Asus has kept its promise it seems and has started rolling out Windows 11-compatible firmware, at least for its Z270 series motherboards for Intel 6th and 7th gen processors. The company had earlier released a list of motherboard chipsets that according to it already had the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 module and technically should be able to run Windows 11.
Among that list of chipsets was Intel's Z270, which is Intel's flagship chipset for the socket LGA1151. LGA1151 is the predecessor of the firm's current LGA1200 socket that goes with the 11th gen Rocket Lake-S processors. The LGA1151 socket supports Intel's 6th gen (Skylake-S) and 7th gen (Kaby Lake-S) processors.
About a week ago and rather quietly one might add, the firm has released the latest BIOS version 1501 on some of its ROG Z270 motherboards. On some models like the Z270F GAMING, the 1501 firmware is still labeled as "Beta Version" as it is "still undergoing final testing before its official release".
On others, however, like the MAXIMUS IX FORMULA, this seems to be the final version and the BIOS is described as:
Support Windows 11 by default, no settings changes required in the UEFI BIOS.
Essentially the latest firmware will now enable the TPM or in this case, Intel's PTT (Platform Trust Technology) in the BIOS by default.
There could be other motherboard models too including from other manufacturers which now have compatible firmware available. Interested users will have to look up that information in their respective motherboard model's support section.
If you're unsure what your motherboard model is, you can try running "msinfo32" or "System Information" to find that. Third-party tools like CPU-Z, or Piriform's Speccy, among others, can also be used to look it up.
Interestingly, while Microsoft had stated in its original Windows 11 minimum requirements that only 8th gen and newer Intel processors would be compatible with its next OS, the company later said that it was testing potential compatibility with Windows 11 on 6th gen Skylake and 7th gen Kaby Lake processors as well.
The official list from Microsoft however still doesn't have the Skylake and Kaby Lake CPUs listed but that list was updated even before its second statement was released. So it's possible that the firm is still testing things out and may update the list later.
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