Chinese PC gaming specialist Thunderobot has launched a new PC based on an x86 chip not made by AMD or Intel (via Notebookcheck). Instead, the 16-core chip is a Hygon C86-4G CPU. But here's the twist. That Hygon C86 is actually derived from AMD's first-gen Zen CPU architecture. What?
Yep, Thunderobot has announced the Black Warrior Hunter Pro desktop with the Hygon C86 chip. Thunderobot claims it is China's "first domestically produced gaming PC." For now, the rest of the specifications aren't clear, but the system has been pictured configured with a large, unidentified Nvidia RTX GPU fitted.
So, what exactly is going on here? This is all a bit complicated. But it turns out that AMD entered into a hugely complex licensing arrangement with Chinese chip producer Hygon way back in 2016. Reports from years ago imply the move was made somewhat out of desperation, what with AMD being so strapped for cash at the time.
Immediately, the question of how any of this is possible leaps to mind, what with hugely complex cross-licensing arrangements between Intel and AMD that effectively prevent any other company from getting in on the x86 CPU game.
Well, apparently AMD made it possible with a complicated commercial setup involving joint ventures, holding companies, licensing arrangements and so on. AMD apparently holds a critical 51% stake in the critical Haiguang Microelectronics Co. Ltd joint venture, otherwise known as HMC.
The machinations described by Tom's Hardware sound slightly preposterous and involve HMC licensing some x86 IP to Hygon, which then designs chips and sells those designs to HMC. HMC then employs a foundry to make the chips, and then sells all of those chips to Hygon, which then markets them. Bananas.
The IP mentioned is apparently based on Zen 1, so the resulting CPUs are closely related to AMD's original Ryzen chips from way back in 2017. The Hygon C86-4G is said to have a modest base clock of 2.8 GHz. So, claims that it achieves 1,072 single-core points in Geekbench 6 probably make sense.
An AMD Ryzen 7 1800X scores around 1,250 points with a base clock of 3.6 GHz. On a per-clock basis, that would actually make the Chinese chip a bit more performant. So, perhaps some enhancements have been made.
Whatever, this all adds up to vaguely respectable, but hardly stellar performance. Would you want to buy a new gaming PC with one of these Hygon C86-4G chips? Basically, no. But with 16 cores and support for 32 threads, the machines could be interesting for tasks like video encoding, where multi-threaded performance matters most. Well, with the proviso that the price would still need to be very low.
Speaking of which, there's no indication of pricing for now. Moreover, while Thunderobot does sell gaming machines, mostly laptops, into the US market on Amazon, we very much doubt we'll be seeing this desktop with a Chinese x86 chip on sale outside of China any time soon.
