Getting a performance boost on our computer without any additional cost is always a welcome development. NVIDIA RTX IO technology was initially announced in 2020 but had not been implemented until now. The exciting news is that it will finally be introduced this month and will debut in the game “Ratchet & Clank.”
Currently, games involve multiple steps when the GPU needs data from the SSD. The GPU sends a request to the system processor, which then searches for the information on the SSD and decompresses it in RAM memory. Once uncompressed, it is then sent to the graphics card.
However, Microsoft DirectStorage is set to revolutionize this process. It enables the graphics card to directly access the SSD without the need to go through the processor. By eliminating unnecessary steps that only add latency, this new technology streamlines the process and improves overall performance significantly. Gamers can look forward to a smoother and more efficient gaming experience thanks to this innovative advancement.
It has taken three years to arrive NVIDIA RTX IO
At present, regardless of whether you have a PCIe 3.0, PCIe 4.0, or PCIe 5.0 SSD, the complex and multi-step process involved means that read and write speeds become less relevant. Unfortunately, we are not fully harnessing the capabilities of modern SSDs, and this results in continued high loading times despite the significant increase in speeds.
To address this issue, NVIDIA’s RTX IO technology comes into play, streamlining the process and eliminating unnecessary steps. With RTX IO, compressed data is directly sent to the GPU memory, bypassing the need to go through RAM memory.
The GPU itself takes charge of decompressing the data using GDeflate, which leads to reduced popups and object interactions, resulting in high-quality texture transfer at impressive speeds and minimal waiting time.
A notable advantage of RTX IO is that it can also reduce the installation size of games. Currently, many AAA games exceed 100 GB in size, making their installation quite burdensome.
One significant benefit of RTX IO is that it doesn’t require any additional hardware to function, unlike technologies such as DLSS or Ray Tracing. It is supported by all modern DirectX 12 graphics cards, and its compatibility will be extended to DirectX via DirectStorage and to Vulkan through relevant extensions. This broad support ensures that more gamers can enjoy the advantages of RTX IO without the need for additional investments in hardware.
You can now try this technology
The game Portal: Prelude RTX, available for free on Steam, comes with NVIDIA RTX IO enabled by default. This implementation results in a remarkable reduction in loading and storage times, particularly for 4K resolutions. Thanks to the utilization of GDeflate and Vulkan extensions, the installation size has been impressively reduced by 44%. As a result, players can now enjoy high-quality textures in 4K without any loss in visual fidelity, while minimizing the impact on their SSD storage.
Furthermore, the technology will also be integrated into the highly anticipated Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which was initially exclusive to PS5. The game’s launch this month will include RTX IO right from the start, offering players fast loading times and seamless transitions between dimensions.
Richard van der Laan, Senior Lead Programmer at Nixxes Software, emphasized the importance of quick asset loading to enable instant transitions and ensure smooth gameplay experiences.
To take advantage of this cutting-edge technology, gamers must ensure that they have the latest GeForce Game Ready drivers installed. Using GeForce Experience, they can easily check for updates and install the most recent drivers released by NVIDIA. This ensures they can fully enjoy the benefits and optimizations that RTX IO brings to their gaming experience.