China's new homegrown gaming GPU flops in performance and price — flagship $485 LX 7G100 can't keep pace with Nvidia's older RTX 4060

Lisuan Tech’s LX 7G100, China’s first real attempt at a serious gaming graphics card, falls significantly short of competing with the best graphics cards from Intel, AMD, or Nvidia. Chinese reviewer 潮玩客 recently put the LX 7G100 through extensive testing, and the results showed that the homegrown Chinese graphics card is nowhere near the performance of the GeForce RTX 4060, despite bold marketing claims. What's concerning, at least for Chinese consumers, is that Lisuan Tech has priced the LX 7G100 at around $485, roughly equivalent to the lowest price for a GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB.

The reviewer tested the LX 7G100 on a variety of modern games at 1080p (1920x1080) resolution. They adjusted the image settings for each game, ranging from low to medium presets and, when possible, to high, to gauge the graphics card’s upper limits. The reviewer also enabled FSR 3 and frame-generation features, when supported, to improve frame rates and provide a smoother gaming experience.

To guarantee that the graphics card was the only variable affecting performance, the reviewer assembled a high-end test system. The setup featured AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor installed on an MSI MPG X870E Edge Ti WiFi motherboard. The system also had 32GB (2x16GB) of Biwin Black Opal DW100 DDR5-6000 C28 memory and a Biwin Black Opal X570 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD. By selecting premium components across the board, the reviewer ensured that the LX 7G100’s performance could be evaluated without bottlenecks from other hardware limitations.

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Lisuan Tech LX 7G100 Benchmarks*

*The results are from 潮玩客's Bilibili video. The first value corresponds to the average frames per second (FPS), whereas the second value represents the 1% Low FPS, a metric for measuring the slowest 1% of frames observed during the benchmark.

A significant performance gap separated the GeForce RTX 4060 and the LX 7G100. The former was between 20% to 70% faster than the latter. Logically, the LX 7G100 also substantially trailed behind competitors, such as the Arc B580 and Radeon RX 6600 XT. If we look at the bright side, the LX 7G100 was able to run various titles at very high frame rates, including Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon Zero Dawn, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remake, and Hogwarts Legacy. However, the Chinese homebred graphics card also struggled in many titles, such as Forza Horizon 5, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, and Red Dead Redemption 2, failing to maintain consistent frame rates above 60 FPS.

Beyond the performance, the biggest win for the LX 7G100 is its out-of-the-box compatibility and driver maturity, both of which have been weak points for Chinese graphics cards. The LX 7G100, unlike other offerings, launched with compatibility with a wide range of modern AAA games. It just goes to show that Lisuan Tech didn't obtain Microsoft's WHQL certification for the LX 7G100 in vain.

Perhaps the most glaring issue facing the LX 7G100 is its price, which significantly undermines its competitiveness in the current graphics card market. Lisuan Tech sells the LX 7G100 for $485, a price tag that will turn many heads. In comparison, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, which is leagues above the LX 7G100, starts at $489 in this overblown-price market. Even consumers motivated by national pride will struggle to justify purchasing the LX 7G100, especially given the availability of better, more affordable alternatives. Technological progress is important, but crafting a value proposition that aligns with consumer expectations and the current competitive market is equally important.

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