Sabrent's new NVMe SSD raises plenty of questions about DirectStorage

pcgamer.com:

Microsoft's DirectStorage API(opens in new tab) is the most hotly anticipated release on the storage calendar. It's the missing ingredient that will unlock the true potential of our NVMe SSDs to allow our games to load speedily—in as little as a second(opens in new tab), according to the Forespoken devs. The question is, will the wealth of PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs that are already out there support the storage API? A question that has just got a whole boatload more complicated with the release of the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus G(opens in new tab).

Sabrent is pitching this new SSD as a DirectStorage drive. It works as a normal speedy NVMe SSD of course, but this one is focused on gaming. The info page for the new drives has lines like: 'Never let your personal gaming adventure be cut short or hampered by glitchy playback', and, 'Sustain high levels of performance throughout your long gaming session, without ever missing a beat.' 

The big change over previous SSDs is that the Rocket 4 Plus G features new O2 GO firmware, which has been 'built from the ground up' to make the most of DirectStorage and has been combined with new 1,600MT/S 3D TLC NAND flash. This should make this a speedy drive for sure, although Sabrent is happy at this point to simply state that it manages over 7GB/s, which is in line with what the current Rocket 4 Plus offers.

This is all fine and well for the release of a new drive, but it does raise plenty of questions about what is required by Microsoft DirectStorage. Will existing PCIe 4.0 drives, such as the Rocket 4 Plus, not support the API? Will they need firmware updates? 

We reached out to Sabrent's Sr. Technical Marketing Specialist, William Harmon, for answers, and he got straight back to us:

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