diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index 75afeae7f04d..aad58643102e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -846,13 +846,18 @@ static void perf_top__mmap_read_idx(struct perf_top *top, int idx)
 		if (ret && ret != -1)
 			break;
 
-		pthread_mutex_lock(&top->qe.lock);
 		ret = ordered_events__queue(top->qe.in, event, timestamp, 0);
-		pthread_mutex_unlock(&top->qe.lock);
-
-		perf_mmap__consume(md);
 		if (ret)
 			break;
+
+		perf_mmap__consume(md);
+
+		if (top->qe.rotate) {
+			pthread_mutex_lock(&top->qe.mutex);
+			top->qe.rotate = false;
+			pthread_cond_signal(&top->qe.cond);
+			pthread_mutex_unlock(&top->qe.mutex);
+		}
 	}
 
 	perf_mmap__read_done(md);
@@ -1059,9 +1064,12 @@ static void *process_thread(void *arg)
 			continue;
 		}
 
-		pthread_mutex_lock(&top->qe.lock);
 		out = rotate_queues(top);
-		pthread_mutex_unlock(&top->qe.lock);
+
+		pthread_mutex_lock(&top->qe.mutex);
+		top->qe.rotate = true;
+		pthread_cond_wait(&top->qe.cond, &top->qe.mutex);
+		pthread_mutex_unlock(&top->qe.mutex);
 
 		if (ordered_events__flush(out, OE_FLUSH__TOP))
 			pr_err("failed to process events\n");
@@ -1151,7 +1159,8 @@ static void init_process_thread(struct perf_top *top)
 	ordered_events__set_copy_on_queue(&top->qe.data[0], true);
 	ordered_events__set_copy_on_queue(&top->qe.data[1], true);
 	top->qe.in = &top->qe.data[0];
-	pthread_mutex_init(&top->qe.lock, NULL);
+	pthread_mutex_init(&top->qe.mutex, NULL);
+	pthread_cond_init(&top->qe.cond, NULL);
 }
 
 static int __cmd_top(struct perf_top *top)
@@ -1271,6 +1280,7 @@ static int __cmd_top(struct perf_top *top)
 out_join:
 	pthread_join(thread, NULL);
 out_join_thread:
+	pthread_cond_signal(&top->qe.cond);
 	pthread_join(thread_process, NULL);
 out_delete:
 	perf_session__delete(top->session);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/top.h b/tools/perf/util/top.h
index 5f503293cfd8..5bce62ebcf14 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/top.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/top.h
@@ -44,7 +44,9 @@ struct perf_top {
 	struct {
 		struct ordered_events	*in;
 		struct ordered_events	 data[2];
-		pthread_mutex_t		 lock;
+		bool			 rotate;
+		pthread_mutex_t		 mutex;
+		pthread_cond_t		 cond;
 	} qe;
 };