BIOS update for AMD PCs fixes fTPM-related performance issues

[Shawn Knight]

In brief: AMD earlier this year identified an issue causing headaches for select Ryzen CPU users in Windows 10 and Windows 11. The chipmaker promised a fix was in development and now, it's starting to roll out as a BIOS update from motherboard manufacturers.

The issue in question is related to AMD's implementation of Firmware Trusted Platform Module (fTPM), a firmware-based solution that bypasses the need for a discrete TPM. Specifically, it was found that select Ryzen system configurations could perform extended fTPM-related memory transactions, which could result in temporary pauses until the transaction is finished. This manifested as seemingly random stuttering or freezing in Windows.

Microsoft riled up some Windows users by requiring the use of TPM 2.0 in Windows 11 as an added security measure.

AMD offered up a temporary solution as it worked to rectify the matter – the use of a hardware-based TPM. This required shelling out a few bucks for a physical module and your board needed a 14-pin header to support it. Now, the firmware fix is in and being distributed via BIOS update.

Affected users are encouraged to check their motherboard vendor's support page to see if a new BIOS is available. You'll specifically want to look for support for AGESA version 1207 or later when checking the BIOS update's change log. Most major vendors should already have the new update available but if your provider doesn't, keep checking back as it is likely coming very soon.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/94939-bios-update-amd-pcs-fixes-ftpm-related-performance.html

 

[hahahanoobs]

My X470 has 27 BIOS updates available. Damn AMD.

I've been following this for a couple months now. I hope this is the last BIOS I ever have to update to on this board. I've done 4 in a little over a year so far. Another problem or related problem was with audio stuttering hard enough to sound like a system crash with audio playing, which the BIOS did seem to fix for me. I thought fTPM was responsible for Chivalry 2 chugging hard on occasion, but I can't confirm that, because it's done it again since. I've had the 1.0.2.7 BIOS a month now. Beta deemed final a couple days ago. Other games and applications seem to be running perfectly fine.

The below forum has mixed reactions to the fix if anyone is interested. One or two have bought dTPM's with success, but one or two without. Some happy with the BIOS, some not, so it appears to be hit or miss. If anyone has had success with the fix and can say with which game titles it worked for, that would be great.

https://community.amd.com/t5/driver...m-stuttering-issue/td-p/510369/highlight/true

 

[bviktor]

My X470 has 27 BIOS updates available. Damn AMD.

I've been following this for a couple months now. I hope this is the last BIOS I ever have to update to on this board. I've done 4 in a little over a year so far. Another problem or related problem was with audio stuttering hard enough to sound like a system crash with audio playing, which the BIOS did seem to fix for me. I thought fTPM was responsible for Chivalry 2 chugging hard on occasion, but I can't confirm that, because it's done it again since. I've had the 1.0.2.7 BIOS a month now. Beta deemed final a couple days ago. Other games and applications seem to be running perfectly fine.

The below forum has mixed reactions to the fix if anyone is interested. One or two have bought dTPM's with success, but one or two without. Some happy with the BIOS, some not, so it appears to be hit or miss. If anyone has had success with the fix and can say with which game titles it worked for, that would be great.

https://community.amd.com/t5/driver...m-stuttering-issue/td-p/510369/highlight/true

Software is never done. In the age of constant security vulnerabilities, it's no longer an option to just "forget about it". Intel's latest microcode update addresses 16 advisories fixing 41(!) vulnerabilities.

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Intel-May-2022-Security

Go figure.

OTOH motherboard makers need to figure out firmware updates that retain your settings. It's quite ridiculous they forcefully reset them each and every time. Why? Because they're lazy to ensure data migration will work.

Now that I have custom DC values for all my fans, it takes like 15 minutes every time to restore my settings. Complete PITA.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Software is never done. In the age of constant security vulnerabilities, it's no longer an option to just "forget about it". Intel's latest microcode update addresses 16 advisories fixing 41(!) vulnerabilities.

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Intel-May-2022-Security

Go figure.

OTOH motherboard makers need to figure out firmware updates that retain your settings. It's quite ridiculous they forcefully reset them each and every time. Why? Because they're lazy to ensure data migration will work.

Now that I have custom DC values for all my fans, it takes like 15 minutes every time to restore my settings. Complete PITA.

The difference being I've never had to update more than once with past 3 Intel systems. BIOS updates on P67 board was 11. Updated it once.

Software is never done, but some are further from "done" than others.

 

[brucek]

I have not noticed stuttering on my X570 + 5950x. Is there more known about what triggers it? I wonder if it's worth taking this BIOS update, it's not like AMD has never had regressions too. Probably I'll at least wait a while.

 

[EdmondRC]

Software is never done. In the age of constant security vulnerabilities, it's no longer an option to just "forget about it". Intel's latest microcode update addresses 16 advisories fixing 41(!) vulnerabilities.

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Intel-May-2022-Security

Go figure.

OTOH motherboard makers need to figure out firmware updates that retain your settings. It's quite ridiculous they forcefully reset them each and every time. Why? Because they're lazy to ensure data migration will work.

Now that I have custom DC values for all my fans, it takes like 15 minutes every time to restore my settings. Complete PITA.

I just spent 15 mins redoing all my fans thinking the same thing.

 

[Puiu]

The difference being I've never had to update more than once with past 3 Intel systems. BIOS updates on P67 board was 11. Updated it once.

Software is never done, but some are further from "done" than others.

