Linux is now adopting a CPU requirement Windows already demands, but don't worry, it's not TPM 2.0

Published Aug 17, 2026, 3:19 AM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account When Microsoft demanded that PCs installing or upgrading to Windows 11 required a CPU that supported TPM 2.0, some people (including myself) made the jump to Linux to keep our older systems ticking over. As such, you may feel a little bit of fear when you hear that Linux is adopting a CPU requirement that Microsoft has enforced with Windows for a while now. Well, the good news is, it's not TPM 2.0; the very good news is, if you're using a device that can read this article, there's an extremely good chance your CPU already meets it. Linux will now demand that CPUs work with the Time Stamp Counter If you need to ask what that is, there's a good chance your CPU already has it As spotted by Neowin, the newest Linux kernel, 7.2, has officially been released. Among all the listed changes is this commit: x86/cpu: Make CONFIG_X86_TSC unconditional I.e. it's a boot time requirement for the CPU to support it. This only removes the Kconfig glue, removal of all now dead !X86_TSC code will happen in a separate patch. Essentially, Linux 7.2 now requires that x86 CPUs are compatible with the Time Stamp Counter (TSC) before it boots. If it doesn't support TSC, the kernel will refuse to boot. So, is this Linux's big "Windows 11's force-upgrade moment"? Well, no. Unlike TPM 2.0, TSC has been around for a very long time; since 1993, in fact. So, if your processor was made this side of Intel releasing the first-ever Pentium processors, you're golden. There's no need to worry about it. The reason for this change is likely down to Linux's recent removal of support for very, very old processors. The previous kernel version, Linux 7.1, stopped support for the i486, so it seems that capping processors at TSC compatibility is a clean and easy way to set a cut-off point for legacy support.