diff --git a/arch/um/Makefile b/arch/um/Makefile
index dbeab15e7bb7c..ca40397017b98 100644
--- a/arch/um/Makefile
+++ b/arch/um/Makefile
@@ -77,7 +77,6 @@ include $(srctree)/$(ARCH_DIR)/Makefile-os-$(OS)
 KERNEL_DEFINES = $(strip -Derrno=kernel_errno -Dsigprocmask=kernel_sigprocmask \
 			 -Dmktime=kernel_mktime $(ARCH_KERNEL_DEFINES))
 KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(KERNEL_DEFINES)
-KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option,-fno-unit-at-a-time,)
 
 PHONY += linux
 
diff --git a/arch/um/Makefile-i386 b/arch/um/Makefile-i386
index 561e373bd8500..302cbe504543c 100644
--- a/arch/um/Makefile-i386
+++ b/arch/um/Makefile-i386
@@ -32,4 +32,11 @@ cflags-y += $(call cc-option,-mpreferred-stack-boundary=2)
 # an unresolved reference.
 cflags-y += -ffreestanding
 
+# Disable unit-at-a-time mode on pre-gcc-4.0 compilers, it makes gcc use
+# a lot more stack due to the lack of sharing of stacklots.  Also, gcc
+# 4.3.0 needs -funit-at-a-time for extern inline functions.
+KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(shell if [ $(call cc-version) -lt 0400 ] ; then \
+			echo $(call cc-option,-fno-unit-at-a-time); \
+			else echo $(call cc-option,-funit-at-a-time); fi ;)
+
 KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(cflags-y)
diff --git a/arch/um/Makefile-x86_64 b/arch/um/Makefile-x86_64
index 8ed362f93582e..a9cd7e77a7abc 100644
--- a/arch/um/Makefile-x86_64
+++ b/arch/um/Makefile-x86_64
@@ -21,3 +21,6 @@ HEADER_ARCH := x86
 
 LINK-$(CONFIG_LD_SCRIPT_DYN) += -Wl,-rpath,/lib64
 LINK-y += -m64
+
+# Do unit-at-a-time unconditionally on x86_64, following the host
+KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option,-funit-at-a-time)