Linux 7.3 released with I/O improvements, AMD Zen 6 support, Steam Controller driver
Linux 7.3 kernel ships on schedule with faster I/O for modern systems, AMD Zen 6 platform preparations, a new Steam Controller driver, and improved vRAM management for memory-constrained GPUs.
Summary
Linus Torvalds released Linux 7.3 on schedule. The kernel includes performance-oriented storage improvements, early enablement for AMD's upcoming Zen 6 processors, a kernel driver for the 2026 Steam Controller revision, and better video memory handling for low-VRAM systems. The release also contains firmware workarounds for Samsung 990 PRO and 990 EVO Plus SSDs that incorrectly report capabilities on certain firmware versions, plus a rare fix for SMP boot hangs dating back to 2024.
What's in Linux 7.3
- I/O performance: Faster I/O paths for modern systems, though specific benchmarks or subsystem details are not provided in the source.
- AMD Zen 6: Platform preparation patches landed, indicating early hardware enablement ahead of silicon availability.
- Steam Controller 2026: New kernel driver added for the revised controller hardware expected this year.
- AMD GPU: Improvements for older AMD GPUs and better vRAM management on memory-constrained systems.
- Samsung SSD workarounds: Firmware quirk handling for 990 PRO and 990 EVO Plus drives that misreport capabilities.
- SMP boot fix: Resolves rare boot hangs on symmetric multiprocessing systems, with the bug present since 2024.
Why it matters
The Steam Controller driver addition preserves input hardware compatibility in-kernel rather than relying on user-space workarounds. The Samsung SSD firmware quirk handling prevents data integrity or performance issues for users of popular consumer NVMe drives.
Original reference: www.phoronix.com →