GenuineIntel, AuthenticAMD

 

 

The label “GenuineIntel” isn’t a marketing slogan — it’s a CPU vendor string that the processor returns when you query its identification registers (via the CPUID instruction on x86).

Here’s the context:

• When you run the assembly instruction CPUID with EAX = 0, the CPU places a 12-character ASCII string into the EBX, EDX, and ECX registers.

• For Intel processors, that string is "GenuineIntel".

• For AMD processors, it’s "AuthenticAMD".

• For VIA, "CentaurHauls", etc.

So, “GenuineIntel” isn’t claiming Intel’s chips are more “real”; it’s just the official vendor identifier hardcoded into microcode.

As for a “FakeIntel” — no legitimate processor uses that name. However:

1. Counterfeit CPUs exist — e.g., chips relabeled to look like higher-end Intel models. They’re physically “fake” in the commercial sense but still identify as “GenuineIntel” when queried.

2. Software emulators (like QEMU or Bochs) can spoof any vendor string they want. So a virtual CPU might pretend to be “GenuineIntel” even when running on AMD hardware.

In short:

• “GenuineIntel” = Intel’s official CPUID vendor string.

• “FakeIntel” = not a real vendor, though fakes or emulators can masquerade as Intel CPUs.

Would you like a short assembly snippet that reads and prints the vendor string?