New Windows-native NVMe driver benchmarks reveal transformative performance gains, up to 64.89% — lightning-fast random reads and breakthrough CPU efficiency
Published: (March 9, 2026 at 03:35 PM EDT)
4 min read
Source: Tom's Hardware
Source: Tom’s Hardware
*Image credit: Getty Images*
Microsoft’s native NVMe driver makes the **best SSDs** even faster.
Originally released for **Windows Server 2025**, the performance gains also apply to **consumer Windows 11** via simple registry hacks.
- **Key sources**
- [Tom’s Hardware – Best SSDs](https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-ssds,3891.html)
- [Tom’s Hardware – Windows Server 2025 native NVMe support](https://www.tomshardware.com/desktops/servers/windows-server-2025-gains-native-nvme-support-14-years-after-its-introduction-groundbreaking-i-o-stack-drops-scsi-emulation-limitations-for-massive-throughput-and-cpu-efficiency-gains)
- [Tom’s Hardware – Windows 11 NVMe performance boost (registry hack)](https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/registry-hack-enables-new-performance-boosting-native-nvme-support-on-windows-11-windows-server-2025-feature-can-be-unlocked-for-consumer-pcs-but-at-your-own-risk)
- [StorageReview – Windows Server native NVMe review](https://www.storagereview.com/review/windows-server-native-nvme)
### Highlights from StorageReview’s testing
1. **Latency reduction** – Dramatic drops in 4 KB and 64 KB random‑read latency, delivering faster response times for latency‑sensitive workloads.
2. **CPU usage decrease** – Lower processor overhead during sequential reads/writes of any block size, freeing cycles for other tasks and potentially reducing power consumption.
### Test bench configuration
| Component | Specification |
|----------------------------------------|----------------|
| CPUs | 2 × AMD EPYC 9754 (128‑core “Bergamo”) |
| Memory | 768 GB DDR5‑4800 |
| Storage | 16 × Solidigm P5316 (30.72 TB, PCIe 4.0) in JBOD |
| Operating System | Windows Server 2025 (OS Build 26100.32370) |
| Benchmark tool | FIO (Tom’s Hardware benchmark suite) |
The results show eye‑popping throughput and efficiency gains that will excite any storage enthusiast.
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*Article continues below…*Microsoft Native NVMe Driver Performance
Source: StorageReview benchmarks (Tom’s Hardware)
1. Throughput (GiB /s)
| Test | Non‑Native Driver | Native Driver | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 K Random Read | 6.10 | 10.06 | +64.9 % |
| 64 K Random Read | 74.29 | 91.17 | +22.7 % |
| 64 K Sequential Read | 35.60 | 35.62 | +0.08 % |
| 128 K Sequential Read | 86.79 | 92.56 | +6.65 % |
| 64 K Sequential Write | 44.67 | 50.09 | +12.13 % |
| 128 K Sequential Write | 50.48 | 50.08 | ‑0.79 % |
Key take‑aways
- Random‑read performance shows the biggest gains – 4 K reads improve by ≈65 %, and 64 K reads by ≈23 %.
- Sequential reads are largely unchanged at 64 K, but a 6.65 % boost appears when moving to 128 K.
- Sequential‑write throughput benefits from a 64 K block size (+12 %) but sees no improvement (and a slight dip) at 128 K.
2. Latency (ms)
| Test | Non‑Native Driver | Native Driver | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 K Random Read | 0.169 | 0.104 | ‑38.5 % |
| 64 K Random Read | 0.239 | 0.207 | ‑13.4 % |
| 64 K Sequential Write | 0.399 | 0.558 | +39.9 % |
| 128 K Sequential Write | 1.022 | 1.149 | +12.4 % |
Interpretation
- Random‑read latency drops dramatically (up to 38 % for 4 K).
- Sequential‑write latency rises, especially at 64 K (+40 %). Using a larger 128 K block reduces the penalty to +12 %.
3. CPU Usage (% of a single core)
| Test | Non‑Native Driver | Native Driver | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 64 K Sequential Read | 44.89 % | 37.11 % | ‑7.78 % |
| 128 K Sequential Read | 61.56 % | 49.56 % | ‑12.00 % |
| 64 K Sequential Write | 70.44 % | 57.78 % | ‑12.66 % |
| 128 K Sequential Write | 58.44 % | 47.33 % | ‑11.11 % |
The native driver consistently reduces CPU demand for both sequential reads and writes, with the biggest savings seen on 64 K sequential writes (‑12.66 %).
4. Summary
- Microsoft’s nvmedisk.sys driver (included in Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11 25H2) delivers significant throughput and latency improvements for random reads, modest gains for sequential reads, and mixed results for sequential writes.
- CPU utilization drops across the board, indicating a more efficient storage stack.
- The driver is opt‑in – it must be enabled via registry changes – because Microsoft is still working on broader compatibility with third‑party storage solutions.
5. About the Author
Zhiye Liu – news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom’s Hardware. He enjoys all things hardware, with a particular fondness for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.
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