Giveaway of the Day Forums

1. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   neowin[.]net/news/amd-pcs-are-stuttering-on-windows-10-and-11-due-to-ftpm-bug-temporary-workaround-out/

   amd[.]com/en/support/kb/faq/pa-410

   As Neowin sums it up:

   For a month or two now, AMD's Ryzen processors have been found stuttering (via Reddit) or freezing on Windows 10 and 11 systems with firmware TPM (fTPM) enabled. Today AMD has published an advisory after determining what was causing these problems.

   fTPM is turned on/off in the BIOS settings, and is designed to work as a regular TPM [Trusted Platform Module]. TPM has been listed as a requirement for new Windows PC for several years now, but many users have it turned off, since in Win10 it's mainly for corporate use, e.g. BitLocker drive encryption. Win11 changed things, & TPM v. 2 is now required, though AFAIK unused by many PCs/laptops outside the corporate world, so an easy solution if you're experiencing the bug *may* be to turn fTPM off. AMD suggests installing a TPM module *if* the motherboard can accept / use one -- you'll have to check the manufacturers documentation, then make sure the TPM you're thinking about buying is compatible with your motherboard. Since Win11, Amazon for example has all sorts of aftermarket TPMs cheap [an OEM TPM can run $50+], so it's not so bad. TPMs are usually a bit bigger than a postage stamp, and plug into a socket on the motherboard.

   Issue Description
   AMD has determined that select AMD Ryzen™ system configurations may intermittently perform extended fTPM-related memory transactions in SPI flash memory (“SPIROM”) located on the motherboard, which can lead to temporary pauses in system interactivity or responsiveness until the transaction is concluded.

   Update and Workaround
   Update: Affected PCs will require a motherboard system BIOS (sBIOS) update containing enhanced modules for fTPM interaction with SPIROM. AMD expects that flashable customer sBIOS files to be available starting in early May, 2022. Exact BIOS availability timing for a specific motherboard depends on the testing and integration schedule of your manufacturer. Flashable updates for motherboards will be based on AMD AGESA 1207 (or newer).

   Posted 2 years ago #
2. 

   Whiterabbit-uk
   Games Guru

   Hmmm, maybe this is the reason for the freezes I mentioned in your March 2022 Patch Tuesday thread?

   Posted 2 years ago #
3. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   If you've got fTPM turned on it's quite possible. My wife's PC, running Win11, has it turned on, but luckily she hasn't seen the problem. Been watching just in case -- it's not a big deal to order an aftermarket TPM & install on that Asus motherboard if I had to. Not sure what happens in Win11 if you turn it off -- AFAIK the check for TPM [& secure boot etc.] only happens when you go to install Win11. Unless you're specifically using the TPM, e.g. for BitLocker, I don't *think* it has any real purpose in Win10 or Win11. If you are using it, then you have to turn whichever features off that use TPM before turning it off or switching to a physical TPM chip.

   Personally I was an idgit... when I first saw TPM 2 was required for Win11 I hit up Google to check out TPM chips for my motherboard, and panicked! Gigabyte makes a TPM add-on card, but they were Extremely rare -- after searching for a few hours I had found exactly 6 for sale, with 4 I think being in Israel. I could wait to see if there was an alternative, e.g. fTPM or aftermarket TPMs, but by then the 6 I'd found would surely have been sold. So I forked over the $50 asking price & bought one.

   Posted 2 years ago #

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