Even though this technology is most relevant for server workloads, there are also some affordable new NVMe devices meant for client devices and workloads. It gives lower storage latency and much higher queue depths. What do you think about the new DirectStorage system? What’s the first game you think will get DirectStorage support? Place your bets in the comments below.Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) is a specification for accessing solid-state drives (SSDs) attached through the PCI Express (PCIe) bus.
You need a 1TB NVMe SSD, and a DirectX12 GPU that supports Shader Model 6.0. Just make sure that your system meets the DirectStorage hardware requirements.
The game devs will take care of everything.
As a Windows user, you don’t need to do anything specific to enable this feature. ConclusionĭirectStorage is a new API that games developers can use to create game worlds that are more expansive and load faster than ever.
In other words, make sure to get a 1TB NVMe SSD or greater and install your games on that SSD.įor more information on DirectStorage for Windows 11, you can check out the presentation available on Microsoft Game Stack’s YouTube channel. Namely, you need a 1TB NVMe SSD, and a DirectX12 GPU that supports Shader Model 6.0.Īs Microsoft explains, DirectStorage requires an “ NVMe SSD to store and run games that use the Standard NVM Express Controller driver, and a DirectX12 GPU with Shader Model 6.0 support“. Keep in mind that there are certain system requirements your computer needs to meet for using DirectStorage. Time will tell how quickly game developers will embrace this new technology. We expect the first DirectStorage compatible games to land at the beginning of 2023. When you launch your DirectStorage-compatible games, your machine will take care of the rest.Īt the time of writing, there are no games implementing this feature. Game developers can use this API to develop complex video games.īut first, you need to wait for game developers to implement this feature in their games. As a Windows 11 user, you don’t need to do anything to enable this feature. How Do I Enable DirectStorage on Windows 11?ĭirectStorage is an API ( Application Programming Interface) at its core. This technology allows game developers to create batch requests.Īs Microsoft explains, DirectStorage can handle thousands of requests at the same time decompressing the GPU.
That’s exactly the problem that DirectStorage for PC aims to fix. Processing a large number of requests may sometimes create bottlenecks. This is an extremely inefficient approach for games that require processing thousands or tens of thousands of requests per second. The main problem is that the current APIs are not optimized for a high number of requests. Unfortunately, this approach also generates a lot of requests. They load only the items necessary for the current scene. To avoid putting too much strain on your memory, games break various items such as textures down into smaller pieces.