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%Begin Is Your PC Ready for Virtual Reality? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter!
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%Begin Is Your PC Ready for Virtual Reality? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter!
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Search Close GO Software & Apps &gt; Windows 37 37 people found this article helpful <h1> Is Your PC Ready for Virtual Reality?</h1> <h2> Hardware and software specs for a VR-capable PC</h2> By Andy O'Donnell Andy O'Donnell Writer Auburn University Andy O&#39;Donnell, MA, is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire and a senior security engineer who is active in internet and network security. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 3, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email <h3> In This Article</h3> Expand Jump to a Section What Makes a PC VR-Ready?
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Search Close GO Software & Apps > Windows 37 37 people found this article helpful

Is Your PC Ready for Virtual Reality?

Hardware and software specs for a VR-capable PC

By Andy O'Donnell Andy O'Donnell Writer Auburn University Andy O'Donnell, MA, is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire and a senior security engineer who is active in internet and network security. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 3, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section What Makes a PC VR-Ready?
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Amelia Singh 3 minutes ago
Baseline Specifications CPU Memory Graphics Card and Display USB OS and Other Considerations So, y...
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Sofia Garcia 2 minutes ago
So what's the next step to complete your VR system? You need a VR-capable PC.

What Makes a PC &...

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Baseline Specifications CPU Memory Graphics Card and Display USB OS and Other Considerations So, you've decided to take the plunge and go 'all in' on PC-based virtual reality. You've done your homework and purchased a VR head-mounted display that meets your needs.
David Cohen Member
access_time 15 minutes ago
Baseline Specifications CPU Memory Graphics Card and Display USB OS and Other Considerations So, you've decided to take the plunge and go 'all in' on PC-based virtual reality. You've done your homework and purchased a VR head-mounted display that meets your needs.
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Andrew Wilson 14 minutes ago
So what's the next step to complete your VR system? You need a VR-capable PC.

What Makes a PC &...

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Thomas Anderson 2 minutes ago
Going below these specs might result in dropped frames, motion tracking lag, and other unpleasantrie...
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So what's the next step to complete your VR system? You need a VR-capable PC. <h2> What Makes a PC &#39 VR-Ready&#39 </h2> Two popular VR headset makers, Oculus and HTC/Valve, have provided recommended minimum-required PC specifications (Oculus) that provide a decent VR experience.
Elijah Patel Member
access_time 16 minutes ago
So what's the next step to complete your VR system? You need a VR-capable PC.

What Makes a PC ' VR-Ready'

Two popular VR headset makers, Oculus and HTC/Valve, have provided recommended minimum-required PC specifications (Oculus) that provide a decent VR experience.
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Going below these specs might result in dropped frames, motion tracking lag, and other unpleasantries that might cause VR sickness in some people, and might end up ruining your overall VR experience. Caiaimage/Robert Daly / Getty Images <h2> Minimum VR Baseline Specifications </h2> The main reason published VR minimum specs are important is because they give VR developers something to target as a benchmark to test against their apps and games. This helps to ensure that users who have PCs with at least the minimum specs for VR will have a good experience because the developer has configured their app or game to take advantage of the level of performance provided by the minimum specs.
Lily Watson Moderator
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Going below these specs might result in dropped frames, motion tracking lag, and other unpleasantries that might cause VR sickness in some people, and might end up ruining your overall VR experience. Caiaimage/Robert Daly / Getty Images

Minimum VR Baseline Specifications

The main reason published VR minimum specs are important is because they give VR developers something to target as a benchmark to test against their apps and games. This helps to ensure that users who have PCs with at least the minimum specs for VR will have a good experience because the developer has configured their app or game to take advantage of the level of performance provided by the minimum specs.
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James Smith 24 minutes ago
Anything the user has above those specs is extra. Users can use any extra horsepower they have above...
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Anything the user has above those specs is extra. Users can use any extra horsepower they have above the minimum specs to allow for higher graphics detail settings, supersampling, and anti-aliasing.
Ryan Garcia Member
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Anything the user has above those specs is extra. Users can use any extra horsepower they have above the minimum specs to allow for higher graphics detail settings, supersampling, and anti-aliasing.
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Daniel Kumar 5 minutes ago
The best rule of thumb is to make sure your PC meets or exceeds the minimum requirements. If you wan...
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The best rule of thumb is to make sure your PC meets or exceeds the minimum requirements. If you want to do a little "future-proofing," opt for a little bit beyond the minimum specs.
Grace Liu Member
access_time 35 minutes ago
The best rule of thumb is to make sure your PC meets or exceeds the minimum requirements. If you want to do a little "future-proofing," opt for a little bit beyond the minimum specs.
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Thomas Anderson 7 minutes ago
Otherwise, you'll have to settle for VR on smartphones.

