PC Build for VR

mediaboy

mediaboy

mediaboy

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30 Jan 2016
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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.
 
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
 
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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.
 
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?
 
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.
 
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.
 
Ok thanks.

Windows is a must have course and I like the 1tb of storage.
i think I'd like extra RAM considering it's not much extra.

I think I'm getting closer.

Thanks the both of you. You've been a great help.
 
mickyflinn said:
Let us know when you finally decide.
Click to expand...

Cheers will do.

I'll tell you now, i won't be overclocking, sounds like too much messing about for a beginner like me. So i want an out of the box type experience with the Rift running well without having to mess around with the CPU or anything else.
 
From what I've read that's wrong information.

Why would oculus' own site recommend a 970??
Loads of crazy oculus fans on reddit recommend a 970 so I'm sticking with that without doubt.

From oculus:

"All Oculus Home games will have to run smoothly on these specifications to be approved, and most VR developers are targeting these specifications for their content. If you are building a PC or upgrading your PC for VR, the above specifications must be met."

That's based on a GTX970 so it's going to be fine.
 
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Thanks Jbh.

You've both given me good choices. I'll have to see my funds before deciding on the better cpu.

Can you explain how the 970s differ?
You've both given me a few different models in your lists.
 
I will be doing some gaming though.
If the Rift is as good as they say I will want to use some graphical applications.
Is the only choice to go with a larger 970 and a taller tower/case?
 
Jbh.
Yeah I like that second case if I can get it in black.
I'm going to start amassing the components over the next couple of months starting next week.

If I'm going to build the PC what order do I install the parts?
I'll buy the case first and then what, power pack?

Escape.
I'm sticking with Rift. I use boot camp for certain stuff but it doesn't work well for me. I tried it with some windows only demos when I had a DK 2 and it was a royal pain in the ass.
I need a dedicated machine for the CV1.
 
Ok Ok i'm getting confused now.
Why would Oculus in their own specs say the 970 is fine?
And they are saying to developers they HAVE to meet those requirements for the 970?

I really can't consider a 980ti when i'm not going to be playing games for hours on end.
I'm a VERY casual gamer and will only be playing now and then and demoing to friends. It really will be mainly video.

IF, and it's a big if, should the 970 be inadequate, can i return it and upgrade to 980ti even after a some light use??
 
I don't see how it will destroy it.

In their words:

Taking all of this into account, our recommended hardware specification is designed to help developers tackle these challenges and ship great content to all Rift users. This is the hardware that we recommend for the full Rift experience:

NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
8GB+ RAM

That's for the FULL Rift experience. So what am I missing?
Are you saying most developers will ignore the recommendations and need a better card?
 
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