Microsoft recently unveiled a native NVMe SSD performance driver for Windows Server 2025, generating buzz among Windows 11 users who have discovered a way to enable this feature on their operating systems through simple registry tweaks.
Initial benchmark tests indicate significant performance enhancements on both consumer PCs and portable gaming devices, especially in handling random read and write operations for SSDs. A notable test conducted by a user named Mouse&Keyboard on X revealed that after activating the native NVMe driver on a Windows 11 25H2 system with an SK hynix Platinum P41 2TB SSD, the AS SSD benchmark score rose from 10,032 to 11,344—an impressive 13% increase. Particularly remarkable were the improvements in random write performance, with scores on the 4K random write test increasing by 16% and the 4K-64Thrd workload seeing a 22% boost.
Further user tests reported on forums like Reddit highlighted similar gains. For instance, a user known as Cheetah2kkk tested the native driver on the Claw 8 AI+ handheld equipped with a Crucial T705 4TB SSD. While sequential read and write speeds showed only moderate enhancement, the random performance improvements were substantial, with random read speeds increasing by 12% and random write speeds soaring by as much as 85%. These findings emphasize Microsoft’s aim to enhance IOPS performance for users.
The significance of the new NVMe driver lies in its ability to classify NVMe drives as NVMe devices, thus circumventing the older SCSI protocols and reducing processing overhead and storage latency. Historically, SCSI was optimized for mechanical hard drives, but its ongoing usage has hindered the full potential of contemporary NVMe SSDs, particularly in enterprise scenarios.
However, there are caveats for users eager to take advantage of this performance boost. Although enthusiasts can activate the driver on Windows 11 via registry modifications, compatibility issues exist with many third-party SSD management tools, such as Samsung Magician and Western Digital Dashboard, which may not function correctly.
For the average user, performance enhancements may be minimal during everyday tasks or gaming, with the benefits being more pronounced in enterprise and server contexts. Although Microsoft has made strides in delivering native NVMe support on Windows Server, it remains uncertain when or if this capability will be officially integrated into standard Windows versions. Until that time, its activation on Windows 11 remains an experimental feature, more suited for testing than widespread application.
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