What do the v3 and v4 in the architectures mean?

Using x86-64-v3 or x86-64-v4 packages in CachyOS can significantly boost performance in Linux. Here’s a simplified explanation:

• x86-64-v3: This level is optimized for CPUs from around 2013 (Intel Haswell or AMD Excavator and newer). It uses advanced instructions like AVX, AVX2, BMI1, BMI2, F16C, FMA, LZCNT, MOVBE, and XSAVE. These instructions allow the CPU to perform more tasks efficiently, resulting in a 10-30% performance increase compared to the standard x86-64 architecture.

• x86-64-v4: This is the highest level and requires support for AVX-512 instructions. It is compatible with newer CPUs like Intel Skylake and AMD Zen 4. This level provides even more advanced optimizations, particularly for modern Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC/AMD Ryzen systems, leading to further performance enhancements.

By using these optimized packages, you can take advantage of the advanced instructions available on newer CPUs, which can lead to faster execution of tasks and improved overall system performance.