CPU

The minimum PC processor spec...
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Julia Zhang 31 minutes ago
How much difference the processor makes in the overall VR experience is difficult to quantify, but i...
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Otherwise, you'll have to settle for VR on smartphones. <h2> CPU </h2> The minimum PC processor spec for the more popular Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) is an Intel Core i5 4590 or an AMD FX 8350 or greater. If you can afford to, we recommend opting for something more powerful, such as an Intel Core i7 (or AMD equivalent).
Luna Park Member
access_time 40 minutes ago
Otherwise, you'll have to settle for VR on smartphones.

CPU

The minimum PC processor spec for the more popular Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) is an Intel Core i5 4590 or an AMD FX 8350 or greater. If you can afford to, we recommend opting for something more powerful, such as an Intel Core i7 (or AMD equivalent).
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How much difference the processor makes in the overall VR experience is difficult to quantify, but in general, if you’re choosing between an i5 vs. an i7, the price difference between the two processors is probably not nearly as much as the price difference between higher-end graphics cards.
Ryan Garcia Member
access_time 9 minutes ago
How much difference the processor makes in the overall VR experience is difficult to quantify, but in general, if you’re choosing between an i5 vs. an i7, the price difference between the two processors is probably not nearly as much as the price difference between higher-end graphics cards.
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Ava White 2 minutes ago
A slower processor could also hinder the performance of a higher-end graphics card, which is another...
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A slower processor could also hinder the performance of a higher-end graphics card, which is another consideration. You don&#39;t want to spend a bunch of money on a fancy graphics card only to have your processor end up as the system&#39;s bottleneck. <h2> Memory </h2> Oculus recommends at least 8 GB of memory, whereas HTC recommends 4 GB as the minimum.
Kevin Wang Member
access_time 10 minutes ago
A slower processor could also hinder the performance of a higher-end graphics card, which is another consideration. You don't want to spend a bunch of money on a fancy graphics card only to have your processor end up as the system's bottleneck.

Memory

Oculus recommends at least 8 GB of memory, whereas HTC recommends 4 GB as the minimum.
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Lucas Martinez 2 minutes ago
Again, when it comes to memory, you can't go wrong with purchasing more than the minimum require...
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Again, when it comes to memory, you can&#39;t go wrong with purchasing more than the minimum requirement. Your system will take advantage of additional memory and it will generally improve the speed of just about every task your computer performs.
Oliver Taylor Member
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Again, when it comes to memory, you can't go wrong with purchasing more than the minimum requirement. Your system will take advantage of additional memory and it will generally improve the speed of just about every task your computer performs.
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<h2> Graphics Card and Display Output </h2> This is probably the single most important factor in VR performance, as well as where things can get expensive. The minimum specs for VR-capable video cards are in a slight state of flux as new iterations of graphics cards entered the market shortly after the minimum specs were announced. Originally, the base requirement was at least an Nvidia GTX 970, or an AMD R9 290 or better.
Kevin Wang Member
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Graphics Card and Display Output

