VR ready gaming PC

[Elbe50]

Hi All,

This is my first post and so I hope I'm in the right forum for this rather broad question.

 

I'm getting interested in VR headsets and unfortunately my current PC which is no slouch (ASUS GTX960 graphics) doesn't cut it for VR headsets like Oculus Rift or HTC Vibe.

So I would love to get some ideas for a gaming PC that can also handle the requirements of VR but not require me to mortgage my house.

I'm thinking along the lines of ASUS GTX980 graphics, Intel i7 processor, 8/16 GBytes system RAM, ASUS motherboard (not sure which one), Case, etc.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I'm in Australia and so I can add around 30% to any system based on USDs.

 

Thanks a lot.

 

Regards,

Luke

 

[HKZeroFive]

Just a few things first:

 

1. Budget (preferably AUD).

2. OS or peripherals needed?

3. Anything aside from gaming and VR?

 

If you weren't aware already, I'd be looking at some of the newer NVIDIA Pascal cards.

[DioOmicida]

I'd get the 1070 over a 980 and you might as well get 16gb of RAM since it's rather cheap.
As for cases I like the H440 but you can pretty much buy any case that will fit your MB.
Your motherboard should be a Z170 assuming youre getting a Skylake Z 17.

[be_x]

I would suggest getting a 1070 over  980 but either of them are suitable for VR

[Leadneck]

These guys are right, the GTX 1070 is what you want, but if that's not in the cards for you for whatever reason a GTX 1060 is still capable of VR especially since most current VR titles are made targeting the GTX 970 min spec AND the Pascal series of GPUs use Simultaneous Multi-Projection to help reduce the VR demand on your system!

 

So, a GTX 980 could cut it, but dat SMP!

 

I would also suggest 16GB RAM, when using my Vive I notice that my memory usage can get pretty high. High enough that I upgraded to 16 from 8 GB myself.

 

My i7-3770k @ 4.2 Ghz works just grand when using it as well so anything equal to or greater than that and you'll be safe.

[Elbe50]

Hi All,

Thank you so much for you replies and advice.

I will definitely go for 16GBytes of system RAM and the GTX1070.

 

I already own Windows 7 Pro 64bit and my current PC runs Windows 10 Pro (upgrade from Microsoft)

Buying a new PC means also buying Windows 10 Pro if I don't wan't to use my Windows 7 Pro.

What would your recommendations be? Win10 or is Win7 OK? Or clone my system over to the new hardware?

My thoughts are to stay with Windows 10 since that's where most of MS's efforts are likely to be focused for the near future.

 

I already have a nice 28" 4K monitor so I don't need to spend money there.

 

I'll put together a list of parts and post it for some feedback and see what you all think.

 

I'm thinking that I'll just keep my current PC for everything else and the new one just for gaming and VR.

 

Again, thanks very much for your help.  Looks like I'll be going shopping over the weekend.

 

Cheers,

Luke

 

[ZimFreak]

I would drop the i7 down to an i5 and use that money to upgrade the GPU. Definitely get a 1070 at a minimum for a build at that price, but I would use that i7 money to upgrade to a 1080. That'll keep you good for VR for years.

[Elbe50]

Well, I've spent that last day or so trying to put together a kit of components for a new VR pc, but the more I look the more confused I get.

Also, it looks like building your own from parts may not the most cost effective way to do it.

 

I want to make sure that what I end up with will be good for at least three to five years as I'm not one that updates to every new latest and greatest that comes along.

 

I've looked at lots of motherboards and I've decided that I want one with at least one USB 3.1 type C because I don't want to have to get add-on cards later.

At the moment, VR seems to use HDMI plus USB 3.0/or/2.0, but I can imagine that these will be replaced by USB 3.1 in the future.

 

Any way I was wondering what your opinions are of this pre-built unit. At least I also get a warranty and the company is local and not too far from where I live.

 

https://www.pccasegear.com/products/36004/pccg-dark-void-1080-gaming-system

 

I would be interested in your opinions.

 

Cheers,

Luke