AMD acknowledges Ryzen stuttering issues on Windows 10 and 11 are caused by fTPM bug
Are you experiencing intermittent stutters on your AMD computer? You are not alone, the Santa Clara-based company has acknowledged that it is a known issue that affects Ryzen systems running on Windows 10 and 11.
This is not the first time AMD has run into trouble with Microsoft's operating system, a similar problem was discovered and fixed in October 2021.
The new issue, occurs on computers that have the Firmware Trusted Platform Module (fTPM) enabled. As you may know, TPM is a mandatory requirement to install and update Windows 11. This has prevented users with older computers, that don't have the security module, from upgrading to the new operating system, though there are several ways to bypass the restriction, should you feel the need to do so.
But here's where it gets interesting, Windows 11 is not the only OS that is affected by this bug, Windows 10 is also impacted. Betanews reports that AMD has issued a statement to address the intermittent system stutter problem.
Article PA-410 released by the company explains that the systems that have the fTPM module activated, may be computing extended fTPM-related memory transactions in SPI Flash memory (SPIROM), and that this leads to temporary pauses in the responsiveness of the computer. Does that sound a bit too technical? Don't worry, I got you, the translation is that the computer lags or stutters randomly because the fTPM chip is working in the background continuously.
It is good to see that the issue has been acknowledged but, AMD has not announced which Ryzen motherboards are impacted by the stuttering issues. It is not clear how many systems could be affected by this bug.
AMD says that it is working on fixing the Ryzen stuttering issues, the bad news is that it is going to a while for it to arrive. The chipset maker will provide a system BIOS update to patch the fTPM performance issues, and expects a fix to be available in early May, 2022. The microcode for the firmware will be based on AMD AGESA 1207 or newer.
What about users who are facing problems right now? Well, AMD has mentioned a workaround that users may try. Affected users can optionally switch from fTPM to a hardware TPM (dTPM) module. This fix is not exactly user-friendly, as it requires a TPM 2.0 header on the motherboard. The other issue is that the hardware chip, the TPM module that you need to buy, is not exactly cheap. Techpowerup says that these TPM chips can cost about $50 to $100.
If that does not deter you, you can try switching to TPM. But before you do so, you will need to make sure that BitLocker has been disabled, because the security feature relies on TPM-backed encryption systems. AMD has also advised users to take a back up of their data before switching from fTPM to dTPM.
Many AMD users who bypassed the TPM requirement for Windows 11 say that they have not faced this problem on their computer. While they won't have the additional security features that the chip provides, I think that having a usable computer will ultimately be preferable.
Do you have a Ryzen computer? Are you facing stutters while using the system?
STILL experiencing this horrible issue. PLEASE FIX. I just spent $4000 on an AMD build. Last time I’ll ever use AMD products.
el mismo problema de forma intermitentecon 5600x
yes, I get random 2 second stutters every few hours. 5800x, 64gb, rtx3080. had no such issue with previous ryzen 7 1700x build
5800x and same issue. No issues beforehand with 2600x
Ye I get this weird issue in desktop and games occasionally just hate it completely throws me off. On x570 tuf and 5600xt
My 3990x on Win10 has just recently started having moments. Sometimes i turn it on and it’s incredibly slow to respond and then it gets up to gear, but takes a while. Sometimes it runs speedy and just fine. It really seems a bit unpredictable.
I recently upgraded from a Ryzen Zen 1 (Raven Ridge) to a 5800X (Vermeer) Chip on an X570 Chipset Board.
Running Win 10 Enterprise, and it’s just offensively fast and smooth as butter, no matter how heavy the workload or game being played.
And I’m not only using the fTPM, but also leveraging the VBS, Secure Boot, DMA Kernel Protection, Secure Launch, Firmware Guard and Application Guard security features offered by Windows and enforced through M365 Defender E5. Certainly no stutter whatsoever. Must be applicable to the earlier gen Ryzens.
Seems like Clipper Chip all over again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip
TPM “security”
HAH..
AMD + Windows = problems.
AMD + W11= big problems.
Proof that Windows 10 and 11 is a POS. Never had such issues on 8 and 7.
Obviously because those don’t relay on TMP 2.0 the world is changing and so the security to protect your data.
This bug also affects to AMD Athlon CPUs that are running W11. I think it’s a motherboard or driver or something more than the CPU itself, and I bet that this issue affects to all AMD with W11. Thanks @Ashwin for the article! :]
I have an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X with a Gigabyte Aorus Elite B450, on Windows 10 with fTPM enabled, and no problem on my side. Or, this is imperceptible, I don’t know, even if I play a game or edit a video in Premiere Pro.
I had enabled the fTPM because I wanted to upgrade to Windows 11. But my experience with my professional laptop is bad, so I could disable this feature right now.