The Best Computers for the Oculus Rift VR Headset

After so many years of promise, the world of virtual reality (VR) gaming hardware available to everyone, at least to anyone with a decent credit limit, is upon us. Whether you followed the

Oculus Rift

since the launch of

VR headset

on Kickstarter in 2012, or whether you're just now in the fold, plenty of radically new game worlds are out there waiting for you to jump inside. But before you get started, you must first consider the specifications of your PC. A poor VR experience is worse than no VR at all, as we'll explain.

VR games are very demanding, so a powerful

gaming desk

Where

a laptop

is required to run titles smoothly on the Oculus Rift

($717.10 on Amazon)

. Pushing detail-rich graphics onto the headset's two high-resolution displays placed inches from your eyes is strenuous, and a basic laptop or productivity-focused desktop simply won't be able to keep up.

Those graphics-power hunger is one of the biggest obstacles to the overall success of Rift and VR in general, as it potentially adds the cost of an expensive gaming PC (or at least the cost of upgrades relevant) to an already expensive headset. Note that much of what we discuss in this story also applies to the other great competing consumer VR headset, the

HTC Vive

($99.99 on Amazon)

, but this model has a slightly different set of requirements. And Microsoft's Windows Mixed Reality headsets, which nominally resemble the Rift and HTC Vive, are a whole different ball game; more on those later.

Many enthusiasts see today's virtual reality as a glimpse into the future of gaming, so it's up to you to decide if the unique experience is worth it for hardware support. At any given price, desktop PCs are generally more powerful and better equipped for VR than laptops. So if you're interested in a desktop solution, read on. If a mobile solution is more your speed, check out

our guide to the best laptops for VR

.

What are the system requirements for the Oculus Rift?

Oculus provides a list of specs that tells you exactly what you need to at least free speech to run VR games on the headset, as well as a slightly different list of

suggestions

specifications to run it optimally. Your graphics card will be the key factor, but your processor, memory, and inputs also play an important role.

If your current equipment doesn't meet the requirements below, but you're willing to spend on a fully configured desktop PC if needed, fear not. The table at the top of this story displays recent systems we've reviewed that are best suited to keep the Rift running smoothly. However, there are a lot of details and nuances to wade through, so some Rift-specific advice will go a long way.

We will therefore describe each component in more detail following the recommendations of Oculus. and the required specifications, which are listed below. Sticking to the recommended specs is fine, but an even more powerful system will deliver the best frame rates now and in the future.

Still not sure if your system is up to snuff? Oculus offers a

free downloadable tool

which scans your computer and tells you if each component succeeds or fails. It's a simple way to determine if your current rig is ready or not. The program is small and only takes a few seconds to evaluate your hardware.

Prepare VR with (almost) any budget

As we noted, even in the case of VR systems, desktop PCs are generally more economical than gaming-grade laptops. While the most expensive desktop computers with dual graphics cards

GeForce GTX 1080

($549.00 at NVIDIA)

, fancy processors, and tons of RAM, drive the Oculus Rift better, a system with a single video card can certainly cut it, and you can get a VR-ready desktop for around $1,000.

These will generally be simple and relatively compact towers, but don't underestimate their functionality. They probably include a graphics card

GeForce GTX 1060

($652.04 on Amazon)

, 8GB or 16GB of memory and a more than efficient processor. Not only will this make a decent machine for general use, but you might notice it meets or exceeds the suggested specs for VR.

You could easily spend $2,000 or more on a really powerful, VR-ready desktop computer. (Some versions of insane showcases

can run between $5,000 and $10,000.) But getting what you need specifically for VR can be a lot cheaper. You can always build your own rig to save money, if you have the technical know-how, but the big manufacturers offer a range of affordable pre-built systems that will check all the boxes. Don't forget you'll need a monitor and maybe some speakers to go along with it. (You won't use them when you're in your VR world, but for everything else.)

Main consideration? The graphics card

The biggest component that will make or break your system for VR is the video card, so it's a good place to start, and to allocate the most budget if you're short on it. Unlike most non-gaming desktops and laptops, which only use the relatively weak graphics silicon built into the processor, the mainstream desktops you choose for your VR rig should include a discrete video. You're better off just by including a discrete card upfront, but not all cards are powerful enough to drive VR. As you can see above, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or a

AMD Radeon RX480

($410.00 on Amazon)

are the recommended minimum cards for Virtual Reality Games.

On the Nvidia side, above these cards are the

GeForce GTX 1070

,

GTX 1070 Ti

, GeForce GTX 1080 and

GTX 1080 Ti

, as well as the company's elite Titan cards.

On the AMD side, from the Radeon RX 480 you have the

Radeon RX580

(the RX 480 is technically a last-gen card), as well as the newer, higher-end

Radeon RX Vega 56

and

RX Vega 64

. All of these cards exceed Rift's recommended models, but you'll rarely see the Vegas in prebuilt desktops.

While not every card you'll see in a pre-built PC is VR-ready, the GeForce GTX 1060, as Nvidia's middle-of-the-road option, can be found in many budget-oriented desktop PCs. If you're really looking to save, a

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

Where

Radeon RX470

will do the job. You might not get the same performance as a GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 480, which is a deal breaker for some, but they can help you hit the VR floor for less silver.

