The Loongson 3B6000, a processor designed by China’s Loongson Technology, has emerged as a notable but underpowered contender in the CPU landscape. Built on a 24-thread architecture—thanks to its 12 cores and SMT2 support—the chip targets DDR4 memory at speeds up to 3,200 MT/s with ECC, positioning itself as a potential alternative for systems requiring robust error correction. However, benchmark results paint a stark picture: in aggregate performance, the 3B6000 lags far behind AMD’s Ryzen 5 9600X, achieving only about one-third of its throughput.
While the Loongson 3B6000 outperforms the Raspberry Pi 500+ by a factor of 2.5, its performance remains firmly in the realm of single-board computers rather than mainstream desktop processors. The evaluation board used for testing, the 3B6000x1-7A2000x1-EVB, reflects an older design philosophy, with limited expansion options—two PCIe x16 slots, one PCIe x4 slot, an M.2 connector, and four SATA ports—and integrated graphics supporting HDMI and VGA outputs. The cooling solution, too, appears dated compared to contemporary motherboard designs.
The LoongArch64 instruction set, which underpins the 3B6000, represents China’s push toward independence from x86-64 architectures. While the goal of customizing features like security and specialized workloads is commendable, the hardware execution still trails by multiple generations. For the 3B6000 to compete with Western CPU makers, significant improvements in efficiency and performance are necessary.
Key Specifications
- Architecture: LoongArch64 (12 cores, 24 threads with SMT2)
- Memory: DDR4 support (up to 3,200 MT/s), ECC-enabled
- Graphics: Integrated, with HDMI and VGA outputs
- Expansion: Two PCIe x16 slots, one PCIe x4 slot, M.2, four SATA ports
- Performance: ~1/3 of AMD Ryzen 5 9600X in aggregate benchmarks
- Comparison: 2.5x faster than Raspberry Pi 500+, but still entry-level
The 3B6000’s performance gap underscores a broader challenge: bridging the efficiency divide between custom architectures and established x86 designs. While the chip may find niche applications in environments where LoongArch64 compatibility is a priority, its current output suggests it is better suited for low-power or embedded systems rather than high-performance computing. For now, mainstream desktop users seeking strong multi-core performance will likely continue to rely on x86 processors from AMD and Intel.
Loongson has not yet disclosed pricing or availability for the 3B6000 outside of evaluation boards.
