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I had an SSD failure yesterday (my OS disk), so I decided it might be time to try Windows 11. I was a little shocked to find my PC is not compatible.  It seems I need a TPM2.0 compatible motherboard.

The specs for mine (https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal1ty%20Z97X%20Killer/) in the Connectors section shows "TPM HEADER". Does this allow me to by a 'TPM 2.0 Module' from somewhere such as eBay/Amazon and then allow me to install Windows 11?

Or do I need another motherboard (and likely a new CPU, etc.)?

Specs of current PC:

  • ASRock Fatal1ty Killer z97x
  • 16 GB Ram (up to 32 GB upgradable)
  • 1660GTX
G-Man Says 'Reinstate Monica'
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I_Keep_Trying
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    The TPM HEADER connector in every mainboard is not standardized regarding what PIN transmits power, data and so on. Therefore the used TPM module have to be explicitly developed for your mainboard or manufacturer. – Robert Nov 28 '21 at 11:19
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    Does this answer your question? [Windows 11 can't install because of my processor and I want to keep it that way](https://superuser.com/questions/1682450/windows-11-cant-install-because-of-my-processor-and-i-want-to-keep-it-that-way) – Ramhound Nov 28 '21 at 14:48
  • @DaveGold - Your processor isn’t compatible with Windows 11. The answer to the duplicate explains how to ignore the processor and TPM checks. – Ramhound Nov 28 '21 at 14:49

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A TPM header does allow for the installation of a TPM module, but you are then running up against the fact that your processor is either a 4th or 5th Generation Intel which is also far below the minimum requirement for Windows 11 (generally speaking 7th/8th generation or later https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-intel-processors).

It is possible to do a clean install of Windows 11 on a system that does not meet the TPM and (some) of the CPU requirements using a registry hack and wouldn't require you to install an aftermarket TPM module. However, this is a poor choice and you may run into issues updating your system in the future.

Windows 10 will be supported until October 2025. In this situation you'd be far better served to remain on Windows 10 until you can upgrade to a motherboard and CPU that are fully compliant with Windows 11 hardware requirements.

spaceman-spiff
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  • Thank you for your answer and help. I will look to build a newer PC in due course. – I_Keep_Trying Nov 28 '21 at 14:04
  • For the record I forgot to mention, I have 4790k. It seems very capable still for most tasks I use it for (Maya, Unity, Gaming, etc). It is a shame this CPU is below the minimum for Windows 11. Thanks again for all your insight (in the future I may try the registry hack thing you have mentioned before I go ahead and build another PC). Cheers o7 – I_Keep_Trying Nov 28 '21 at 14:06
  • @DaveGold - Your processor isn’t compatible with Windows 11 and thus the existence of a TPM header is sort irrelevant (since the same key overrides both requirements) – Ramhound Nov 28 '21 at 14:46