PC Build for VR

mediaboy

mediaboy

mediaboy

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30 Jan 2016
Posts
28
Hi everyone,

I'm a long time Mac user (don't judge me) and have to buy a PC for an Oculus Rift.

I have zero experience with PCs except at work doing mundane tasks.

Now, i need a PC that's going to run VR smoothly and be able play/stream movies when hooked up to a projector.

This is not a Mac Vs PC thing. Both have their uses and i'm not interested in a debate, but i realise this is mainly PC forum so i'd like your expertise in helping me choose a PC or the parts to build one myself.

I do not have an unlimited budget so i want the minimum specs but be able to upgrade if my needs are not met.

So it's a GTX970 and i5 yes?? I really have no idea where to start and i'm just quoting these things from Oculus' own recommended specs. I don't need a monitor or any peripherals. I have keyboard, mouse and will use my tv/projector for a screen.

Any help would be much appreciated.
 
what is you're budget?
any preference on O/S?

not getting into the Mac vs PC thing but I take it VR isint coming to Mac?
 
Hi jbh.

O/S has to be windows for the Rift.
No Mac or Linux support as yet. Probably won't be for at least 18 months so I have to get a PC.

My budget is whatever the minimum specs are here :

Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
CPU: Intel i5-6400 / i5-4590 equivalent or greater
Memory: 8GB+ RAM
Video Output: free HDMI 1.3 output
USB Ports: 3x USB 3.0 ports plus 1x USB 2.0 port
OS: Windows 7 64 bit, Windows 8.1 64 bit, or Windows 10 64 bit

I don't want a pile of crap. I'd say my budget is around £800 if possible?
I won't be filling the hard drive with loads of unnecessary stuff. I'll keep my Mac for my music and video editing.
All that will be on the PC is the games/movies for the Rift and I'll be streaming content from the web hooked up to my projector or TV.

One thing is a must is an SSD for the OS and decent storage for other files.

Cheers
 
Last edited:
would you want to overclock? you can save a fair bit by buying a non k version cpu and a non oc board. after marklet cooler.

would you want a dvd rom?

I know this is slightly over budget but this is more or less what ive got.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £991.48
(includes shipping: £12.60)
​
 
Hi.

Thanks for that.
No optical drive.

To be honest I don't even know what overclocking is :-)

If I can save money somewhere that's fine by me.
As long as it deals with Oculus specs I'm good.

I definitely don't need anything more/above than the specs.
I don't plan on gaming really, I'm planning on running video mostly.

As long as runs the Rift I don't need to go beyond what's expected. But if those parts are the minimum but well made I can go with that. An extra few quid isn't the end of the world.
 
if youre not overclocking no need for the k you would get off with this.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £907.52
(includes shipping: £12.60)
​
 
you could get save another £20 by changing the Asus 970 for a gainward.
Ive got the Gainward in my system. it is still a good card. it comes with a higher clock than the Asus out the box but doesnt overclock as well as the Asus or other brands. but if youre not overclocking it could be the answer. Im happy with mine. its silent and does play anything I throw at it on ultra settings.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £269.89
(includes shipping: £9.90)
​
 
only other thing I would look at is a better cooler as the stock ones canbe a bit poor. and 2 120mm fans for the front of the case. again if youre not planning on overclocking theres no need to go daft with cooling but a little extra doesnt go a miss.
 
Cheers. No optical drive, don't need it, not used one for years.

Will be it easy to wack a 1tb hard drive in there for extra storage? Some of these 4k videos are gonna fill up that SSD pretty rapid.

Also I'm not a big fan of rectangle cases. Is there a black cube type that is compatible with those parts?

Thanks again for this, I appreciate your time here.


What would you recommend for the cooling then?
 
It all depends on what size motherboard you want so to fit a cube case. e.g micro atx, mini itx.

What is you final build and then we pick a case.

You can install windows with a usb drive or a usb external optical drive.
 
Jesus I sound like a complete beginner here. I know a lot about Macs but it's like buying my first computer.

I don't mind what size the case is as long as it's more cube shaped than thin and long.
It doesn't have to be a cube. Just more of a stocky rectangle if a cube isn't possible. This will be on show next to a subwoofer cube so id like a bit of symmetry. I'm a bit of a design nut. Square and minimal is the order of the day.
 
If I can build a spec ready one for 700 I'd be chuffed.
I really don't need overkill. I'm not a big gamer.

I hear video will probably run on a 670 according to that wiki above but I'll get a gtx970.
 
Ok see what you think.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £841.20
(includes shipping: £12.30)
​
 
Thanks.

When you ask "what do I think?", I have absolutely no idea :-) I like the case, that's all I can say mate. I'm clueless otherwise.

If I ask you what's the difference between your advice and jbh's what can you tell me? Which is better and for what reason? Price difference is negligible.
 
What is good is I have two different opinions.

What may make my mind up is if you both discuss your recommendations and give your opinions to each other. It will help me reading what you both think and why you've chosen those parts.
I think then I'll understand more of what you're talking about.
 
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