| Introduction | The Linux 6.5 kernel has been launched, and this update builds on the Linux 6.4 kernel, bringing noteworthy changes and new features. |
Linus Torvalds said it was a relatively smooth launch:
Nothing unusual or surprising happened last week, so there's no reason to delay the release of version 6.5.
I still have this concern, which seems to be partly due to the fact that many people are on vacation, which is partly responsible for the overall calmer situation. But the launch is going well so far, so maybe I'm just overthinking it. The biggest update last week was just a few revisions to our self-test.
Linux kernel 6.5: What's new?
It should be noted that the version released this time is not a long-term support (LTS) version. If you expect to use the latest features, then this version is for you. Otherwise, there is no need to upgrade unless this version solves a specific problem you are concerned about or can effectively improve performance.
Here are the main highlights of the new kernel release:
- Plug-and-play support for AMD FreeSync video
- AMD CPU enables P-State active mode by default
- Initial support for USB4 v2 and WiFi 7
- ASUS ROG Ally sound optimization
Out-of-the-box AMD FreeSync video support
One great feature reintroduced in this release is AMD FreeSync video mode support, which is turned on by default. This feature was first introduced in Linux kernel version 5.8 and was later rolled back due to errors.
When AMD FreeSync mode is enabled, you can significantly reduce screen tearing and lag in games and videos by matching your monitor's refresh rate to your graphics card's frame rate.
To describe it in technical terms, when it was first released in Linux kernel version 5.8, it was described as:
This patchset enables the FreeSync video mode usage scenario so that userspace can request a FreeSync-compatible video mode, so switching to this mode does not trigger a black screen.
This is great for both content creators and gamers.
But be aware that you'll need a FreeSync-compatible monitor and graphics card to take full advantage of it.
AMD CPU enables P-State active mode by default
Modern AMD CPUs, especially those built on the Zen 2 and newer architecture, will use amd-pstate as the CPU performance tuning driver by default. Previously, CPUFreq was responsible for the frequency adjustment mechanism of the CPU by default.
amd-pstate now offers three modes: active, passive, and guided autonomous. In this release, active mode is enabled by default, replacing the booted autonomous mode used in the previous Linux kernel 6.4 release.
According to some benchmark test results of Phoronix, it is found that the performance of amd-pstate is better than CPUFreq.
You can refer to this submission for more details.
ASUS ROG Ally sound optimization
ASUS ROG Ally is a Windows handheld gaming computer powered by AMD Z1 and Z1 Extreme SoCs. It competes directly with the very well-known Steam Deck. It was released in July of this year.
Gamers using Linux who own an ASUS ROG Ally can expect to see a patch released for the system's audio devices, thanks to this commit.
Initial support for USB4 v2 & WiFi 7
Development on the next generation wireless standard - WiFi 7 - has been underway for some time. WiFi 7 supports the 6Ghz frequency band, with a maximum data transmission rate of 23 Gbps!
At the same time, development work on the next generation USB4 standard has also begun. USB4 supports data transfer rates of 80 Gbps!
Early support for both has been baked into the Linux 6.5 kernel through this merge of WiFi and a pull request for WiFi 7.
️ Other changes and improvements
In addition to the main highlights, there are a few updates worth mentioning:
- Scaling fixes for Intel P-State CPUs
- Performance improvements to Btrfs, and other storage optimizations
- Added Rumble support for latest Xbox controllers
- Overclocking support for AMD Radeon RX 7000 series graphics cards
- Various optimizations and improvements to AMD and Intel graphics drivers
- As always, more Rust code transformations
The official release announcement will give a summary since the last release candidate. If you're interested in the technical details, check out the changelog.
Install Linux kernel 6.5
If you use a rolling update distribution like Arch, you can easily upgrade to Linux kernel 6.5. These distributions provide the latest kernels some time after a new version is released.
On the other hand, users of Ubuntu and its derivatives can look forward to seeing this Linux kernel release in the Ubuntu 23.10 version. If you are using a distribution like Pop OS and Linux Lite, you may see this version of the kernel released earlier.
But if you want to give it a quick try on an Ubuntu-based system, you can follow our guide (please note, do this at your own risk!).
You can download the latest Linux kernel Tarball on its official website ( it may take some time to download after release ).
Feel free to share your thoughts on the latest kernel release in the comments section.