One area where the NVMe driver delivered equal performance gains was in processor usage, regardless of whether the operation was sequential read or write.
Microsoft promises to nearly double Windows storage performance after forcing slow software-accelerated BitLocker on Windows
First PCIe 6.0 SSD enters mass production with 28GB/s speeds, 5.5 million IOPS, and liquid cooling
Modern NVMe SSD meets vintage PCI slot in quirky experiment — M.2 drive shows storage speeds worth dying for back in the '90s
For sequential reads, 64K and 128K operations reduced processor activity by 7.78% and 12%, respectively. Sequential writes reflected similar gains, with 64K and 128K writes requiring 12.66% and 11.1% fewer processor resources.
Microsoft’s highly-awaited NVMe driver is a crucial update that the company should have arguably launched years ago. For almost a decade and a half, Windows users have been limited by Microsoft’s outdated storage stack, and it has been evident that it has struggled to keep pace with advances in SSD technology. With PCIe 5.0 SSDs delivering unprecedented performance and PCIe 6.0 drives on the horizon, the demand for a modern storage stack has never been greater.
The native NVMe driver (nvmedisk.sys) is in both Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11 25H2. Despite its presence, Microsoft doesn't enable the driver by default. Instead, it operates as an opt-in feature that Windows users need to enable via specific registry changes. The need for broader compatibility and support from third-party vendors influences Microsoft’s decision to keep the native NVMe driver as opt-in for now.
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Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom\u2019s Hardware. Although he loves everything that\u2019s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-18/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Zhiye Liu News Editor, RAM Reviewer & SSD Technician Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ssds/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ssds/new-windows-native-nvme-driver-benchmarks-reveal-transformative-performance-gains-up-to-64-89-percent-lightning-fast-random-reads-and-breakthrough-cpu-efficiency#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.