Monday, March 7th 2022
AMD Isolates Windows 11 and Windows 10 Performance Stuttering Issues to fTPM
Does it take ages for the taskbar calendar and notification center to load on your Windows 11 PC powered by an AMD Ryzen processor? Notice random stutters in performance? Chances are, the lag is caused not due to user-interface bugs by Microsoft, but hardware. AMD discovered that certain Ryzen-powered Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs experience intermittent performance stutters when running with fTPM (firmware TPM) enabled.
The performance stutter is caused due to background memory transactions between Windows and the fTPM, to authenticate an action, as the fTPM serves the function of a hardware root of trust. Since the fTPM is part of the UEFI firmware that resides on the SPI flash EEPROM chip, the performance stutter is caused due to fTPM-related memory transactions with this chip.
AMD issued an immediate workaround, as well as announced that it's working on a fix. As a workaround, you can switch from fTPM to a discrete TPM module (or dTPM), which uses the TPM 2.0 header on your motherboard. dTPMs such as the one pictured above, have been selling on Amazon for anywhere between $50-100. Be absolutely sure to disable Bitlocker before switching between fTPM and dTPM, if you have it enabled. Or you could just wait for AMD's fix, which will be distributed by motherboard or OEM vendors, as UEFI firmware updates.
AMD expects firmware updates with the fix to start coming out around May 2022. These will use the AGESA V2 ComboPI 1.2.0.7 (or later) microcode. The latest version of AGESA in distribution is 1.2.0.6b.
Source:
AMD
The performance stutter is caused due to background memory transactions between Windows and the fTPM, to authenticate an action, as the fTPM serves the function of a hardware root of trust. Since the fTPM is part of the UEFI firmware that resides on the SPI flash EEPROM chip, the performance stutter is caused due to fTPM-related memory transactions with this chip.
AMD expects firmware updates with the fix to start coming out around May 2022. These will use the AGESA V2 ComboPI 1.2.0.7 (or later) microcode. The latest version of AGESA in distribution is 1.2.0.6b.
81 Comments on AMD Isolates Windows 11 and Windows 10 Performance Stuttering Issues to fTPM
Guess everyone will have to get bios/ micro codes/ drivers/... from ms store so they comply with ms.
Because I prevent that, implicitly. And no stuttering.
If that's it, then yeah, sometimes, like once daily I see a random spurt of sub 30fps frames. But it's over quick and I always assumed it was just shoddy programming (still might be)
EDIT: Just watched the youtubes. Very suspect indeed. That is exactly what I've been seeing, about once per day.
Better off disabling FTPM in your windows installerNah its certain OS actions checking the fTPM, and the system freezes while it waits for the response
How often its triggered would come down to running software
Run setup.exe from the you-ess-bee, 'upgrade' your OS and see if you disable FTPM on reboot
i am glad that is the case. This is quite intrusive.
Where is the problem with that? Why a seperate module is needed?
I had it on Windows 11 when I upgraded from Windows 10, thought it's some remnant of playing with power settings. But I made a clean install with all the latest drivers and bios, and it didn't help. But I haven't seen much talk about it, and I didn't know it's widespread.
Send the whole lot back, thought things over for 3 months and got a 11700 (Non-K) instead. Plug & Play, zero issues, just like my old 4770K build, i will NEVER try AMD again.
Perhaps the problem will be solved like in USB connectivity issues - AMD will just declare issue solved with new AGESA, and all further reports of people having issues will be ignored, or downplayed as rare cases.