Image credit: Newegg
VR Ready PC Specifications
Not sure whether your PC is powerful enough to run VR? Let’s discuss specifications.
Newegg Recommended VR PC Specs:
- i5-6500 or Greater CPU
- NVIDIA GTX 980 or AMD R9 390 GPU or greater
- 16GB+ RAM
- SSD (PCIe NVMe recommended)
Official Oculus Rift Recommended Specs:
- Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
- NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD R9 290 or greater
- 8GB RAM or more
- HDMI 1.3 and 3x USB 3.0 plus 1x USB 2.0
- Windows 7 64 bit or greater
Oculus’s official statement is: “We recommend this level of hardware to ensure good performance across the range of games and experiences.”
This means is you need a GTX 970/R9 290 level or greater GPU in order to reach 90 frames per second. Unlike normal PC games that will run on lower frame rates, both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive require a constant 90 FPS to run their VR headset. Anything less may induce motion sickness.
So while Oculus says a GTX 970 is the “recommended” graphics card, it’s really the minimum if you are looking for a smooth VR experience.
What about HTC Vive?
The specs for the HTC Vive are essentially the same as the Oculus Rift, with the differences coming in a lower minimum level of RAM for the Vive (4 GB+ rather than 8 GB+) and different necessary connections (HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2, or newer rather than multiple USB ports). For most components of your PC, the hardware requirements of the Rift and Vive are identical.
I want High and Ultra Graphics instead of minimum graphics
That’s right! This is why we are recommending an NVIDIA 980 or RADEON R9 3900 or above. Since the Vive and Rift run on PCs instead of game console, games should have graphics options from Low to Ultra.
For ultra graphics, stepping up to a GTX 980 or R9 390 gives you more graphics power and the option to add a second card for full SLI or Crossfire power down the road.
What about CPUs?
Virtual reality isn’t as picky about CPUs as it is about graphics cards. For CPUs, the fourth gen i5-4590 is the minimum requirement. If you choose a current generation i5-6400 or above, you’ll be good to go.
RAM? PSUs? Motherboards?
For RAM, we recommend 16GB or above. Again, the Oculus specs are lower at 8GB, but 16GB is used pretty much across the board in demo systems.
In terms of power, if you’re running 600 watts or above, you’re probably in good hands.
There’s no reason to upgrade your motherboard unless you plan to upgrade your CPU. 6th Gen Skylake CPUs like the i5-6600 or i7-6700 need an LGA 1151 socket motherboard, so older 1150 sockets won’t work.
