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Microsoft DirectStorage can save 20-40% CPU load
According to Microsoft, DirectStorage will save CPUs a significant amount of time, 20-40 percent even. Microsoft's new API appears to be exactly what developers have been looking for, especially as games get more graphically rich and resource-intensive.
Microsoft publicly introduced the DirectStorage API in early March to overcome input/output (I/O) problems that the Win32 API faces with the current games. Cooper Partin, a Microsoft software developer, spoke on improving input/output efficiency using DirectStorage on Windows at GDC 2022. He said that this is not a straight transfer of the DirectStorage API available for the Xbox Series S|X; rather, this version has been adapted to the PC system's specific demands.
Partin estimates that the API can yield 20-40% CPU savings in its current state, as long as it's operating on Windows 11 with an NVMe SSD. The CPU cycles might then be used by game creators to accomplish something else, such as processing considerably more complicated AI behaviors.
DirectStorage is also available in Windows 10 (19H1+), however, it's a fallback implementation that employs an optimized file I/O layer developed on top of the Win32 API on the older OS. Although you will use patterns such as asynchronous I/O and completion ports to improve performance on Windows 10, it will not be the same as on Windows 11.
In the future version, you will be able to use DirectStorage to decompress assets using that GPU and this means more CPU savings for you, where you can do more additional work on your title.” – he finally added, referring to the advantages that developers will have with this API.
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schmidtbag
Senior Member
Posts: 6579
Joined: 2012-11-10
Senior Member
Posts: 6579
Joined: 2012-11-10
#6005815 Posted on: 03/30/2022 02:26 PM
I'm looking forward to further developments with this type of technology. In particular, an open-source alternative. There are ways where on-card storage could be taken advantage of even for games that never had DS compatibility. Even if it just acts as a swap/paging file for video memory, it would yield a huge performance impact.
I'm looking forward to further developments with this type of technology. In particular, an open-source alternative. There are ways where on-card storage could be taken advantage of even for games that never had DS compatibility. Even if it just acts as a swap/paging file for video memory, it would yield a huge performance impact.
AlmondMan
Senior Member
Posts: 922
Joined: 2007-09-03
Senior Member
Posts: 922
Joined: 2007-09-03
#6005837 Posted on: 03/30/2022 03:58 PM
"The CPU cycles might then be used by game creators to accomplish something else, such as processing considerably more complicated AI behaviors."
They've said that since ... forever?
first it was with hyperthreading, then it was with multicores and more multicores and unified shaders and so on and so forth, yet today we hardly see anything beyond Doom's enemy AI in most games.
It might be that they CAN do all kinds of things, but when you just snipe them all from afar or something does it really matter?
"The CPU cycles might then be used by game creators to accomplish something else, such as processing considerably more complicated AI behaviors."
They've said that since ... forever?
first it was with hyperthreading, then it was with multicores and more multicores and unified shaders and so on and so forth, yet today we hardly see anything beyond Doom's enemy AI in most games.It might be that they CAN do all kinds of things, but when you just snipe them all from afar or something does it really matter?
TheDeeGee
Senior Member
Posts: 7924
Joined: 2010-08-28
Senior Member
Posts: 7924
Joined: 2010-08-28
#6005838 Posted on: 03/30/2022 04:09 PM
My CPU usage is always low due to 60 FPS cap.
My CPU usage is always low due to 60 FPS cap.
Mannerheim
Senior Member
Posts: 4889
Joined: 2004-01-24
Senior Member
Posts: 4889
Joined: 2004-01-24
#6005844 Posted on: 03/30/2022 04:33 PM
We have enough CPU for 1000 years, we need better code to use it. I think this directstorage will be just another fail.
We have enough CPU for 1000 years, we need better code to use it. I think this directstorage will be just another fail.
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Senior Member
Posts: 610
Joined: 2008-06-09
Nice ad for W11