DirectStorage in Windows 11: What’s it all about?

DirectStorage has been the subject of much hype. It is a feature that allows developers to speed up loading and make gaming more enjoyable. DirectStorage is a new feature that developers can use to speed up loading times and improve the gaming experience. But, what exactly does DirectStorage look like?

We’ll be covering what DirectStorage actually is, its workings, and how you can make use of it on Windows 11.  

What’s Microsoft DirectStorage exactly?

DirectStorage can be found in the most recent version of DirectStorage DirectX 12 These iterations are designed to improve the gaming experience by taking advantage of the newer SSDs’ full potential. DirectStorage, originally developed for Xbox Series consoles and is now accessible on Windows 11/10.  

DirectStorage: How does it work?

DirectStorage lets newer GPUs access game data more quickly by skipping unnecessary routes and using faster technology. This allows for near instant load times.  

At the moment, games can request data from system storage when they need it (such as textures, models, and audio) API It retrieves and transfers the data to Random Access Memory of the system (RAM). The data is transferred to the Graphical Processing Units (GPUs). For display, VRAM will be used.  

These data are compressed in order to free up space on your hard disk. GPUs cannot typically read compressed data. The data must be decompressed before it can be sent to the GPU Central Processing Unit, (CPU).. 

Here’s what it looks like right now:

However, this slow process can cause CPU bottlenecks and make it unavailable to perform tasks the GPU demands. The result is slower frame rates and longer load times for games.  

DirectStorage, a low-level storage Application Programming Interface(API), includes new GPU decompression techniques that shift decompression work away from the CPU and to the GPU. The CPU can be completely bypassed and the GPU can quickly receive huge streams of compressed data.  

DirectStorage utilizes the older version of DirectStorage NVMe SSDs, It allows data to be transferred much more quickly than with older storage devices. 

The previous APIs could handle very little data. They were designed to only allow one in/out access (IO) at a given time and often had large chunks of data. DirectStorage facilitates parallel IO requests. It allows only the data that is necessary to transfer the appropriate level of the scene. DirectStorage is a way to optimize IO performance in order to make use of NVMe drives’ massive bandwidth.  

What System Requirements are Required for Windows 11 Software?

Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles DirectStorage can be implemented natively. This feature was part of the Velocity Architecture, and it is the reason why you must install games on your Xbox SSD.  

Windows 10 or 11 have the same operating system Specific hardware requirements DirectStorage must be enabled.  

DirectStorage will require the following hardware specifications:  

• You must use a PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive at a minimum of 1 TB. This communication protocol is currently used for SSDs and replaces the SATA interfaces. Because NVMe SSDs connect directly with the CPU through a PCIe interface, they can attain much higher speeds. The best PCIe 4.0 results will be achieved.  
• You must have a DirectX 12 Ultimate GPU with at least Shader Model 6.0 support. These include the NVIDIA RTX 20xx and higher series, as well the AMD graphics cards equipped with RDNA 2.