With intel changing platforms ever 2 generations, you can be damn sure that motherboard manufacturers won't keep updating the older gen as often

 

[fb020997]

Mine (5600x+prime b550 plus) went from doing the tpm stutter about once or twice every 2 hours (gaming or not gaming, same thing) to zero, except for an audio pop/click about 4-5 times per hour, but only during gaming, and zero video issues.

 

[fb020997]

Software is never done. In the age of constant security vulnerabilities, it's no longer an option to just "forget about it". Intel's latest microcode update addresses 16 advisories fixing 41(!) vulnerabilities.

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Intel-May-2022-Security

Go figure.

OTOH motherboard makers need to figure out firmware updates that retain your settings. It's quite ridiculous they forcefully reset them each and every time. Why? Because they're lazy to ensure data migration will work.

Now that I have custom DC values for all my fans, it takes like 15 minutes every time to restore my settings. Complete PITA.

Same thing about those damned forced settings reset, but in my case it’s also all the ram timings/subtimings… Sigh.

 

[Athlonite]

This has bee available for the Asus ROG Strix x570f-Gaming for a month aren't we a bit slow on the uptake with this news

 

[fadingfool]

The difference being I've never had to update more than once with past 3 Intel systems. BIOS updates on P67 board was 11. Updated it once.

Software is never done, but some are further from "done" than others.

X470 is 4 years old and still able to run the latest CPUs - Intel have had 4 desktop chipsets since then

 

[hahahanoobs]

X470 is 4 years old and still able to run the latest CPUs - Intel have had 4 desktop chipsets since then

And you only had to whine and beg for that 4th year. Meanwhile Zen+ was no upgrade to the previous 16T parts already losing to 4T meaning in four years, only Zen 2 and Zen 3 were worth buying.

Intel has a long history of not needing platform upgrades every year to match or beat AMD. People always forget that.

AMD "fans" wouldn't support their team and pay the extra $50 for 5600X there praised so much. That confused me. You know who bought X470 over X570 and didnt whine about paying $50 more than the 3600? This guy. If AMD continues to struggle with BIOS updates I'll go back to Intel.

 

[hahahanoobs]

This has bee available for the Asus ROG Strix x570f-Gaming for a month aren't we a bit slow on the uptake with this news

It didn't hit every supporting board a month ago.

It was beta until a few days before this article and at that time it said nothing about the fix for me with X470. I know the AMD forum topic is still active with some saying it worked and some saying it didn't.

Was yours not a beta a month ago on X570?

 

[hahahanoobs]

Mine (5600x+prime b550 plus) went from doing the tpm stutter about once or twice every 2 hours (gaming or not gaming, same thing) to zero, except for an audio pop/click about 4-5 times per hour, but only during gaming, and zero video issues.

I think it's still causing hard stutters in Chivalry 2 for me, but the audio glitches are gone with the fix. Alternative is to try a dTPM, but that isn't guaranteed to work either reading the AMD forum posts on the issue. (Above)

 

[Mr Majestyk]

This has bee available for the Asus ROG Strix x570f-Gaming for a month aren't we a bit slow on the uptake with this news

I know, and my fw didn't say beta. I know the MB makers get the microcode well in advance for testing and can release fw early but usually they'll say beta. I wonder if they'll push out a newer version?

 

[fadingfool]

And you only had to whine and beg for that 4th year. Meanwhile Zen+ was no upgrade to the previous 16T parts already losing to 4T meaning in four years, only Zen 2 and Zen 3 were worth buying.

Intel has a long history of not needing platform upgrades every year to match or beat AMD. People always forget that.

AMD "fans" wouldn't support their team and pay the extra $50 for 5600X there praised so much. That confused me. You know who bought X470 over X570 and didnt whine about paying $50 more than the 3600? This guy. If AMD continues to struggle with BIOS updates I'll go back to Intel.

From the other side of the hedge - I've had bios versions from 1.1.10 to 2.0.2 for my Intel based PC - and unfortunately do not get any more (been 3 years since the last update - the PC is 4 years old). So that was at least 4 bios updates in the first year of ownership until they stopped for good. There isn't even a bios update to support the 10 series Skylake X chips (there was for the 9 series).

 

[hahahanoobs]

From the other side of the hedge - I've had bios versions from 1.1.10 to 2.0.2 for my Intel based PC - and unfortunately do not get any more (been 3 years since the last update - the PC is 4 years old). So that was at least 4 bios updates in the first year of ownership until they stopped for good. There isn't even a bios update to support the 10 series Skylake X chips (there was for the 9 series).

Case in point!
You only got four because that's all the motherboard needed to run as intended. AMD is still struggling with that.

Not getting support for next gen CPU is a seperate topic altogether.

 

[fadingfool]

Case in point!
You only got four because that's all the motherboard needed to run as intended. AMD is still struggling with that.

Not getting support for next gen CPU is a seperate topic altogether.

The 10 series skylake x cpu was not a new gen. Just required a bios update on X299 lga 2066 boards to recognize the chip - which wasn't forthcoming for many boards. Not enough Intel HEDT owners wanting to drop in the last editions of the Skylake-X chips to make a fuss.

 

[hahahanoobs]

The 10 series skylake x cpu was not a new gen. Just required a bios update on X299 lga 2066 boards to recognize the chip - which wasn't forthcoming for many boards. Not enough Intel HEDT owners wanting to drop in the last editions of the Skylake-X chips to make a fuss.

Uh huh.
You keep proving my point.

What happened to Intel HEDT after Skylake-X, hmm?