Gaming & DirectStorage Performance
On this page, we will examine the game load time performance of the SSD, using 2 games that support DirectStorage as well as 1 game that does not. In addition, we will utilize the DirectStorage test in 3DMark to look specifically at the DirectStorage benchmark on the SSD.
Horizon Forbidden West (DirectStorage Support)
We are using the full retail game Horizon Forbidden West. This game supports DirectStorage for saved game load times. We are using an AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB video card for testing, and all components are shown to support DirectStorage. We enable the highest graphics settings in the game at 4K for testing. We will show loading a saved game file and how long it takes to load into the game. All results are performed manually with a stopwatch.
In the graph above, we are testing the time it takes to load a saved game, which directly tests DirectStorage on the SSD and how long it takes to load a saved game from level load, and waiting for it to load into the level without user interaction. In Horizon Forbidden West, the Phison PS5028-E28 Reference Design 2TB SSD had the lowest and best game load times. Though the numbers are tightly packed in this game, the Phison PS5028-E28 Reference Design 2TB SSD did edge out with the very small win; it at least shows that there aren’t any issues, and game load times are at their best with the Phison E28 controller.
Forspoken (DirectStorage Support)
We are using the full retail game, Forspoken, which supports DirectStorage to test game loading time. Forspoken was released on January 24th, 2023, on the PC and uses the Luminous Engine. We are using an AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB video card. We enable the highest graphics settings, including Ultra High Texture Memory, and run at 4K. We use the built-in benchmark and report the scene load times. We add the sum of all seven scene load times and run the benchmark three times. We then take the average of the three sums from each run. We graph the average result.
In Forspoken, also a DirectStorage supported game, the had the second fastest load time performance, as it was technically beaten by the ADATA LEGEND 970, a Phison E26 controller SSD. Similar to the above game, the numbers are tightly packed here, and we can see that the Phison E28 controller loads games very fast, with minuscule differences. Also, the Phison PS5028-E28 Reference Design 2TB SSD is using pre-release firmware, compared to more mature firmware in the rest.
Starfield
We are using the full game of Starfield, patched to the latest version. Starfield does not support DirectStorage, so this is the raw load time of a game without DirectStorage as a factor on the SSD. Starfield typically has longer load times, and thus is a great test to see how long it takes to load a saved game. We are using an AMD Radeon RX 6800 16GB video card, and we enable the highest graphics settings at 4K. We will show loading a saved game file and how long it takes to load into the game. All results are performed manually with a stopwatch.
Starfield does not support DirectStorage, so this is raw game load times with no helpers. We see that the Phison PS5028-E28 Reference Design 2TB SSD really pulls ahead of the other SSDs, with the lowest time to load. At 11.656 seconds, it is about a percent faster than the CORSAIR MP700 PRO, but if you compare it with the slowest drive here for loading, the M580 FROZR, it is 3.3% faster.
3DMark DirectStorage Benchmark
We are running the 3DMark DirectStorage feature test and showing the overall feature test score and individual test results as displayed when run on the SSD.
According to the 3DMark DirectStorage test, the Phison PS5028-E28 Reference Design 2TB SSD is 256.4% faster with DirectStorage enabled. It provides 7.73GB/s DirectStorage off and 27.54GB/s DirectStorage on.