diff --git a/sys/mips/atheros/ar531x/ar5315_machdep.c b/sys/mips/atheros/ar531x/ar5315_machdep.c
index 22dc5e1a056f..c0023491ac31 100644
--- a/sys/mips/atheros/ar531x/ar5315_machdep.c
+++ b/sys/mips/atheros/ar531x/ar5315_machdep.c
@@ -148,8 +148,6 @@ SYSCTL_STRING(_hw_device, OID_AUTO, revision, CTLFLAG_RD, hw_device_revision, 0,
 	   "Board revision");
 #endif
 
-extern char cpu_model[];
-
 void
 platform_start(__register_t a0 __unused, __register_t a1 __unused, 
     __register_t a2 __unused, __register_t a3 __unused)
diff --git a/sys/mips/atheros/ar71xx_machdep.c b/sys/mips/atheros/ar71xx_machdep.c
index f52760211460..a83277c91973 100644
--- a/sys/mips/atheros/ar71xx_machdep.c
+++ b/sys/mips/atheros/ar71xx_machdep.c
@@ -275,8 +275,6 @@ ar71xx_platform_check_mac_hints(void)
 	return (0);
 }
 
-extern char cpu_model[];
-
 void
 platform_start(__register_t a0 __unused, __register_t a1 __unused, 
     __register_t a2 __unused, __register_t a3 __unused)
diff --git a/sys/mips/cavium/octeon_machdep.c b/sys/mips/cavium/octeon_machdep.c
index daa494529d56..6fb24aee3848 100644
--- a/sys/mips/cavium/octeon_machdep.c
+++ b/sys/mips/cavium/octeon_machdep.c
@@ -97,8 +97,6 @@ struct octeon_feature_description {
 };
 
 extern int	*end;
-extern char cpu_model[];
-extern char cpu_board[];
 static char octeon_kenv[0x2000];
 
 static const struct octeon_feature_description octeon_feature_descriptions[] = {
diff --git a/sys/mips/include/md_var.h b/sys/mips/include/md_var.h
index 23ef3baa34da..4bf9c64a8f5b 100644
--- a/sys/mips/include/md_var.h
+++ b/sys/mips/include/md_var.h
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@
  * Miscellaneous machine-dependent declarations.
  */
 extern	long	Maxmem;
+extern	char	cpu_board[];
+extern	char	cpu_model[];
 extern	char	sigcode[];
 extern	int	szsigcode;
 #if defined(__mips_n32) || defined(__mips_n64)
@@ -75,6 +77,7 @@ void	mips_cpu_init(void);
 void	mips_pcpu0_init(void);
 void	mips_proc0_init(void);
 void	mips_postboot_fixup(void);
+void	cpu_identify(void);
 void	cpu_switch_set_userlocal(void) __asm(__STRING(cpu_switch_set_userlocal));
 
 extern int busdma_swi_pending;
diff --git a/sys/mips/mediatek/mtk_soc.c b/sys/mips/mediatek/mtk_soc.c
index 56e93374db8f..9fd307a92a67 100644
--- a/sys/mips/mediatek/mtk_soc.c
+++ b/sys/mips/mediatek/mtk_soc.c
@@ -396,8 +396,6 @@ mtk_soc_try_early_detect(void)
 	bus_space_unmap(bst, bsh, MTK_DEFAULT_SIZE);
 }
 
-extern char cpu_model[];
-
 void
 mtk_soc_set_cpu_model(void)
 {
diff --git a/sys/mips/mips/cpu.c b/sys/mips/mips/cpu.c
index f2943b941d29..c6da1329ddb4 100644
--- a/sys/mips/mips/cpu.c
+++ b/sys/mips/mips/cpu.c
@@ -61,8 +61,6 @@ __FBSDID("$FreeBSD$");
 #include <contrib/octeon-sdk/octeon-model.h>
 #endif
 
-static void cpu_identify(void);
-
 struct mips_cpuinfo cpuinfo;
 
 #define _ENCODE_INSN(a,b,c,d,e) \
@@ -294,18 +292,16 @@ mips_cpu_init(void)
 
 	mips_icache_sync_all();
 	mips_dcache_wbinv_all();
-	/* Print some info about CPU */
-	cpu_identify();
 }
 
-static void
+void
 cpu_identify(void)
 {
 	uint32_t cfg0, cfg1, cfg2, cfg3;
 #if defined(CPU_MIPS1004K) || defined (CPU_MIPS74K) || defined (CPU_MIPS24K)
 	uint32_t cfg7;
 #endif
-	printf("cpu%d: ", 0);   /* XXX per-cpu */
+	printf("CPU: ");
 	switch (cpuinfo.cpu_vendor) {
 	case MIPS_PRID_CID_MTI:
 		printf("MIPS Technologies");
@@ -347,6 +343,8 @@ cpu_identify(void)
 		printf("Unknown cid %#x", cpuinfo.cpu_vendor);
 		break;
 	}
+	if (cpu_model[0] != '\0')
+		printf(" (%s)", cpu_model);
 	printf(" processor v%d.%d\n", cpuinfo.cpu_rev, cpuinfo.cpu_impl);
 
 	printf("  MMU: ");
diff --git a/sys/mips/mips/machdep.c b/sys/mips/mips/machdep.c
index 1d829367e578..909a3e2b907f 100644
--- a/sys/mips/mips/machdep.c
+++ b/sys/mips/mips/machdep.c
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ cpu_startup(void *dummy)
 	if (boothowto & RB_VERBOSE)
 		bootverbose++;
 
-	printf("CPU model: %s\n", cpu_model);
+	cpu_identify();
 
 	printf("real memory  = %ju (%juK bytes)\n", ptoa((uintmax_t)realmem),
 	    ptoa((uintmax_t)realmem) / 1024);