diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/mwait.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/mwait.h
index 29dd27b5a339..3a8fdf881313 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/mwait.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/mwait.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 #define MWAIT_SUBSTATE_SIZE		4
 #define MWAIT_HINT2CSTATE(hint)		(((hint) >> MWAIT_SUBSTATE_SIZE) & MWAIT_CSTATE_MASK)
 #define MWAIT_HINT2SUBSTATE(hint)	((hint) & MWAIT_CSTATE_MASK)
+#define MWAIT_C1_SUBSTATE_MASK  0xf0
 
 #define CPUID_MWAIT_LEAF		5
 #define CPUID5_ECX_EXTENSIONS_SUPPORTED 0x1
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/process.c b/arch/x86/kernel/process.c
index dca2e5e2fae2..5cbfbe566270 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/process.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/process.c
@@ -813,28 +813,43 @@ static void amd_e400_idle(void)
 }
 
 /*
- * Intel Core2 and older machines prefer MWAIT over HALT for C1.
- * We can't rely on cpuidle installing MWAIT, because it will not load
- * on systems that support only C1 -- so the boot default must be MWAIT.
+ * Prefer MWAIT over HALT if MWAIT is supported, MWAIT_CPUID leaf
+ * exists and whenever MONITOR/MWAIT extensions are present there is at
+ * least one C1 substate.
  *
- * Some AMD machines are the opposite, they depend on using HALT.
- *
- * So for default C1, which is used during boot until cpuidle loads,
- * use MWAIT-C1 on Intel HW that has it, else use HALT.
+ * Do not prefer MWAIT if MONITOR instruction has a bug or idle=nomwait
+ * is passed to kernel commandline parameter.
  */
 static int prefer_mwait_c1_over_halt(const struct cpuinfo_x86 *c)
 {
+	u32 eax, ebx, ecx, edx;
+
 	/* User has disallowed the use of MWAIT. Fallback to HALT */
 	if (boot_option_idle_override == IDLE_NOMWAIT)
 		return 0;
 
-	if (c->x86_vendor != X86_VENDOR_INTEL)
+	/* MWAIT is not supported on this platform. Fallback to HALT */
+	if (!cpu_has(c, X86_FEATURE_MWAIT))
 		return 0;
 
-	if (!cpu_has(c, X86_FEATURE_MWAIT) || boot_cpu_has_bug(X86_BUG_MONITOR))
+	/* Monitor has a bug. Fallback to HALT */
+	if (boot_cpu_has_bug(X86_BUG_MONITOR))
 		return 0;
 
-	return 1;
+	cpuid(CPUID_MWAIT_LEAF, &eax, &ebx, &ecx, &edx);
+
+	/*
+	 * If MWAIT extensions are not available, it is safe to use MWAIT
+	 * with EAX=0, ECX=0.
+	 */
+	if (!(ecx & CPUID5_ECX_EXTENSIONS_SUPPORTED))
+		return 1;
+
+	/*
+	 * If MWAIT extensions are available, there should be at least one
+	 * MWAIT C1 substate present.
+	 */
+	return (edx & MWAIT_C1_SUBSTATE_MASK);
 }
 
 /*