHz, only to be met with a frustrating 2E error upon system boot. A quick pivot to a single 16GB Samsung workstation stick, maintaining the same clock speed and voltage, allowed the system to finally power up, albeit in single-channel mode. The installation of the cooling system, a straightforward Thermalright Assassin King 120, was a welcome relief, fitting snugly into the board’s LGA-style socket.
For storage, an old 1.92TB Patriot SSD from a previous build was repurposed, while the NZXT H5 Flow case was chosen for its spacious design, accommodating both the lengthy graphics card and the MicroATX motherboard. Powering the entire setup is an MSI 650-watt power supply, complete with all necessary cables, including an adapter for the graphics card’s eight-pin socket.
The assembly process was surprisingly swift. With the processor seated, the cooler secured, memory installed, and the drive connected, the builder proceeded to connect the front panel headers and power wires in the correct order. However, the initial power-on attempt resulted in a RAM error. A quick memory swap later, the system successfully reached the Windows setup screen after downloading drivers from Zhaoxin and Moore Threads. A temporary USB adapter facilitated Ethernet connectivity until the drivers were fully operational.
At the core of this setup is the Moore Threads MTT S80 graphics card, a noteworthy component featuring 16GB of GDDR6 memory and a clock speed of 1.8 GHz. This card requires only an 8-pin power connection and includes multiple outputs, with three DisplayPorts and one HDMI port, catering to the needs of any gamer. The BIOS comes equipped with DirectX 12 and the Resize BAR option enabled by default, providing a solid foundation for performance.
While the early state of the drivers and the processor’s age may hinder peak performance, the results speak for themselves. Geekbench scores reflect a single-core performance of 789 and a multi-core score of 3,344. Cinebench R23 yields a single-core score of 570 and a multi-core score of 4,432, while 3DMark scores come in at 3,682 for graphics and 3,625 for the CPU. Overall, the performance aligns with mid-range processors from a few years past—adequate for running Windows but not groundbreaking.
