(Image credit: YouTube/PRO Hi-Tech)

Irtysh processors may not be the first chips that come to mind when you think of the best CPUs. These chips cater to the Russian market and are relatively unknown internationally. Recently, the YouTube channel PRO Hi-Tech demonstrated the Irtysh C632’s gaming performance by running The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt alongside a Radeon RX 9060 XT. The results are nothing to brag about, though, since the 32-core processor is still leagues behind mainstream processors.

While the Irtysh processors are marketed as a Russian technological achievement, they actually leverage the LoongArch instruction set architecture (ISA) developed by Chinese chipmaker Loongson. As a result of U.S. sanctions that have directly cut Russia off from acquiring x86 CPUs, the country has sought alternative solutions, and the Irtysh chips from the Russian microelectronics firm Springboard Electronics are one of them.

Springboard Electronics, a subsidiary of Tramplin Electronics, appears to have licensed Loongson’s IP for the Irtysh series to circumvent U.S. restrictions. Many believe that the Irtysh chips are simply rebranded variants of the Loongson server-graded 3C6000 chips, which feature a chiplet design. Russia's transition comes with challenges, as LoongArch lacks software compatibility and performance optimizations, so it's still lagging behind mature x86 and Arm ecosystems. Despite these limitations, the Irtysh is an important milestone for Russia as the country attempts to build an independent technological infrastructure.

Irtysh Processor Specifications

The Irtysh series, which currently includes models such as the C664, C632, and C616, leverages Loongson's LA664 execution cores, which are marketed as offering performance parity with AMD’s Zen 3 and Intel’s Ice Lake architectures. In terms of features, the Irtysh processors mirror the Loongson 3C6000, supporting up to 64 PCIe 4.0 lanes and quad-channel DDR4-3200 memory.

When Loongson introduced the LoongArch LA664 architecture in 2023, the company announced its intention to make the IP accessible to partners to drive broader adoption beyond China. This move opened the door for companies like Springboard Electronics to license the LoongArch LA664 architecture and further customize it to its own requirements.

It has allowed the Russian firm to incorporate features tailored to the Russian market, such as a domestically manufactured security module. The approach is consistent with Loongson’s practices. The 3C6000 processors also come with a range of security features for the Chinese market, including a dedicated security module and support for national cryptographic algorithms.

Иртыш. Совершенно точно не китайский процессор (ну или нет). - YouTube

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For its gaming demonstration, the Irtysh C632 processor was running The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt with a Radeon RX 9600 XT. The system achieved frame rates ranging from 22 to 32 FPS on ultra settings and from 25 to 38 FPS on low settings. These results, which PRO Hi-Tech provided, lacked important details such as the exact resolution and whether the original or next-gen version of the game was used. Based on the image's quality, the gameplay appears to have been recorded at 1080p (1920x1080).

The results were lackluster and evidently show a substantial processor bottleneck. The switch from low to ultra image settings did little to increase performance. Although not the fastest graphics card around, the Radeon RX 9600 XT, when coupled with a capable processor, can comfortably deliver over 100 FPS in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt with low settings at 1080p.

One of the most significant limitations of the LoongArch LA664 platform is its lack of compatibility with x86 operating systems, such as Windows. It leaves Linux as the primary and only viable operating system for Loongson, or in this case, Irtysh processors. Running games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt implicates multiple layers of compatibility and translation. To get the game to run on the Irtysh C632, it likely required a combination of Box64 and Steam Proton or Wine. Each layer adds performance overhead.

Due to U.S. sanctions, Russia can't legally procure high-performance (or any-performance) x86 processors from Intel or AMD. That doesn't mean Russia has to start from scratch, though, since it can piggyback on what China has already achieved, such as Loongson's chip development.

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