Performance difference between kernel versions

RetroArch Linux devices
#1

I use Linux Mint 22 and I noticed that in one game (Tiny Toon Adventures - Acme Allstars, NTSC, Blastem core) in soccer field 5, which is the most demanding, there is a sequence after scoring, that causes lag due to Raster vfx. Sound is also affected. But only for a few seconds. The short sound distortion is not native to the MD hardware but happens in Retroarch This when using Kernel 6.8.49 native to Mint. However when using latest Liquorix kernel 6.11.11, the short vfx and sound delay is missing all together and that stage plays smooth, with the native delay of the MD.

Initially I decided to remove Liquorix and use only 6.8,but after noticing the delay, I reinstalled it.

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#2

The kernel is in charge of the drivers, among other things, it may have updated some that give you better performance.

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#3

Linux Mint uses the Ubuntu kernel, which is very close to the vanilla official Linux one. That being said, they’re generic kernels, not optimized for any specific task, as they could be employed in very different scenarios; that’s default behavior for servers, in which Linux excels.

Liquorix, among other custom kernels, has a focus in mind: the average end user, who will be using their machine to browse the web, play multimedia files and games, and expect a responsive machine overall, even if maximum throughput is lowered. That’s why it performs better on your machine.

If your PC was more powerful, you’d notice no difference. However, it seems that running RetroArch puts some strain on your device, so the extra help from Liquorix is meaningful and alleviates the issue. You can keep using the custom kernel, as long as it does not cause you any unintended side effects.

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#4

Surprising, I am getting better performance overall and in emulation.

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