It is not known how many Intel chips with doctored speed markings are presently in the SAR market.
Counterfeiters stamp new speed markings on the processors higher than the original clock rating.
They also sometimes 'overclock' the chips, or alter them to make them actually run faster, though this invalidates Intel's warranty and puts the chips at a higher risk of failure.
They then are commonly sold in grey (unauthorised) markets to PC manufacturers and consumers throughout Asia.
Some shops at Hong Kong's infamous computer malls sell processors obtained through the grey market.
'I always advise consumers to go to the [authorised] agents. Don't go to the side street to buy the famous brand-name products,' the head of the Customs and Excise Department's intellectual property bureau, Calvin Leung Ho, said.