Should I update the kernel in CentOS 7 from 3.10 to branch 4?

Question

linux

There was an obsession about a fresh kernel on a production server running on CentOS 7. For example, the 4.4 kernel (judging by the tests, it is much more optimized than 3.10).
What do you think, is this a sound idea?
Configuration: i7 6th generation (skylake) - esxi 6.0 - guest vm - nginx/fpm/mariadb/php5.4 :D/redis/node 6.x

Answer 1

It makes sense if you need some very specific things from the kernel, for example:
- Support for certain hardware
- Optimization of a specific fs, such as btrfs
- Software based on specific kernel functions, such as
docker If you mentioned that you have skylake, then older versions of the kernel have problems with power management on this processor family.
And since the 3.10 kernel on CentOS7 is officially considered stable, security updates continue to be released for it.

Answer 2

On combat - better not :) On cats you can.