Lisuan LX-7G100: the Chinese graphics card gets Microsoft WHQL certified drivers for the first time

China continues to invest in the development of proprietary hardware. In recent days, the hot topic has undoubtedly been the memory sector, with CXMT showing that it can compete with major manufacturers. However, there are two other segments that the domestic industry is not neglecting: processors and graphics cards.

Speaking of the latter, the company Lisuan has announced the arrival on the market of the new LX-7G100, a solution initially aimed at the Chinese market that aims to strengthen the presence of local manufacturers in a segment traditionally dominated by major US brands such as NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel.

The new card is available from today in the retail version at a price of 2,688 yuan (about 346 euros before taxes and import costs), while the Founders Edition variant will be offered at 3,299 yuan (about 425 euros).

The Lisuan LX-7G100 uses the 7G105 GPU based on the proprietary TrueGPU architecture, produced using the TSMC N6 6nm manufacturing process. The chip integrates 48 compute units for a total of 6,144 shaders, but does not include dedicated ray tracing units, a feature that limits performance in games that leverage this technology. The memory relies on 12 GB of GDDR6, distributed over six 2 GB chips. The 192-bit memory controller ensures a theoretical bandwidth between 336 and 384 GB/s, based on the actual speed of the chips, which has not yet been confirmed and could be either 14 or 16 Gbit/s.

Regarding connectivity, the card uses a PCI Express 4.0 x16 interface, while the TGP is 225 W. The retail version adopts a 16-pin power connector, although Lisuan has not specified whether it is the 12VHPWR standard or the more recent 12V-2x6.

The cooling system uses a dual-slot design with three axial fans, two of which are integrated into the heatsink structure. On the video output front, there are four DisplayPort 1.4a ports, while there is completely no HDMI port.

One of the most relevant aspects pertains to the software. The Lisuan LX-7G100 is indeed one of the first Chinese graphics cards to feature WHQL certified drivers from Microsoft for Windows 11. The company also claims official compatibility with over 100 video games, including Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong, and Elden Ring. However, there is no proprietary upscaling technology available, although, being an open-source proposal, users will be able to take advantage of FSR 3.

As reported by HardwareLuxx, initial independent tests conducted at 1080p resolution show performances ranging between 50% and 70% of those offered by a GeForce RTX 4060. Overall, Lisuan's new offering positions itself slightly below a GeForce RTX 3060, making it still somewhat uncompetitive on the pricing front. However, in this historical period for the PC market, it finds itself in a favorable context where alternatives, at least for now, are rather scarce.