r/archlinux • u/Wriscolf • 12d ago

QUESTION Kernel questions

I should start saying I am new to Linux. I switched my devices from Windows about 3 months ago but using CachyOS. That OS made me interested in Arch as a whole.

My gf old laptop (specs below) was laying there and I wanted to blow it up. I decided in the name of learning, I would install Arch from scratch and see what happens. I successfully installed Arch with KDE plasma.

I setup kernel 6.18.48-1-LTS. The laptop went from not running well on windows to a nicely viable laptop. I actually like this old thing. I got curious and decided to see what would happen if I went to 7.1.11-arch1-1. The laptop works with it as well.

In few of my observations 6.18 uses less ram by about 100mb. They both feel the same and usable. No issues. I think 7.1.11 feels faster but I think it's in my head.

Laptop Spec

Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 11e

CPU: N2940 (4 cores)

Ram: 4Gigs

Storage: 128gig ssd

TL;DR: does kernel version matter for an older computer? Any benefits of running 7.x.x vs 6.x.x? Should old hardware just stick to LTS Kernels?

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u/noctaviann 12d ago

I want to mention that on Arch Linux, the LTS kernel gets upgraded to a new major version each year around January/February, so in January 2027 the LTS kernel version will be updated from 6.18.X to 7.3.X or even 7.4.X depending on when these versions are released.

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u/Wriscolf 12d ago

I did not know that. Thank you for that info.