What Kernel are you guys using?
What Kernel are you guys using?
What Kernel are you guys using?
I have seen some people claiming that custom kernels like zen cachyos offer better battery life and performance.
Is it true ?
8 comments
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Hello, I use the Linux-Libre kernel. As for the claims, I haven't heard any distro-specific kernel before, but it might be. After all, the Linux kernel is GPL, so I wouldn't be surprised if users edited/removed/added code for better battery life / performance, but the real question isn't if it's true, it's "Is this worth my time?" Recompiling the kernel is a hastle, so it's best to research how much you will gain by switching on your specific hardware before you actually switch. Another thing to keep in mind is how much experience you have with documentation. When I started using GNU+Linux, I would do such things and be surprised it didn't work after copying someone on peertube. I'm not saying you can't watch tutorials, just don't rely on them too much, and always double check information if you are going to use one.
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The question is this: if your distribution already provides a working kernel, and the battery life and performance are acceptable, why waste your time recompiling a new kernel?
Compiling your Linux kernel used to be mandatory, precisely because Linux was so fast moving and because hardware management was poor. This is (mostly) not the case anymore.
Use the kernel provided by your distribution, and let them worry about updating testing and securing it.
I say this as someone who used to compile kernels, to support all the hardware in my servers. I don't do this anymore, and I haven't done this since 2010 or so.
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Thank you.
I do some gaming and video editing. So, any extra performance would be great. 😅
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If that's the case, my advice is to spend some time to understand the finer point of kernel configuration and compiling, and to compile a kernel as stripped down as possible. Hint : 'dmesg' and 'make menuconfig' are your friends.
Include only the drivers you know you need, and especially network, graphical card, and sound card, and make sure you target your CPU architecture. Then, and only then, can you start including fancy configurations like the ones you mentioned.
Finally, consider adding as much memory and SSDs in your configuration as possible, as these usually have a huge impact on performance.
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Work PC: 6.1.0-12-amd64 (LMDE 6)
Personal: 6.8.0-38-generic (Mint 22)Both are laptops. Both kernels from mainline. Both work fine, so I don't see any point in fudging around now that I found setup that work well for what I do.
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Thank you.
I do some gaming and video editing. So, any extra performance would be great. 😅
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I've never heard of "zen" or "cachyos" -seems to be some distro-specific optimization- and my computer doesn't have a battery apart from the CR3232 for the RTC. I'm not quite sure what you mean with "battery life" - some policy for charging and discharging to enhance you battery's overall durability or power saving and frequency throttling for longer time between recharges, but both are happening mostly in userspace.
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Thank you.
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