This is probably the single most important factor in VR performance, as well as where things can get expensive. The minimum specs for VR-capable video cards are in a slight state of flux as new iterations of graphics cards entered the market shortly after the minimum specs were announced. Originally, the base requirement was at least an Nvidia GTX 970, or an AMD R9 290 or better.
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James Smith 9 minutes ago
The Nvidia GTX 10-series was released shortly after the specs came out, so now there are the 1050, 1...
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Natalie Lopez 7 minutes ago
Is a 980 better than 1060? It can get confusing. Our advice is to go with the newer version of the c...
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The Nvidia GTX 10-series was released shortly after the specs came out, so now there are the 1050, 1060, 1070, and 1080. Same case for AMD. This confusion leaves the buyer wondering which to choose, for example, is 1050 better than a 970?
Sophia Chen Member
access_time 26 minutes ago
The Nvidia GTX 10-series was released shortly after the specs came out, so now there are the 1050, 1060, 1070, and 1080. Same case for AMD. This confusion leaves the buyer wondering which to choose, for example, is 1050 better than a 970?
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Andrew Wilson 18 minutes ago
Is a 980 better than 1060? It can get confusing. Our advice is to go with the newer version of the c...
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Is a 980 better than 1060? It can get confusing. Our advice is to go with the newer version of the card that has the minimum spec, and if graphics are important to you, go at least one level higher than the minimum.
Sophie Martin Member
access_time 70 minutes ago
Is a 980 better than 1060? It can get confusing. Our advice is to go with the newer version of the card that has the minimum spec, and if graphics are important to you, go at least one level higher than the minimum.
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For example, the GTX 970 was the original minimum spec, the 1070 is probably a safe bet for what the next &#34;benchmark&#34; will probably end up being. A 1080 costs more than a 1070, but if you want pro-level graphics and higher frame rates and want to add a little &#34;future-proofing,&#34; consider the 1080 if your budget allows.
Hannah Kim Member
access_time 75 minutes ago
For example, the GTX 970 was the original minimum spec, the 1070 is probably a safe bet for what the next "benchmark" will probably end up being. A 1080 costs more than a 1070, but if you want pro-level graphics and higher frame rates and want to add a little "future-proofing," consider the 1080 if your budget allows.
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Amelia Singh 11 minutes ago
The display output is also important. Oculus requires HDMI 1.3 or better and HTC sets the bar at 1.4...
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Andrew Wilson 54 minutes ago
Make sure the graphics card you purchase supports whichever HMD you end up choosing.

USB OS a...

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The display output is also important. Oculus requires HDMI 1.3 or better and HTC sets the bar at 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2.
Isabella Johnson Member
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The display output is also important. Oculus requires HDMI 1.3 or better and HTC sets the bar at 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2.
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Chloe Santos 61 minutes ago
Make sure the graphics card you purchase supports whichever HMD you end up choosing.

USB OS a...

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Make sure the graphics card you purchase supports whichever HMD you end up choosing. <h2> USB OS and Other Considerations </h2> The type of USB ports your system supports is also important for VR.
Scarlett Brown Member
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Make sure the graphics card you purchase supports whichever HMD you end up choosing.

USB OS and Other Considerations

The type of USB ports your system supports is also important for VR.
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Sophia Chen 1 minutes ago
For Oculus, you'll need a few USB 3.0 ports, and oddly, USB 2.0 ports are required as well. For the ...
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James Smith 20 minutes ago
You should also consider investing in a quality SSD drive for your OS drive if you can afford it, as...
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For Oculus, you'll need a few USB 3.0 ports, and oddly, USB 2.0 ports are required as well. For the HTC Vive, only USB 2.0 is required. As for the operating system, you&#39;ll need at least Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit) or higher to join the VR party.
Evelyn Zhang Member
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For Oculus, you'll need a few USB 3.0 ports, and oddly, USB 2.0 ports are required as well. For the HTC Vive, only USB 2.0 is required. As for the operating system, you'll need at least Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit) or higher to join the VR party.
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You should also consider investing in a quality SSD drive for your OS drive if you can afford it, as it would likely improve VR app load times and speed up other tasks. As VR displays an increase in resolution, feature, and complexity, expect VR minimum system requirements to increase to support the additional pixels and other advances. You may want to take this into consideration when purchasing your VR PC rig, so you won&#39;t be under-powered later down the road.
Ethan Thomas Member
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You should also consider investing in a quality SSD drive for your OS drive if you can afford it, as it would likely improve VR app load times and speed up other tasks. As VR displays an increase in resolution, feature, and complexity, expect VR minimum system requirements to increase to support the additional pixels and other advances. You may want to take this into consideration when purchasing your VR PC rig, so you won't be under-powered later down the road.
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Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Meta/Facebook's Bet on Virtual Reality What To Look For in a Gaming Laptop What to Look For in a Gaming PC Which Microsoft Surface Is Best for You? Tips for Creating a Virtual Reality Room How to Connect Meta (Oculus) Quest or Quest 2 to PC How to Check If Your PC Is VR Ready 5 Things to Consider Before Buying a VR Headset 8 Things to Consider Before Buying a Desktop PC How to Overclock a GPU for Epic Gaming Can I Upgrade to Windows 8?
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