Chinese notebooks with fake processors
Several Chinese manufacturers advertise a Ryzen 5 7430U in their notebooks. In reality, however, an old Ryzen 5 5500U is installed inside.
(Image: Chuwi)
Several Chinese notebooks do not contain the processor that the manufacturers advertise. The problems are currently known for models from Chuwi (CoreBook X, CoreBook Plus) and Ninkear (A15 Pro).
Instead of the Ryzen 5 7430U with six Zen 3 cores, affected models come with the Ryzen 5 5500U. While it also uses six CPU cores, it belongs to the Zen 2 generation. In addition to the older architecture, the processor clocks lower and has only half the Level 3 cache. All in all, it is about 15 percent slower.
Partial Obfuscation
The wrong processor is not just an oversight. The firmware is manipulated in such a way that diagnostic tools like CPU-Z, AIDA64, and Hwinfo64 display the wrong name, Ryzen 5 7430U. However, the deception can be detected by the specified clock frequencies and the codename: Tools show a base clock of about 2.1 GHz and the codename Lucienne – both match the Ryzen 5 5500U. The Ryzen 5 7430U has a base clock of 2.3 GHz and belongs to the Barcelo-R family.
The processor itself also provides a clear indication. A genuine Ryzen 5 7430U has the model number 100-000001471, while a Ryzen 5 5500U has the number 100-000000375. However, to verify this, one must open the notebook case, remove the cooler, and remove the thermal paste.
(Image:Â heise medien)
Cases are piling up
Months ago, Reddit users noticed discrepancies in Chuwi notebooks. Chinamobilemag then confirmed them based on several models, followed by Notebookcheck. heise online also has access to an affected CoreBook X. Reports about Ninkear notebooks emerged in the Golem forum. However, Ninkear units with a genuine Ryzen 5 7430U show that not all batches are affected.
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Meanwhile, Notebookcheck points to a Chinese contract manufacturer that could supply both Chuwi and Ninkear: Emdoor Digital, also known as Shenzhen Emdoor Information Technology. Model numbers on the mainboards in Chuwi and Ninkear notebooks indicate this manufacturer.
Even if the fraud originates from the contract manufacturer, Chuwi at least behaves suspiciously. According to Notebookcheck, the company has repeatedly threatened legal action if reports about the incorrect processors are not taken down.
(mma)
