DirectStorage
Also searched as: directstorage · direct storage · fast game loading · nvme game loading
What it means
DirectStorage is a Windows feature that lets a game load data straight from a fast NVMe drive to the graphics card, skipping slow old steps — for shorter loads and less in-game hitching.
More detail
Traditionally a game's data took a long detour — off the drive, decompressed on the CPU, then handed to the GPU — which is part of why open-world games hitch when they stream in new areas. DirectStorage shortens that path and can hand decompression to the GPU, so a game built for it loads faster and streams more smoothly off an NVMe SSD. Two honest caveats: the GAME has to support it (most do not yet), and it speeds up loading and streaming, not your average frame rate. You do not switch it on yourself — it is built into supported games — so the only thing on your side is keeping the game on a reasonably fast SSD.
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