Recent discoveries by users have unveiled a registry tweak that can significantly enhance the performance of NVMe SSDs on Windows 11, particularly in terms of random 4K speeds. Traditionally, Windows has treated most drives as SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), a protocol designed primarily for older hard drives. This approach inadvertently limits the potential of NVMe drives, which are capable of much higher parallel performance. The conversion from NVMe commands to SCSI introduces unnecessary processing overhead and latency.
Transition to Native NVMe Support
With the upcoming release of Windows Server 2025, Microsoft is introducing native NVMe support, which effectively bypasses this conversion process, allowing for improved speed and efficiency. In an announcement on their blog, Microsoft emphasized the importance of making the switch to native NVMe, stating, “Switch onto Native NVMe as soon as possible or you are leaving performance gains on the table!” The new storage stack is specifically designed for modern hardware, eliminating legacy constraints and translation layers.
While native NVMe support is currently an opt-in feature for enterprise users, savvy individuals have discovered that similar enhancements can be achieved on Windows 11 through specific registry modifications. However, these tweaks come with a caveat; they must be executed at the user’s own risk, as improper adjustments could lead to severe system issues.
According to reports from Heise, the necessary driver is included in recent updates for both Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11. To enable this functionality, users must adjust three registry values:
- reg add HKEYLOCALMACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetPoliciesMicrosoftFeatureManagementOverrides /v 735209102 /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
- reg add HKEYLOCALMACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetPoliciesMicrosoftFeatureManagementOverrides /v 1853569164 /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
- reg add HKEYLOCALMACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetPoliciesMicrosoftFeatureManagementOverrides /v 156965516 /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
Once these changes are made, NVMe drives will appear under ‘Storage Media’ rather than ‘Drives’ in Device Manager. However, users have reported mixed experiences with third-party software, with some applications failing to recognize the drive correctly or displaying it multiple times.
One user, known as Jonathanwashere1, reported impressive gains in random 4K read and write performance, noting increases of 45% and 49%, respectively. These metrics are particularly crucial for operating systems and gaming, where improvements have been modest in recent years. Additional reports from users on platforms like Guru3D and Reddit echo these performance enhancements, suggesting that the tweak can yield significant benefits.
Microsoft has indicated that enterprise users could see up to 80% higher IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) and a reduction of approximately 45% in CPU cycles, effectively freeing up processing power by removing the unnecessary translation layer. While feedback from users has varied, many have noted general improvements.
As the rollout of this update progresses, it remains to be seen how widely it will be adopted across various systems. Microsoft faces the challenge of ensuring compatibility with diverse configurations, which will ultimately determine the feasibility of a broader release. The current implementation highlights a bottleneck in performance that many users are eager to see addressed.
In terms of gaming performance, the WD Black SN8100, recognized as one of the best PCIe 5.0 SSDs, showcases the highest random 4K speeds, loading games like FFXIV significantly faster than its competitors. As native NVMe support becomes more prevalent, it is likely that different drives will exhibit varying degrees of performance improvement, with reduced CPU overhead potentially making a noticeable difference for many users.
Interestingly, many users have pointed out that Linux has offered native NVMe support for quite some time, presenting an alternative for those willing to explore different operating systems in the coming year.