Beyond its VR capabilities, the GeForce GTX 1060 is a popular card for a reason: it's well suited for general non-VR gaming with many modern AAA titles running at 60 frames per second (fps) at

1080p p>

. However, while 60fps is the target for non-VR gaming, frame rates are handled a bit differently with a VR headset, which is designed to display at 90fps per eye for maximum effect and smooth graphics. .

Also worth it. Note: To prevent motion sickness, the sustained frame rate

sustained

recommended is also 90fps. Frame rates that fall below this mark can be, quite literally, nauseating for some users. So while frame rate targets don't translate exactly to standard gaming, you'll need to pay close attention to the headset manufacturers' minimum specs. The consequences of low frame rate with VR can be more severe than with regular gaming on a monitor. It can make you sick!

With that in mind, even with a GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 480, you can see dropped frames at maximum settings in VR. This issue is particularly noticeable and irritating in VR, where the display is right on your face and encompasses your entire visual field, potentially causing nausea, as opposed to a screen a few feet away. Go further in the hierarchy of graphics cards

moving to a GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 will help you run games smoothly at higher settings, which can make the difference whether or not it makes you feel sick, if you're prone to it. These higher-end cards will allow you to hit ideal frame rates more consistently, but you'll have to weigh them against the added price. Of course, you'll also see their advantage in non-VR games, so there's that added benefit, especially if you want to play outside of VR on a high refresh rate 1080p monitor, or a 1440p or 4K display. (For even more details, see

our guide to the best graphics cards for VR

.)

Processor, memory and ports

CPU

, even at the level recommended by Oculus, all you need is at least an Intel Core i5-4590 (that's "Haswell" or fourth-gen Core, an older generation of chips now) or an AMD Ryzen 5 1500X

($220.00 on Amazon)

or better.

These suggestions aren't high bars for hit, especially from Intel's side. Newer computers come with the latest eighth-generation Intel "Coffee Lake" processors, which are much faster than the recommended and required processors. Any Core i5 or i7 of this generation or the previous generation ("Kaby Lake") will do.

Whether you opt for a Core i5 or a Core i7 (the latter being better suited to more intensive processing tasks and not a prerequisite for VR gaming), both are fast and efficient in eighth-gen form. Even if you can only run an eighth-gen Core i3 desktop processor (not as common in your average desktop build), you'll hit the minimum for VR. Don't expect such fast performance in everyday use. p>

The 8GB of memory required is both adequate for VR and useful for general computing. For most experiments, that amount won't slow you down, though it's largely true that the more RAM you have, the better. We certainly do not advise against

of

16GB, however, if you can fit it into your budget, your system will be faster overall and games in particular will benefit. If you're looking to push demanding games on high or max settings, consider loading 16GB or more instead of the minimum 8GB. RAM prices these days, however, may mean you have to compromise between a better video card and that extra 8GB. For PC VR, we'd go for the best graphics first.

The Rift, frankly speaking, consumes a lot of ports. However, you'll need to check the correct ports much more carefully on a VR-enabled laptop; most desktop computers should have what you need. Having enough easily accessible jacks to plug in all of your headset connectors is the main concern here, and knowing which type of port you'll need requires checking the fine print.

The Rift needs one HDMI 1.3 port and three USB ports (ideally two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port). While you'll still need to confirm that the desktop you're considering has them on board, the average home PC offers a handful of USB ports to cover your bases, and any current-gen video card we've mentioned above should offer you the HDMI 1.3. output you need.

Is Windows Mixed Reality worth a look?

While the above requirements refer specifically to the Rift (and broadly apply to the HTC Vive), another group of options there's a different set of requirements: Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Microsoft has worked with partner manufacturers to release a series of these cheaper PC headsets, including the

HP VR1000-100

and

Acer AH101-D8EY

.

They are built from the Microsoft Hololens platform, but they don't really offer

really

augmented reality, and the Windows ecosystem is still pretty barren compared to Steam and Oculus offerings. They can run other software, but they do so less efficiently than the two main headsets, both in terms of hardware and performance. They are an alternative if you want to save money or have specific use cases for the Windows platform, but without significant additions or improvements, we recommend

strongly

the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive if gaming is your primary focus.

Other Considerations

Apart from the key areas we've already covered, there are a few other things to consider. As mentioned, you will of course need to bring a monitor, even if you are primarily interested in VR. You'll need to configure your system and install the appropriate VR software and games, but any display will do. That said, if you also want to watch Netflix or play non-VR games on this screen, you need to plan for a better monitor. Budget between $200 and $300 for a nice HD (1080p) or QHD (1440p) screen, depending on the size you want. (

Check out our guide to the best gaming monitors

.)

You will also need a place to store all of this software, but your options are very flexible. Even an ordinary 500 GB hard drive is

good

for the job, and not too expensive. Many mainstream desktop PCs now include a 1TB hard drive as standard, often paired with a solid-state Quick Boot Drive for Windows and a few key applications. Game installs have gotten quite large - some reach 50GB or more - so you'll need to take that into account if you're considering a large library. HDD storage has gotten a whole lot cheaper, so splurge on that 1TB drive if you need it, but be aware that adding SSD capacity will be a more expensive proposition.