One of the more frustrating Windows 11 hardware requirements is the need for either firmware TPM or a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM). Here’s a guide on where to buy the latter.
Of course, there is a way to bypass the Windows 11 TPM, RAM and CPU requirements with a simple free utility, but if you’d rather fulfill the official requirements for this and any future OS updates, this is the way to go.
However, to anyone who’s reading this, there’s a good chance you either don’t need one or can't install one. Let’s start there and establish whether it’s a must-have.
TPM 2.0 buying guide
Before you shop, you should first check if your system already has either firmware TPM enabled or an existing TPM chip already installed.
To check if you have firmware TPM, you'll need to access your UEFI settings in your BIOS. How to do this differs across manufacturers, so check your motherboard's manual for more details. There is some common parlance you'll want to keep an eye out for, though. AMD motherboards tend to call their firmware TPM solutions "fTPM," while Intel boards tend to call them "PTT."
To check if you already have a physical TPM chip installed, just open your run utility (Win key + R), type "tpm.msc" in the box, and his Enter. The TPM Management tool will open, and should tell you whether "The TPM is ready for use" or "Compatible TPM cannot be found."
If you can't find TPM on your computer through either of those options and don't want to hack your way out of needing it, then you'll need to buy a TPM 2.0.
But wait, it’s a little more complicated than that. First, you'll need to check whether your motherboard even has a TPM 2.0 header. Again, this differs depending on manufacturer, so refer to your device's manual here. If your motherboard does have a TPM 2.0 header, then you'll need to check if it has 14 pins or 20 pins. This isn't standard across the board. Once you know, buy a TPM 2.0 with the corresponding amount of pins. If you're still not feeling confident, try buying from the same manufacturer as your motherboard.
Where to buy a TPM 2.0 for Windows 11
Stock has been running dry since the TPM requirement announcement back in summer, but more are starting to appear at their standard price range of $15-30. You can start by searching at these retailers.
We wish we could say more, but our main advice is to be patient. Limited supply may cause the prices to rise at times, so sign up for some stock notifications for the TPMs that your system supports and wait for that price to come down to a more reasonable level.
You never know, it could give Microsoft time to fix some of the 11 worst features of Windows 11.
