Linux 7.3 Released With Major AMD Gaming Enhancements, File System Upgrades, and Apple Silicon Support

Linus Torvalds has officially announced the release of Linux 7.3, marking the arrival of a robust new mainline kernel that serves as the foundation for the upcoming Ubuntu 26.10 operating system. Delivering a sweeping array of performance upgrades, hardware enablement additions, and architectural refinements, Linux 7.3 shapes up to be another massive update for the open-source operating system. It is also widely expected to transition into the next Long Term Support (LTS) kernel release lifecycle.

Writing on the Linux kernel mailing list, Torvalds maintained his characteristic lighthearted tone regarding the development cycle, noting, "It’s Sunday afternoon, and this week I somehow kept my wits together long enough to keep track of the day of the week, so the release isn’t randomly delayed. Will wonders never cease?"

Statistics compiled from LWN highlight the sheer scale of the collaborative effort behind Linux 7.3, which incorporated 18,765 non-merge commits contributed by more than 3,000 developers. Notably, this release saw 807 first-time kernel developers join the project, representing a sizeable uptick in new contributors helping shape the core of the operating system.

Linux 7.3 Features

Better AMD Performance With Low VRAM

For users running AMD graphics cards with limited video memory, Linux 7.3 introduces sophisticated resource allocation changes designed to handle tight memory constraints far more gracefully. Under previous kernel iterations, when VRAM filled up during multi-application workflows, the system allocated space strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. This approach often meant that graphically intensive tasks launched later, such as a video game, could be abruptly pushed out of faster VRAM and into system RAM via GTT, degrading performance significantly.

The new kernel addresses this bottleneck by allowing the system to actively evict unprotected background data belonging to other applications out of VRAM. This frees up crucial space for high-priority tasks requiring protected memory, such as an active gaming session.

Engineered by Valve’s Natalie Vock, testing with titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle demonstrated that the optimization allows demanding games to run smoothly on an 8-gigabyte GPU, even when graphical settings push memory demands toward 9 gigabytes of VRAM. Developers note this is merely the first phase of ongoing VRAM management overhauls slated for upcoming kernel cycles.

Older AMD GPU and CPU Fixes

Continuing a sustained multi-kernel push to refine support for legacy hardware, Linux 7.3 delivers important tune-ups for older AMD graphics cards and processors. Digital Rights Management (DRM) format modifiers—effectively labels describing the layout of image buffers—are now supported on AMD Radeon graphics cards stretching back to the HD 7000 series, which utilizes the GCN 1.0 architecture. This change enhances performance in specific scenarios and improves compatibility with modern Vulkan-based Wayland compositors.

On the processor front, older AMD Athlon XP processors, alongside select legacy Intel Pentium III and Celeron CPUs, can now correctly leverage the SFENCE instruction for memory-write ordering without requiring SSE2 capabilities. This adjustment resolves an incorrect architectural requirement enforced by earlier kernel versions. Additional hardware work included in the release focuses largely on unreleased components, keeping the primary emphasis firmly on tangible improvements for existing user hardware.

Faster cgroup CPU Scheduling

Linux 7.3 completely reorganizes how the kernel shares CPU time between competing applications and background services, with the ultimate goal of preserving overall system responsiveness under heavy loads. The updated scheduler dynamically allocates CPU time across groups of processes running primarily on the CPU and consolidates control groups (cgroups) into a single run queue to minimize operational latency. A new concur mode has been established as the default behavior, though administrators retain the option to revert to legacy configurations if necessary.

In the release cover note, maintainers indicated that the new default was chosen with the expectation that it would "serve more people than it hurts." Cgroup scheduling has historically been a focal point for user complaints regarding system sluggishness, making these efficiency gains a welcome relief.

Early benchmark testing conducted by scheduler maintainer Peter Zijlstra showcased dramatic improvements, with one tested game seeing minimum frame rates skyrocket from 3.8 frames per second to 20.6 frames per second while running simultaneously alongside eight heavy background processes. Average frame rates for the same scenario similarly jumped from 48 frames per second to 57.2 frames per second.

Faster Ext4 Reads and Writes

Ext4, which serves as the default file system for distributions like Ubuntu, receives a comprehensive suite of performance enhancements in Linux 7.3. Parallel direct input/output writes that bypass the page cache execute significantly faster, accompanied by performance gains for the fallocate() system call and the resolution of an existing buffered-write regression. Furthermore, both ext4 and XFS file systems deliver accelerated speeds for small, direct disk reads.

