Chinese Powerstar x86 CPUs are Rebadged Intel Comet Lake Chips

[AleksandarK]

PowerLeader, a Chinese computer manufacturer, recently introduced its Powerstar lineup of processors, the first being the PSTAR P3-01105 CPU. Initially, the PSTAR SKU closely resembled the Intel Core i3-10105 10th Generation Comet Lake CPU from Intel. Using a "storm core" microarchitecture, this CPU claims to beat any domestic x86 CPU on performance. While the similarity with the Core i3-10105 CPU was close, the clock speed of 3.7 GHz, core configuration, and a slightly different name were significant indicators of similarity between the two. Thanks to the recent Geekbench 5 benchmark run submission, we now know that the Powerstar CPU is just a rebadged Intel Comet Lake processor. PowerLeader expects the Powerstar units to reach 1.5 million shipments this year, and presumably, more models will be rebadged for an announcement later.

Originally, PowerLeader wanted to ship these designs in pre-assembled systems, so the pricing and availability of standalone PowesStar chips are unknown.



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[usiname]

So basically retailer than selling old stock as something new made in china or maybe Intel is ashamed to keep selling skylake by themselves?

 

[HisDivineOrder]

Probably so they can get around the Russian sanctions/import bans by saying it's a domestic Chinese product going to Russia. How many, do you think, will get sent to Russia before anyone notices? Intel is pretty sneaky offloading old product like this.

 

[regs]

Most american manufacturers do those rebadges as well, as details for their assemblies.

 

[Bomby569]

Probably so they can get around the Russian sanctions/import bans by saying it's a domestic Chinese product going to Russia. How many, do you think, will get sent to Russia before anyone notices? Intel is pretty sneaky offloading old product like this.

i don't think that's how sanctions work, the US could sanction them too, they would lose the source of chips. It would be actually easy to determine the source of the exports this way, then if they were just straight buying and re-exporting intel badge products

 

[Wirko]

What chipset are those compatible with? The 015H?

 

[Dr. Dro]

What chipset are those compatible with? The 015H?

It's a 10105F, 10th and 11th Gen CPUs are supported with Z490 and Z590. So it's really just the previous generation Intel platform before the current one.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

i don't think that's how sanctions work, the US could sanction them too, they would lose the source of chips. It would be actually easy to determine the source of the exports this way, then if they were just straight buying and re-exporting intel badge products

But they're not. They'd (and by they we mean a supplier) would buy them from intel, then they'd get sent through the tumbler of suppliers and retailers and wholesalers in a byzantine labyrinth of companies, THEN get sold off. Good luck proving who bought what. It's not like china would just hand over the manifests to the US government (at least, not the real ones).

 

[Wirko]

It's a 10105F, 10th and 11th Gen CPUs are supported with Z490 and Z590. So it's really just the previous generation Intel platform before the current one.

You mean the PSTAR™ 9Z40 and 9Z50?

 

[Dr. Dro]

You mean the PSTAR™ 9Z40 and 9Z50?

I'm 100% sure that they're rebrands as well... I did look it up and found this:

Powerleader Computer System Co.,Ltd.

Powerleader Computer System Company Limited takes R & D, production and sales of PowerLeader brand PC & server system and integrated computing solutions as the main business, maintains steady developm

www.intel.com

Apparently this PowerLeader company is a Titanium tier solutions partner for Intel, there's a very, very high likelihood these chips are licensed just like the Hygon Dhyana AMD Zen CPUs, but a lot less transparent about it, which gave it this air of knockoff. I really wish some big name tech tuber inquired Intel officially...

Hey GN Steve, you lurk TechPowerUp?

 

[MarsM4N]

I can already see the headline "Intel on FCA's radar for circumventing Russian sanctinos with bootlegged CPU's, faces multi billion fine". Just looking at the picture, it's very likely a 1 to 1 copy of a Intel chip. Intel will probably say "We didn't know nothin'!", but that's not gonna fly. It's not like you can fab (kinda) state of the art chips on every corner.

Hey GN Steve, you lurk TechPowerUp?

Absolutely. Steve should send a sample to his "secret lab" for a dissection. US agencies would be also very interested in the findings, and the media all over it if true.

US Department of State: The Impact of Sanctions and Export Controls on the Russian Federation

 

[Dr. Dro]

I can already see the headline "Intel on FCA's radar for circumventing Russian sanctinos with bootlegged CPU's, faces multi billion fine". Just looking at the picture, it's very likely a 1 to 1 copy of a Intel chip. Intel will probably say "We didn't know nothin'!", but that's not gonna fly. It's not like you can fab (kinda) state of the art chips on every corner.



Absolutely. Steve should send a sample to his "secret lab" for a dissection. US agencies would be also very interested in the findings, and the media all over it if true.

US Department of State: The Impact of Sanctions and Export Controls on the Russian Federation

If anything these will be intended for the Chinese market only. Some might go to Russia, but normal Intel chips are anyway. China doesn't sanction Russia, nor respects the US's or EU's demands pertaining to it. It will not show a sliver of submission to the American hegemony if it can at all be helped.

 

[Wye]

Wasn't this posted a few times already?
Are we doing reminders? Slow news day?

 

[LabRat 891]