OCTOBER 2020 PCWorld 29branding (go.pcworld.com/rtxb), but the
technology is actually built on Microsoft’s
underlying Direct Raytracing API, which is why
you’ll be seeing it in the Xbox Series X and
AMD’s RDNA 2-based “Big Navi” graphics
cards (go.pcworld.com/bnav) later this year.
THE NEED FOR NVME SPEED
(AND SMARTS)
Microsoft’s post makes it clear that you’ll need
an NVMe drive to tap into DirectStorage’s
benefits, however. That’s because NVMe
drives offer both extremely high bandwidth
compared to traditional SATA-based storage,
as well as multiple “NVMe queues” that can
contain multiple IO requests, making them “a
perfect match to the parallel and batched
nature of modern gaming workloads”—and
GPU capabilities.
That’s great for PC enthusiasts who have
invested in one. Until this point, the benefits
of a blistering NVMe drive have largely been
constrained to large file transfers or editing
4K/8K video. Games haven’t been noticeably
faster on an NVMe drive than a standard
2.5-inch SATA SSD, even with a ludicrously
capable PCIe 4.0 SSD like the Corsair Force
MP600 pictured above.
DirectStorage looks like it’ll change
that—when it arrives on PCs, that is. While the
technology will be part of the Velocity
Architecture inside the Xbox Series X this fall,
Microsoft says it’s hoping to get a
DirectStorage preview in the hands of PC
developers sometime in 2021. If the dream of
instantly loading worlds turns into a gaming
reality, the wait will be worth it.
Check out our guide to the best SSDs (go.
pcworld.com/
sdbt) if you’re
thinking of
snatching up a
shiny new NVMe
SSD in the
meantime, or our
NVMe SSD
explainer (go.
pcworld.com/
nvmx) if you want
to learn more
about the tech
inside this ultra-
The Corsair Force MP600. fast storage.