PCIE 3.0 Direct Storage

[DGB]

I've tried looking this up, but I can't seem to find any answers. Does anyone know if Direct Storage will only be functional with PCIE 4.0 drives or if 3.0 devices will suffice? I do want to take advantage of the feature for my next build for when games start implementing it, but a 4.0 drive is much more expensive than a 3.0 drive, and the money I can save can go to better use if it isn't exclusive to 4.0. Thanks!

[Radium_Angel]

12 minutes ago, DGB said:

for when games start implementing it,

 

12 minutes ago, DGB said:

4.0 drive is much more expensive

By the time it becomes widespread enough to be of use to you, it'll be time to replace the drive, and the prices will have come down, so I don't think you are losing out on going with "last" gen.

[NewMaxx]

Technically, x4 PCIe 2.0 drives would suffice, as the baseline is the SN530 (OEM SN550) which runs only at x2 PCIe 3.0 (two lanes over a 4.0 link) on the Xbox Series X. It's likely Microsoft will limit it to PCIe 3.0 drives for various reasons, one of which is dependent on if PCH/chipset M.2 sockets will be supported - older motherboards, such as those with x4 PCIe 2.0 M.2 sockets, likely have chipsets that would not support the P2P DMA required for DirectStorage if non-CPU M.2 sockets are supported. I suspect PCH/chipset M.2 slots will be supported (contrary to some opinions) simply because almost all consumer Intel boards go over the chipset, but these would all be Gen3 and up while AMD's CPU-lane M.2 boards are 3.0 and up (for the primary M.2 socket; older AMD boards are Gen2 for M.2 over the chipset but P2P DMA support is only guaranteed on newer Zen chipsets).

 

That being said, 4.0 drives will potentially perform better, but we don't know yet how developers will implement the technology, e.g. on a sliding scale based on available bandwidth. Benefits beyond the baseline will likely be quality of life (QoL).