Updating the kernel


Recommended Posts

I plan on updating my Linux Mint 14 desktop to the latest stable linux 3.6.7 kernel. I was just wondering what the pro's and con's are for this? Im currently running kernel 3.5.0-18.

I figured that there might be performance improvements and bug fixes etc. Will this negatively impact my Mint updates etc?

EDIT: on a side note, when I look at my system information it displays 8 cores, one running at the correct 3.1GHz and the other 7 running at 1.6GHz. Is this normal? In the benchmarking software in system information, it displays my CPU as an Intel Celeron M 1.5GHz running at 3.1GHz lol.

It also displays the correct info in System Details as an Intel Core i7 3770s x 8 @ 3.1GHz

So is the system running at the correct speeds?

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1121858-updating-the-kernel/
Share on other sites

It should only affect driver updates, or similar modules that plug directly into the kernel. Userland stuff shouldn't care (unless it needs something in the new kernel, but in that case updating would fix it)

You might always hit new bugs though, I remember the switch from 2.2 to 2.4 caused random apps to crash all the time, but that got fixed through later updates.

I plan on updating my Linux Mint 14 desktop to the latest stable linux 3.6.7 kernel. I was just wondering what the pro's and con's are for this? Im currently running kernel 3.5.0-18.

I figured that there might be performance improvements and bug fixes etc. Will this negatively impact my Mint updates etc?

EDIT: on a side note, when I look at my system information it displays 8 cores, one running at the correct 3.1GHz and the other 7 running at 1.6GHz. Is this normal? In the benchmarking software in system information, it displays my CPU as an Intel Celeron M 1.5GHz running at 3.1GHz lol.

It also displays the correct info in System Details as an Intel Core i7 3770s x 8 @ 3.1GHz

So is the system running at the correct speeds?

The cpu thing sounds like a bug with that benchmarking software, I would not worry.

Ok thanks for the information guys I appreciate it :)

Ill try out some benchmarking software and maybe a VM to see where the CPU speed reporting issue comes from. I am hoping its not an issue with Linux holding back the performance of the CPU.

Just out of curiosity, how are you planning on upgrading the kernel? Does Mint have a repository for the latest stable kernel builds that I don't know about? Are you planning on using the Ubuntu mainline kernel builds or the latest kernel from Debian experimental? Or are you planning on building the latest kernel build yourself?

Just to note, unless Mint provides an official repository for the latest stable kernel, its probably not wise to upgrade unless you have a very specific reason, such as a regression where your e1000e network adapter doesn't connect to your LAN (which has definitely NEVER happened to ME with Ubuntu 9.10!) It can certainly be done, but its not worth it in my experience without a very good reason.

EDIT: on a side note, when I look at my system information it displays 8 cores, one running at the correct 3.1GHz and the other 7 running at 1.6GHz. Is this normal? In the benchmarking software in system information, it displays my CPU as an Intel Celeron M 1.5GHz running at 3.1GHz lol.

It also displays the correct info in System Details as an Intel Core i7 3770s x 8 @ 3.1GHz

So is the system running at the correct speeds?

Like the_decryptor said, this is most likely due to speedstep slowing down the unused cores to save power. It's normal :)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Hello, Were you using a product or service from one of the companies affected by the Klue data breach?  See https://klue.com/blog/an-update-on-recent-klue-security-incident for the company's public statement.  That blog post does not list affected customer. From looking around at reports, I created this list: Gong HackerOne Huntress Insurity Jamf LastPass OneTrust Recorded Future ReliaQuest Salesforce Snyk Sprout Social Tanium It is likely there are other companies affected as well. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky  
    • SpaceX reportedly plans a Starlink mobile service for U.S. consumers by Karthik Mudaliar SpaceX reportedly wants to sell mobile phone plans directly to consumers in the United States as part of a wider expansion of Starlink. According to a report from the Financial Times, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell discussed the plan with investors during the company’s recent IPO roadshow. The company is also said to be considering building a terrestrial mobile network to complement Starlink’s satellite coverage. The plan is quite different from how Starlink currently operates in the U.S. mobile market. SpaceX already provides satellite connectivity for T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service, but T-Mobile remains responsible for the subscription, billing, and customer support. A Starlink-branded mobile service would give SpaceX control of the customer relationship instead. It could also turn the company from a partner of traditional mobile operators into a direct competitor. T-Mobile also began testing its Starlink-powered satellite service in early 2025. The beta was initially limited to text messaging and was also available to some AT&T and Verizon customers. The service has since expanded to support limited data access through selected apps, including WhatsApp, Google Maps, AccuWeather, and AllTrails. It is designed to provide a connection in areas where normal cell towers are unavailable, rather than replace a conventional mobile network. However, if SpaceX actually has a plan to serve nationwide, it needs to do more than just satellite networks and actually support on-ground operations. It can also partner up with existing carriers and become a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). With that said, SpaceX has already spent heavily to support its mobile ambitions. Just last year, the company agreed to acquire wireless spectrum licences from EchoStar in deals worth a combined $19.6 billion. EchoStar's spectrum includes AWS-4, H-Block, and AWS-3 frequencies that could be used for both satellite and terrestrial communications. According to a SpaceX securities filing, the Federal Communications Commission approved the transaction in May 2026, although it is not expected to close until late 2027. There's no official statement by SpaceX for now. Pricing, availability, and other details remain unknown. Source: Financial Times
    • We had no idea as kids how much time and energy it took to be an adult 😅
    • The Trump administration doesn't want you to use OpenAI's GPT-5.6 without its approval by David Uzondu Image via @realDonalTrump (X) As OpenAI prepares the release of its next model, GPT 5.6, the White House has instructed the company to limit the distribution of the software to a small group of government-approved partners instead of the general public, as it has done with previous releases. According to The Information, OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman sent an internal memo to staff on Thursday explaining that the federal government will approve access "customer by customer" during an initial preview phase. Altman noted in the communication that this restrictive rollout is "not [their] long-term model" for software deployment, and the company plans to work toward a "more sustainable" distribution method later. CNN said that both OpenAI and the Trump administration view the capabilities of GPT 5.6 on the same level as Anthropic's Mythos and that government officials intend to "collaborate with frontier AI labs to develop shared approaches for addressing the challenges of scaling this technology." The latest restriction comes just weeks after the US Commerce Department decided to restrict Fable, a version of Mythos with extra safety "guardrails" to prevent users from exploiting software vulnerabilities. Not long after the release, though, researchers at Amazon found a way to bypass these restrictions, prompting an aggressive response from federal authorities. The government ordered Anthropic to cut off access for non-US citizens located outside the US, non-US citizens living inside the US, and incredibly, even Anthropic's own foreign-born employees. Anthropic now appears to be building a workaround to resolve this compliance block with an update to its Privacy Policy that introduces a category called "Verification Data" to handle KYC and Digital IDs. This setup could mandate digital identity checks to filter users by nationality, requiring a government-issued ID and facial biometric data. Who knows? Maybe in the future, you would have to scan your US Passport or State ID to prove your citizenship before you are allowed to chat with Fable 5 (or any other model).
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      xvvxcvv earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      xvvxcvv earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Enthusiast
      Xonos went up a rank
      Enthusiast
    • Conversation Starter
      Admir earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      The_Focal_Point earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      400
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      170
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      127
    4. 4
      neufuse
      69
    5. 5
      Xenon
      66
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!