Will using kernel 2.6.24 make my laptop faster?

[Amit Uttamchandani <atu13439@csun.edu>]

Hey guys,

I apologize for the fairly primitive question. But I have been fairly curious as to the advantages of compiling the most recent kernels.

As I understand, the new kernel has a new scheduler (CFS). Haven't seen much benchmarks but the early ones I have seen showed some fairly decent performance gains.

Next, I am using Debian Etch on a old 500MHz PPC system. Thus, if there any performance improvements, they probably would be noticeable on old system like this.

And finally, there should be no risks in compiling a new kernel right? If I am not mistaken, I can choose (at start-up) which one to boot from.

Actually one more thing, any benefits to doing this? Besides the geek satisfaction that all of us get from compiling a new kernel.

Thanks,
Amit