Linux 7.3 brings VRAM spillover for gaming, Apple M3 boot support
Linux kernel 7.3 introduces memory management changes that let games run on GPUs with insufficient VRAM by spilling data to system RAM, alongside initial Apple M3 Pro/Max/Ultra boot support and RISC-V ISA extensions.
Summary
Linux 7.3 arrives two months after 7.2 with performance-focused changes including scheduler improvements for gaming and reduced real-time latency. Valve engineer Natalie Vock's VRAM management work allows games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to run on 8GB cards requesting 9GB, with the full patch set already in SteamOS and partial upstreaming now complete. The release also adds initial Linux boot support for Apple's M3 Pro, Max, and Ultra chips, eleven new RISC-V ISA extensions, and UEFI runtime services for RISC-V power management.
What's in Linux 7.3 for users and developers
- VRAM spillover: Kernel now evicts less-critical GPU data to system RAM when video memory fills; full patches allowed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to run requesting 9GB on an 8GB card
- Radeon GPU hang recovery: Valve's Timur Kristóf narrowed GPU reset to the GFX block only, preserving graphics memory contents
- AMD power management: amd-pstate Dynamic EPP now configurable per-CPU-core instead of system-wide only
- Memory subsystem fixes: KSM lock contention reduced from 705ms worst-case to under 2ms; zsmalloc lock improvements yield 1.83x speedup on Raspberry Pi 4B, 1.4x on 20-core Intel
- Hardware enablement: AMD HSMP protocol v7 for Zen 6 Family 1Ah Model 80H; PMF driver ioctl for device metrics; amd_halo_led driver for Ryzen AI Halo mini PC lighting control
- RISC-V: Eleven new ISA extensions, UEFI runtime services for restart/power-off
- Apple Silicon: Initial M3 Pro/Max/Ultra boot support
- Intel Starfire: First Linux patches for space-grade Panther Lake derivative
- Input devices: logitech-hidpp HID++ 2.0 button remapping; hid-steam 2026 Steam Controller support; Lenovo ThinkPad USB-C Restricted Mode Security
Why it matters
The VRAM spillover work from Valve directly addresses a practical barrier for Linux gaming on mid-range hardware, with SteamOS already shipping the complete patch set. Apple M3 boot support expands viable hardware for Linux users despite Apple's constrained ecosystem, while the RISC-V ISA extension additions continue kernel investment in open architectures.
Original reference: feed.itsfoss.com →