TPM message on boot up

[jjcz5]

Just finished building my new PC, I boot it up and a message appears saying:

 

We detect a new processor, which will change the dada/structure of the storage space for firmware TPM. If you did not apply this function, please press Y to continue, otherwise please follow instructions below:

 

Press Y to reset fTPM, if you have BitLocker or encryption enabled, the system will not boot without a recovery key.

 

Press N to keep previous fTPM record and continue system boot, fTPM will not enable in new processor. You can swap back to the old processor to recover TPM related keys and data.

 

I’ve looked into this but couldn’t find many answers. Everything but the GPU is new and even though I have the system requirements I’m not interested in using Windows 11. which option do you think I should I choose? Thanks.

 

My Specs:

CPU: Ryzen 5600X

MOBO: Asus ROG Strix B550-f

Ram: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 CL16

GPU: Asus turbo RTX 2060

[Holmes108]

I had the exact same message a few months ago (right down to used GPU in an otherwise brand new build). I picked Yes and it booted up and worked without issue.

[Levent]

Well you HAVE to clear the TPM if you want your motherboard to boot.

[YoungBlade]

If the system is brand new, and you don't have any data that is locked by a previous TPM, then just click Y. The motherboard is detecting that it has a new CPU installed and is reminding you that, if you were using firmware TPM before, and you are changing the CPU, that your new CPU will not have your old TPM values.

[OddOod]

26 minutes ago, YoungBlade said:

your new CPU will not have your old TPM values.

Does this mean that a CPU upgrade will wipe the OS drive?

[YoungBlade]

19 minutes ago, OddOod said:

Does this mean that a CPU upgrade will wipe the OS drive?

No, but it means that if you are using certain encryption security methods, like BitLocker, that a CPU upgrade will mean that you can't access the OS and that you'll be effectively unable to decrypt the data. Now, BitLocker and related programs often have a backup - a series of keys that allow you to bypass this that you're supposed to keep in a safe place - but if you don't enable those keys, or you've lost them, and you wipe the old firmware TPM off the motherboard, then your data is basically as good as gone - hard encrypted with little hope of being able to get it back.

 

But if you don't use something like BitLocker, then wiping the TPM info won't do much. Perhaps in the future, Windows might start using the TPM for more advanced security features that cause problems, but today, BitLocker is the big one, which is why the mobo in question specifically mentioned it - 99% of users where this matters would be using BitLocker, and the other 1% should know what they're doing - in theory.

 

Also, if your motherboard actually has a physical TPM module (either pre-installed or one you've purchased) then this point is moot - you shouldn't be using firmware based TPM anyway, and a CPU swap wouldn't do anything. In theory, you could even take the TPM module to another motherboard, but I'm sure that in practice "it depends" applies.