There is less and less for the launch of Windows 11. In just 3 weeks, the new operating system will begin to arrive, through Windows Update , to all users, a renewed operating system full of functions and features. This new OS had exclusive functions such as DirectStorage that would allow users to take much better advantage of the latest technology when playing games. However, at the last minute, Microsoft reconsidered and decided that this feature was also coming to Windows 10. Can your PC handle it? Check it.
How DirectStorage improves games
DirectStorage is a technology that we can find in the latest generation consoles, such as PS5 or Xbox Series S / X. This is designed to reduce loading times and eliminate graphic defects in some games, ensuring that the graphics receives the necessary information in the shortest possible time to avoid these problems.
To do this, DirectStorage eliminates the need for the CPU to decompress the data sent by the RAM to the GPU in order to process it, delegating this task directly to the graphics card. In this way, the graphics can almost directly access the game files, saved on the SSD, render the game images much faster and load the content. And this translates to less loading time and fewer graphics glitches for games.
What do I need to be able to use this technology?
Initially, one of the essential requirements to be able to use this API was to update to Windows 11. However, Microsoft has decided that it will reach all users who have their computer updated to version 1909, or higher, of Windows 10 .
In this way, the first thing we should do is check the version of Windows that we have on the computer. If we have it updated, we can enjoy this new API as soon as it is available. Of course, if we meet the other two requirements.
The second requirement is that our PC has an NVME type SSD with a PCIe 3.0 or PCIe 4.0 connection . These are the new solid storage units that offer us a speed much higher than that of hard drives or SATA-type SSDs.
And finally, we need to have a DirectX 12 compatible graphics card . If our computer has an old GPU, not compatible with this technology, we will not be able to use the DirectStorage APIs. We can check the version of DirectX that we have installed on the PC by executing the command “dxdiag”.
If we comply with all this, we will be able to use DirectStorage on our computer. But meeting the minimum requirements guarantees the best performance of this technology.
How to Get the Most Out of the DirectStorage API
Although we have said that DirectStorage will reach Windows 10, Microsoft has already made it clear from the beginning that where it will work best is going to be in Windows 11, since the new operating system will be much better prepared to take advantage of this technology . Therefore, if we really want to notice the improvement in the games, it will be necessary to update to this operating system.
In addition, it is recommended that our NVMe SSD be of the PICe 4.0 type , since the speed improvement compared to the PCIe 3.0 version will allow much faster communication between the RAM and the GPU, being able to greatly improve the performance of the games.
