Thanks to Windows 11, the part that nobody cared about before suddenly became in short supply, increasing the price many times

Microsoft recently launched Windows 11, the version of Windows that will succeed the current Windows 10. Windows 11 brings a few interface changes (new Start Menu, rounded windows .), along with a few features such as Snap layout, built-in Microsoft Teams, enhanced gaming experience and especially is the ability to run Android apps.

However, to get these features, Windows 11 also requires very demanding hardware. Besides the basic requirements such as dual-core 1Ghz 64-bit chip, 4GB RAM, 64GB hard drive. Windows 11 also requires TPM 2.0 security chip.

TPM, short for Trusted Platform Module, is an optional component on a PC. It can be integrated on the motherboard or directly on some newer CPU models. The task of TPM is related to the security of the machine, specifically the encryption of data on the hard drive. Since this is a need that most users don't need, TPM is something that gets very little attention.

According to initial information published by Microsoft, a PC that only needs a TPM 1.2 chip is eligible to upgrade to Windows 11. However, Microsoft later corrected this information, and said that Windows 11 requires a PC. must have a TPM 2.0 chip. In addition, the list of supported CPUs also shows that only Intel 8th generation or higher or AMD Ryzen 2000 or higher chips can install Windows 11.

It is this requirement of Windows 11 that has caused users' interest in removable TPM chips to spike in the past few days. Even the "buyers" took this opportunity to buy a series of TPM chips to sell at a higher price in order to make a profit.

The TPM 2.0 chips, which used to cost only about 10-15 USD but still no one cared about, suddenly became a hot commodity and pushed the price many times higher. For example, a Gigabyte TPM 2.0 chip with model number GC-TPM2.0 is being sold on eBay for. $175, 10 times higher than just a few days ago.

TPM chips are being sold for dozens of times the original price on eBay

However, to find a TPM chip is not easy. As mentioned above, before that TPM chips like this were something that few people cared about, so it was produced in relatively limited quantities. This makes the supply of TPM chips already scarce, becoming even more scarce after the launch event of Windows 11.

Currently, on e-commerce sites, TPM chips with prices considered "acceptable" (under 30 USD) are all out of stock. One of the main reasons leading to this situation is that speculators buy a large amount of TPM chips as soon as they realize that user demand will continue to increase in the near future.

An Asus TPM chip used to cost around $1.22 to $7.99, then jumped to more than $20 after Microsoft announced Windows 11. This chip is now out of stock.

However, users should not rush to buy TPM chips at this time. Not only because of the high price, but users still have a lot of time to wait because the official version of Windows 11 will not be officially released until the end of this year. In addition, on the previously leaked Windows 11 version, users have found a way to edit the installer so that it can bypass the hardware requirements, making it possible for any PC to upgrade to Windows 11 without the need for a chip. TPM.