Discussion AMD fTPM Causes Random Stuttering Issue

Jan 25, 2022
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More and more people seem to be having this issue, so I feel the need to spread the word. Enabling the 'firmware TPM' causes system wide stuttering on a growing number of AMD based PC's, both on Windows 10 and Windows 11. In most cases these stutters last roughly 1-2 seconds, and happen about 3-4 times a day. Regardless of what programs are running.

My current build has the AMD RYZEN 9 5950X + ASUS PRIME X570-P, with all the latest software and drivers installed. This is, however, my 4th consecutive PC with this issue over the last 12 months.

I've managed to capture one of these stutters while streaming, here's what it looked like:
View: https://youtu.be/TYnRL-x6DVI


Having a TPM is a requirement for Windows 11, and apparently without it your system has a chance of not installing Windows Updates properly. However, sometimes the fTPM can also be automatically enabled on Windows 10 through updates. You can easily find out if it's enabled by typing 'tpm.msc' in the Windows Run command window.

From my experience the best two solutions for now are to roll back to Windows 10 (if you're on Windows 11) so you can disable fTPM safely, or to buy a discrete TPM module which slots into your motherboard. (EDIT: Unfortunately, some users have reported that installing a discrete TPM module does not get rid of the stutters. Your best bet would be to disable the fTPM instead.)

In my case, I've rolled back to Windows 10 and disabled the fTPM. No more stutters have happened since. Other users have reported no problems with installing updates with the fTPM disabled on Windows 11, there is however no guarantee this will stay this way.

Even though my stutters are gone, this does not tackle the problem at its roots. I believe this needs to be adressed through software updates, by motherboard manufacturers and AMD. I have yet to see anyone figure out what the actual underlying cause is of this issue.

I do want to clarify that I'm not an expert, I'm simply trying to shine a light on this issue that seemingly a lot of people are dealing with. I don't have the tools or the time to prove the actual underlying cause of this issue, I just want to share my experience on how I fixed it for myself.

Please keep in mind if you are planning to disable the TPM -- If you are using BitLocker, make sure you have your encryption key handy. You will probably need it.
 
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ye i saw that on reddit, hapens on few mainboards, doesnt seems to be CPU related, as switching CPU on affected system didnt fix that
could be windows/bios/driver, i myself have no issues (x370 / r7 3800x / win11)....so cant tell cause
btw windows does have debugging tools (WPR or xPerf), so its not like its not traceable