In the coming year, the first games will probably use Microsoft’s DirectStorage API, which aims to make better use of the SSD and thus reduce loading times. However, there is a possibility of optimization with SSD, as indicated by benchmarks with a new firmware from Phison.

Website Tom’s Hardware Received a sample SSD from Phison with the E18 controller, which is a new “Game-optimized I/O+ FirmwareThis means that SSDs should be optimally aligned with the requirements that have changed with DirectStorage and bring greater performance to these workloads.

As is well known, DirectStorage ensures that game data (such as textures) no longer have to cycle through the CPU, but are transferred directly from the SSD via the main memory to the graphics card’s video memory and instead From there the GPU is decomposed, which is much faster in this regard.

While typical everyday applications of SSDs require small sequential load peaks or 4K random read access with a small command queue (Q Depth, QD), the workload for games with DirectStorage is entirely different:

However, DirectStorage uses large random reads at very high queue depths. So here we are dealing with a large block size of over 32KB and a queue depth of more than 512, which is representative of a possible DirectStorage workload.

Shane Downing, Tom’s Hardware

And this is exactly the type of workload that was simulated in testing the website using the Iometer tool. Different scenarios can be handled with Phison SSDs with specialized firmware and other SSDs with Phison E18 (Kingston KC300, Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus) as well as those with proprietary controllers such as the Samsung 980 Pro, WD Black SN850 or Crucial P5 Plus. Had to go through the model. ,

Result: As expected, the Phison SSD is the fastest optimized for this type of workload and a few percentage points ahead of the Kingston KC3000. The worst performers are Samsung 980 Pro and Crucial P5 Plus.

There is also a continuous flow of data from the SSD via DirectStorage, which requires continuous read performance in a gaming session, which can last for several hours, simulating further tests. Optimized firmware once again has a clear advantage here, while other SSDs with the Phison E18 show significant performance fluctuations. The WD Black SN850 works very consistently, but with a low transfer rate. The Samsung 980 Pro is also stable in terms of performance, but with a significantly lower transfer rate. Important is the P5 Plus again”Not explicitly optimized for this type of workload“, writes the author.

Even though this is only an emulation and it remains to be seen what games with DirectStorage support can demand from SSDs, tests show that there is certainly potential for optimization on the part of SSDs and their firmware.

Nothing else should be behind the upcoming WD Black SN850X: It’s just a refreshed SN850 whose firmware is optimized for gaming, according to the report. So not only does Phison see a need for adaptation.

However, Forspoken, one of the first games with DirectStorage support, has been delayed. Actual tests of the new Microsoft API will probably have to wait until next year.