TPM 2.0 for FACEIT: Enabling fTPM and PTT
FACEIT requires TPM 2.0 and you do not need to buy a chip — it is built into the CPU. Where to enable it on Intel and AMD, plus the fTPM stutter fix on Ryzen.
The message TPM 2.0 needs to be enabled to launch FACEIT AC sounds scarier than it should: most people assume they have to buy a separate chip for the motherboard. You do not. Every Intel CPU from the 6th generation onward and every Ryzen has a trusted platform module built in — it is simply off by default.
It just goes by different names, which is the whole difficulty of finding it: Intel PTT on Intel, AMD fTPM on AMD. The word "TPM" may not appear in the menu at all.
First confirm it is really off
Win + R → tpm.msc → Enter. Three possible outcomes:
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| "The TPM is ready for use", specification version 2.0 | already enabled, the problem is elsewhere |
| "Compatible TPM cannot be found" | disabled in UEFI — read on |
| Specification version 1.2 | an older version is active, you need to switch to 2.0 |
The third case shows up on office machines with a discrete TPM chip: FACEIT only accepts version 2.0.
Mandatory: BitLocker before, not after
Enabling or switching the TPM changes the encryption key binding. If your disk is encrypted, the next boot will greet you with a demand for a 48-digit recovery key, and without it the data does not come back.
Search for "Manage BitLocker". If encryption is active, suspend protection or save the key (it also lives in your Microsoft account under "Devices"). On prebuilt laptops BitLocker is on out of the box more often than people expect.
Enabling it on Intel
The setting is called Intel Platform Trust Technology, or PTT.
- Enter UEFI: Settings → System → Recovery → Restart now → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → UEFI Firmware Settings.
- Switch to advanced mode (usually
F7). - Go to
Advanced→PCH-FW Configuration→TPM Device Selection→ choose PTT instead of Discrete TPM. - Save (
F10) and reboot.
Enabling it on AMD
The setting is called AMD fTPM or Firmware TPM.
- In UEFI, open
Advanced→AMD fTPM configuration. - Set
TPM Device Selectionto AMD CPU fTPM. - Save and reboot.
On boards that expose the AMD CBS menu, the path is longer: Advanced → AMD CBS → Trusted Computing → Security Device Support → Enable.
Audio stutter and freezes on Ryzen
A known quirk: on some AM4 boards, enabling fTPM causes brief system stalls every few minutes — typically with an audible click in the audio. The cause is accesses to the board's flash memory, not the anti-cheat.
The fix is a BIOS update: AMD shipped a correction (AGESA 1.2.0.7 and newer) and board vendors rolled it out in individual firmware releases. If micro-freezes appeared after you enabled fTPM, update the BIOS from your board vendor's site — that resolves it completely.
If you have a discrete TPM chip
Some motherboards have a header for a discrete module (dTPM), and occasionally one is installed. FACEIT states it plainly: if you have trouble with a discrete module, switch to the built-in fTPM — it produces noticeably fewer errors.
You switch with the same TPM Device Selection setting: choose Firmware TPM / PTT instead of Discrete TPM. There is no need to physically remove the chip.
The error persists after enabling
Check in order:
- Does
tpm.mscreport 2.0? If it still says 1.2, UEFI has a separateTPM DeviceorSecurity Device Supportentry where the version is selected. - Clear the TPM. The
tpm.mscwindow has "Clear TPM" on the right. This erases old keys — only do it with BitLocker off. - Update Windows. FACEIT checks not just for the module but for how current the system is.
If TPM and Secure Boot are both on and the anti-cheat still will not start, the next requirement in the queue is IOMMU and VBS. The overall map of errors is here.
What TPM is and why an anti-cheat wants it
TPM is a separate tiny chip (or a block inside the CPU) that stores keys and can attest that the system booted unmodified. For an anti-cheat that is exactly its value: TPM makes it possible to verify that nothing interfered with the boot chain before Windows started.
That is where the pairing of requirements comes from. Secure Boot refuses unsigned code; TPM confirms the check actually happened and its result was not forged. Individually each mechanism is easier to bypass; together, noticeably harder. So FACEIT requires both, and enabling one does not lift the requirement for the other.
A practical point that saves nerves: AMD fTPM and Intel PTT are the same TPM 2.0 implemented inside the processor. You do not need to buy a separate physical chip unless the CPU is genuinely old; on the vast majority of systems enabling the existing feature in UEFI is enough.
What you are risking by enabling it
There is one risk, and it is serious: BitLocker. If the disk is encrypted and you change the TPM configuration, the next boot will demand the recovery key. Without that key the data is unreachable, and that is working exactly as designed.
Hence the mandatory order: first make sure BitLocker is off, or the recovery key is found and stored separately, and only then go into UEFI. The key is tied to your Microsoft account; check it exists from your phone, not from the computer you are about to reboot.
Do I need to buy a separate TPM chip? Almost never. Recent processor generations have TPM 2.0 built in, enabled in UEFI as fTPM (AMD) or PTT (Intel). A discrete module is only needed on older boards, and finding a compatible chip for them can cost more than expected.
Does TPM affect gaming performance? No. It takes part in boot and in key handling, not in the game loop. The stutter seen on some Ryzen systems is a separate, known firmware issue, and it is fixed by a BIOS update rather than by turning TPM off.
What happens to an encrypted disk after enabling it? If BitLocker is active, the next boot will ask for the recovery key, because the trusted module configuration changed. That is expected behaviour: retrieve the key before changing any settings.
How do I confirm TPM is really on? Windows shows the state in the trusted module management console, including version and readiness. That is where to check, rather than inferring it from the absence of an error in the FACEIT client.