AMD AGESA V2 1.2.0.7 Microcode To Fix fTPM Stutters

Motherboard manufacturers are addressing AMD's stuttering issue in Windows 10 and 11 with a new BIOS update. The (intermittent) performance losses and stuttering are caused mostly by the TPM 2.0 function (fTPM).

AMD provided the AGESA V2 PI 1.2.0.7 microcode to motherboard suppliers and PC OEMs . This version of AGESA is important for Windows 11 users because it fixes a performance stuttering issue caused by the OS's frequent polling of the fTPM. The new AGESA version is also preordained for AMD 300-series chipset motherboards, where it adds official (stable) support for Ryzen 5000 series processors, allowing those on the 5-year-old platform to enjoy an IPC boost of up to 60%. (Zen 3 vs. Zen). 1.2.0.7 is also said to fix certain stability issues with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, as well as permit BClk overclocking on the chip as long as the CPU does not draw more than 1.35 V in the Vcore voltage domain.

It is now up to motherboard vendors and PC OEMs to incorporate 1.2.0.7 into their firmware and make it available to end users. But the stuttering issue that has plagued multiple users since January 2022 has been resolved.

This documentation provides information on improving intermittent performance stutter(s) on select PCs running Windows® 10 and 11 with Firmware Trusted Platform Module (“fTPM”) enabled.

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).
Workaround: As an immediate solution, affected customers dependent on fTPM functionality for Trusted Platform Module support may instead use a hardware TPM (“dTPM”) device for trusted computing. Platform dTPM modules utilize onboard non-volatile memory (NVRAM) that supersedes the TPM/SPIROM interaction described in this article.