Independent benchmarks conducted by a ByteDance engineer utilizing a high-speed PCIe Gen5 NVMe solid-state drive revealed that 4K random-read performance surged from 1.92 million operations per second to 2.19 million operations per second. Even higher throughput gains were observed when leveraging io_uring to manage multiple asynchronous read requests concurrently.

Storage flexibility is further expanded through driver updates. The ntfs3 driver gains foundational support for alternate data streams, a native Windows feature permitting files to store supplementary metadata alongside their primary contents. Meanwhile, the newer ntfs driver, which has remained optional since the release of Linux 7.1, introduces read-only support for Windows overlay filter compression.

Steam Controller, MSI Claw, and More Hardware Support

Hardware compatibility receives a massive expansion in Linux 7.3, headlined by an initial driver for the 2026 iteration of the Steam Controller, alongside a dedicated MSI Claw gamepad driver contributed by Valve. The driver for the original Steam Controller is also updated to poll additional internal sensors.

Audio peripherals and input devices benefit from numerous targeted additions. The HyperX QuadCast 2 USB microphone now accurately reports its hardware mute status, while the kernel gracefully handles hot-plugging events for the microphone on the Logitech PRO X Wireless headset. The broader Logitech HID driver stack gains support for HID++ 2.0 reprogrammable buttons, a feature that owners of the Logitech Signature M650 mouse will immediately appreciate.

Professional and niche hardware is also represented. The high-end Pioneer DJ DJM-S11 two-channel DJ mixer gains native USB audio support, USB passthrough issues on the M-Audio Venom synthesizer are resolved, and internal microphones are now correctly detected on TongFang XxAF5xxx-based TUXEDO laptops.

To prevent persistent configuration errors, the kernel now validates USB-C cable capabilities for alternate modes, such as DisplayPort and Thunderbolt functionality, before attempting to initialize them. This proactive check eliminates common failures where unsupported cables were erroneously assumed to handle advanced protocols.

Motherboard hardware monitoring is expanded to report thermal and voltage sensors on additional ASUS platforms, including the ProArt Z690-CREATOR WIFI and the ROG CROSSHAIR X870E HERO. Realtek rounds out the networking updates with initial support for the 8922DE and 8922DE-VS PCI Wi-Fi adapters.

Apple M3 Pro, Max, and Ultra Support

Preliminary bring-up support for Apple’s M3 Pro, M3 Max, and M3 Ultra processors arrives in this release cycle, following Linux 7.2’s introduction of basic support for the entry-level M3 chip. Developers caution that this architecture support remains in its infancy and is not yet as immediately functional or polished as the mature kernel support found for Apple’s M1 and M2 series hardware.

In other Apple-centric updates, the kernel’s built-in ksmbd SMB file server gains optional support for Apple Time Machine protocols. This enhancement allows macOS users to seamlessly leverage Linux-based network storage shares for routine system backups. Additionally, Apple’s Studio Display now operates reliably alongside AMD graphics hardware, as the AMDGPU display core driver properly handles the monitor’s dual-stream technology. Desktop window compositors no longer misidentify the Studio Display’s tiled 5K panel as two separate, independent screens.

The kernel also incorporates a substantial volume of language model-assisted code additions designed to help hypervisors track virtual machine memory usage efficiently. By marking idle memory page ranges as "no access," systems can successfully reclaim cold pages and optimize overall host memory utilization.

How to Get Linux 7.3 on Ubuntu

Ubuntu 26.10 ships with Linux 7.3 included directly out of the box, and existing installations will receive the final release package through standard system software updates over the coming weeks. Users operating Ubuntu 26.04 LTS will obtain this kernel version as part of the scheduled Hardware Enablement (HWE) update scheduled for early 2027.

While users on alternate Ubuntu releases can manually install Linux 7.3 using Canonical’s mainline kernel builds, administrators advise caution. These mainline builds lack specific Ubuntu patches and specialized hardware drivers, come without formal support, and do not receive routine security updates. For stable production environments, users are advised to maintain their current kernels unless specific hardware requirements necessitate an upgrade.

The development window for Linux 7.4 opens immediately, setting the stage for the next wave of open-source kernel engineering.