diff --git a/drivers/timer/Kconfig b/drivers/timer/Kconfig
index 45a256a35fe458142ef9437d873eef36738b055e..d012cf71a96a5e28282006ce7e1d973469d9def2 100644
--- a/drivers/timer/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/timer/Kconfig
@@ -82,6 +82,16 @@ config X86_TSC_TIMER
 	help
 	  Select this to enable Time-Stamp Counter (TSC) timer for x86.
 
+config X86_TSC_TIMER_EARLY_FREQ
+	int "x86 TSC timer frequency in MHz when used as the early timer"
+	depends on X86_TSC_TIMER
+	default 1000
+	help
+	  Sets the estimated CPU frequency in MHz when TSC is used as the
+	  early timer and the frequency can neither be calibrated via some
+	  hardware ways, nor got from device tree at the time when device
+	  tree is not available yet.
+
 config OMAP_TIMER
 	bool "Omap timer support"
 	depends on TIMER
diff --git a/drivers/timer/tsc_timer.c b/drivers/timer/tsc_timer.c
index 6473de20f1300019f3539f767d741b1c5ac7a6f9..da7c812908bd02ce0a47d9646a1f5d476a513a35 100644
--- a/drivers/timer/tsc_timer.c
+++ b/drivers/timer/tsc_timer.c
@@ -341,7 +341,7 @@ static int tsc_timer_get_count(struct udevice *dev, u64 *count)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void tsc_timer_ensure_setup(bool stop)
+static void tsc_timer_ensure_setup(bool early)
 {
 	if (gd->arch.tsc_base)
 		return;
@@ -362,8 +362,8 @@ static void tsc_timer_ensure_setup(bool stop)
 		if (fast_calibrate)
 			goto done;
 
-		if (stop)
-			panic("TSC frequency is ZERO");
+		if (early)
+			fast_calibrate = CONFIG_X86_TSC_TIMER_EARLY_FREQ;
 		else
 			return;