For individuals utilizing a new AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series setup, the recently launched Linux 6.7 stable kernel appears to offer notable advantages, particularly evident on the Threadripper 7980X processor when evaluated on the freshly introduced System76 Thelio Major.
When it comes to AI workloads such as TensorFlow and OpenVINO, a noticeable enhancement in performance was observed upon transitioning from Linux 6.6 to 6.7. Improvements were also noted in code compilation speed and various other aspects. This positive outcome was unexpected, as the initial intention was to assess the performance under the in-progress Linux 6.8 kernel on the System76 Thelio Major. While this evaluation is still ongoing, the unexpected performance boost with Linux 6.7 certainly merits attention.
The sole modification undertaken was the upgrade of Pop!_OS 22.04 from its default Linux 6.6 kernel to the Linux 6.7 kernel provided by the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel PPA.
Here is a direct comparison following the kernel upgrade:
The performance disparity with the Linux 6.7 kernel implementation on Pop_OS! with the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X workstation is striking.
After conducting nearly 100 tests, Linux 6.7 emerged as the clear victor over Linux 6.6.
Based on the geometric mean of these nearly 100 tests, the Threadripper 7980X workstation exhibited an almost 8% improvement in speed when operating on the Linux 6.7 kernel build sourced from the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel PPA, with no other alterations. This unexpected outcome has prompted further testing on additional systems to gauge the extent of these performance enhancements with version 6.7.
For those interested in exploring the complete set of Linux 6.6 versus 6.7 kernel benchmarks derived from the Threadripper 7980X evaluation on the System76 Thelio Major, detailed data points can be accessed here.
