Recently, the domestic notebook brand Chuwi has found itself at the center of a CPU counterfeiting controversy. Three of its models, notably the CoreBook X and CoreBook Plus, were reported to have falsely claimed to be powered by AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processors. However, investigations revealed that these notebooks were actually equipped with the older Ryzen 5 5500U processors. The deception was achieved by altering the BIOS firmware to misrepresent the chip identities. This issue was brought to light by the international tech media outlet Notebookcheck, after users noticed a discrepancy between the advertised performance and the actual experience. Upon further inspection and disassembly, it was confirmed that the chip's OPN number indicated a previous-generation processor.
AMD has officially issued a statement, clarifying that it neither authorized nor condones such deceptive practices and reserves the right to take legal action against those involved. In the face of mounting evidence, Chuwi's official response stopped short of admitting to outright fraud. Instead, the company vaguely attributed the issue to differences in production batches and inventory management, and announced that an internal investigation had been launched to address the matter.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong distributor Hornington has taken decisive action by deciding to fully recall the affected products and process refunds for customers.
