Damn…Now i want to try it too with my i9! 
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After talking to damentz and heftig, it looks like these patches might be included in linux-zen with the 5.8.6 release.
pre-release linux-zen 5.8.6
I’ve compiled a pre-release and put it here:
https://repo.m2x.dev/current/extra/x86_64/linux-zen-5.8.6.zen0-0-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
https://repo.m2x.dev/current/extra/x86_64/linux-zen-headers-5.8.6.zen0-0-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
Gone, 5.8.6.zen1-1 is available
(there’s a corresponding .sig too if you want to validate the packages or install directly using pacman -U)
PKGBUILD: https://gitlab.com/m2x.dev/overlay/linux-zen/-/commit/f86cdf2de706eaea410527122f800bfee95dc9a8
Rebooting to test. 
Edit: Reboot was OK, now to see if it has the same freezes that I saw with -lqx 5.8.5…
Edit 2: So far so good with NFS, let’s try with VirtualBox.
Edit 3: OK, looks good to me. I think this is a keeper.
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they are many patches in 5.8.6
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/stable-queue.git/log/
Not wanting to be awkward, but am not sure if I’m misunderstanding something about clearlinux packages … Intel’s distro is proprietary, so these patches might contain at least some proprietary? Plus, am running an all-AMD desktop, and have been using the zen kernel from April. This kernel could now end up slowing down the system from v5.8.6, once these patches are put into the zen kernel?
These are patches from the Clear Linux kernel, not packages from the distro.
It’s an open-source Linux distribution: https://clearlinux.org/
No, they are open-source patches which are accessible for everyone to view and use (according to the normal license etc.)
No, the patches might have additional optimisations for Intel CPUs but they will benefit all CPUs in some way. Patches which reduce performance aren’t going to be added, and if they did somehow reduce performance then they would be removed.
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Thanks for your answer. Much appreciate. Still wary of Intel additions to the Zen, and, although I understand what you’re saying about non-degradation, I don’t like Intel or see the point of running a kernel including such patches. Bit of a Cloud/Edge focus on their page, plus a Terms of Use/no liability for damages, and wide range of licenses. Open source isn’t necessarily entirely clean, and I’d seen reports when Clear Linux was released that it wasn’t clean. Of course everyone can choose to run what they like, but I’m just glad you’ve highlighted this issue via posting, and, tbh, wasn’t really seeing any performance benefit from Zen already.
Intel is one of the largest contributors of open source software, including the kernel.
If you don’t trust them then you shouldn’t be using Intel components like CPUs or GPUs or USB controllers or wifi or Ethernet or… After all, who do you think wrote the Linux drivers for them? 
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Not stupid; just a preference for privacy. And if I can minimize Intel content via not running the Zen kernel, that’s a plus. I’m not up to running a BSD, at least at this point, if that has less Intel etc (I don’t know), so am left with no alternative but to be stuck with how things are at this point regarding kernel contributors, but do what I can to minimize. And I’m all AMD, no Intel anything.
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In continuation of Jonathon’s post above, many big corporations are contributing to the kernel. That includes Intel, but also AMD, Huawei, Facebook, Google, you know, all the firms that one is supposed to hate
As for the kernels, I don’t use zen, but it is very good that it is available in the repos as the developers get more feedback and as a result put more effort in improving it.
Everyone who is interested in kernel development - even if you cannot code! - should however try to build their own kernel if the hardware allows it. You learn a lot but it is very time consuming.
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*Removing Linux*
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I always find it unpleasant when the response is to double down on emphasizing what someone is clearly not comfortable with. And, regarding feeding back to zen devs, surely it would already be understood that adding more Intel content is going to mean AMD users of the zen kernel have more reason to drop using the Zen kernel, as would those who prefer minimal Intel involvement. I can’t see a reason to feedback, as an AMD user, when the issue is Intel patches being added, with no thought as to whether someone is wanting to maintain as clean a system as possible. Pushing Intel and performance, over a more clean option, makes it a straightforward decision to stop using the Zen kernel. Intel may well contribute open source, but open source isn’t always clean, and, as I’ve said above, the Clear Linux distro isn’t reputed to be clean.
I’ll never be anywhere near building a kernel, and my time is needed for other matters, but, if someone has the time and ability to do such things, power to them!
If Intel writes OSS software that makes their hardware run better, more power to them. AMD and every other hardware vendor is free to do the same.
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I would be a lot more leery of their compilers than their code! All the code gets seen, after all - though to varying degrees…
Yes, I realise the code is seen (although ‘varying degrees’ is concerning, lol … and anti-Linux), but the attitude of those pushing Intel content, against those who prefer not to have that included, just gives far more cause for concern, and adds further credibility to doubts.
I did reply directly to you @freebird54, but, as soon as I posted, the quote vanished.
I suspect that many of those protesting specifically-sourced content rarely know which things derive from whom. On top of that, often it is the coder, not the code that is ‘contributed’ - which usually leads to good results.
On my new AMD laptop, the standard arch kernel just ran better than the zen, especially when zen went to the early 5.8 series. Back when I was building baytrail kernels, I never noticed a perceptible improvement with liquorix over the standard kernels. It seems that the “improvements” only really shine when the system is maxed out, which is not my typical use case. My true bottleneck is my ISP.
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Yes, new AMD here, but desktop, and back in April the Zen did seem to make some difference, but not now, as you’re referencing, plus aco is due to be active in mainline mesa too, so it’s really cool that running the standard kernel and mesa now ends up covering the gaps the alternatives were covering. Someone doing intense gaming or graphics such as Blender may see a more obvious difference running zen or liquorix, definitely, but experiencing no issue at all with GPU use for art programs via using the standard kernel.
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Just for some more context about how these patches don’t negatively impact AMD CPUs:
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Do you know if they merged these optimizations to the zen kernel? 5.8.6 is out.
I have a i7700, with SMT disabled due to security concerns, spectre meltdown patched, any gain in performance would be much appreciated 
Yes, they’re in linux-zen 5.8.6 and 5.8.7.
Essentially (and as far as I can currently tell), linux-zen and linux-lqx have the same patches, but linux-zen uses an Arch-like kernel config and linux-lqx uses a Debian-like kernel config.
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