AMD's legendary K5, its first independently-designed processor, is being removed from the Linux kernel — 4.3-million-transistor chip gets the axe because ...
tomshardware.com/software/linux/amds-legendary-k5-its-first-independently-designed-processor-is-being-removed-from-the-linux-kernel-4-3-million-transistor-chip-gets-the-axe-because-it-lacks-time-stamp-counter-tsc-support-making-it-a-codin
Story Details
| Last Updated | |
| Total Articles | 2 |
Main Topics
central computer component that executes instructions
Similar to This
Previous
Linux 7.3 is giving my decade-old AMD GPU features it never had on Windows: Linux is doing what Windows won't do.
xda-developers.com/linux-73-is-giving-my-decade-old-amd-gpu-features-it-never-had-on-windows/
Key FactsLinux 7.3 aims to stabilize older AMD GPUs
Aug 29, 2026 · Reading time: ~30 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: xda-developers.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: xda-developers.com
- When VRAM is overcommitted, games use CPU RAM too, with data traveling through the slower PCIe bus.
- Under heavy memory pressure, faulty movement between VRAM and CPU RAM can cause deadlocks and game crashes.
- Natalie Vock adjusted drm_exec and TTM so deadlocks are aborted, requests retried, and evictions managed more intelligently.
- The change is intended for Linux 7.3; the article says Windows has similar technology, but not retroactively for older AMD GPUs.
Linux with new CPU requirement: Nothing will work without TSC in the future: Following Microsoft Windows, Linux is now also making a CPU function a mandatory ...
winfuture.de/news,160659.html
Key FactsLinux 7.2 Requires TSC Support at Boot
Aug 17, 2026 · Reading time: ~30 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: xda-developers.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: xda-developers.com
- Linux kernel 7.2 was released on August 17, 2026, and its changes include a commit making CONFIG_X86_TSC mandatory.
- An x86 processor must therefore support the Time Stamp Counter, or the kernel will refuse to boot.
- Because TSC has existed since 1993, processors made after Intel’s first Pentium models are very likely to meet the requirement, according to the article.
- The article identifies the continued removal of support for very old processors as a likely reason, following Linux 7.1’s discontinuation of i486 support.
Next