VR equipment: Technical recommendations

GPU is the most crucial component in a VR-focused PC

The key factor for an immersive VR experience is the graphics card, particularly its CUDA Core count. This is crucial because, to ensure a smooth VR experience, the system must render 90 frames per second for each eye, totaling 180 FPS. Additionally, each eye is rendered at a 2K by 2K resolution. It is also important to keep in mind that there's a slight increase in rendering due to headset movement.

The compatibility of the headsets with Nvidia GPUs:

We recommend the following GPU models:

  • Optimal Choice: If you're looking for the best price-to-performance ratio, the RTX 4070Ti Super comes highly recommended.
  • Budget OptionFor those on a limited budget, the RTX 4070 Super is the go-to choice.
  • High-Performance Option: If you're aiming for top-tier performance and are willing to invest in it, consider the RTX 4080 or RTX 4080 Super. Note that the standard size for these cards is 3 units.
  • 🙅 Not Recommended: We don’t advise choosing the RTX 4090 due to its high cost, significant heat output, and large size of 4 units.

☝️ The specific brand and model are possible to choose according to the price and consumer feedback, graphic cards with the same chip mostly are the same.

☝️☝️ As an additional note, we conducted tests on a graphics card with PCIe 5, 4, and 3, on both x16 and x8 slots. Interestingly, during gameplay, there was no discernible difference in speed. However, when transitioning to x4, game loading times slowed down by 5-7%.

Processors

CPUs: For gaming tasks, the single-core frequency is the most critical factor, as the most bottlenecked processes cannot be parallelized. In this context, the scoring:

  • i7-14700K (4320 points) is a great choice if you are using wireless headsets with streaming software
  • i7-13700K / 12700K - the same price as i7-14700K, but have lower performance 
  • i5-14600K / 13600K / 12600K (4180 points) shows excellent performance/price ☝️
  • i5-14600KF / 13600KF / 12600KF  (3948 points) has good performance/price but is more difficult to set
  • i3-14100F / 13100F / 12100F (3731 points) law-budget option, does not work with wireless headsets with streaming software, and high resource demanding games
  • i9-14900K(KF) / 13900K(KF) / 12900K(KF) (4545 points) not lagging far behind the top-end ☝️☝️
  • i7-9700K (2889 points) showed only for comparison

☝️ The only reason to opt for a more powerful processor is if you plan to use headsets like the Oculus Quest, PICO, or the Vive Focus and engage in video streaming. This creates a higher load, which is why an i5/i7 is recommended.

☝️☝️ Therefore, the latest generations of i9 do not offer an optimal price-to-performance ratio.

Example:

⭐️ Intel Core i7-14700K - Core i7 14th Gen Raptor Lake 

MotherBoard

The motherboard should handle DDR5 or DDR4 and should be compatible with LGA 1700 socket.
You can choose from your preferences, it is important to understand that the more expensive motherboard will not give more performance in games, and you need to take one that is compatible with the processor.

SSD 

Next in importance is the SSD, as it significantly impacts game loading time and overall system performance. If your power often goes out unexpectedly, it's a good idea to get a basic UPS. This will help make sure your PC turns off safely, especially because M.2 drives don't handle sudden power cuts very well.

⭐️ SAMSUNG 990 PRO M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe 2.0 V7 V-NAND 3bit MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-V9P2T0B/AM

RAM

We suggest having a minimum of 32GB (2 x 16GB) for smooth operation. According to the test results, DDR4 and DDR5 are operating in the same way. 

Others

Cooler: 

The key point is to be able to freeze the chosen processor and be compatible with the processor socket.

Case: 

The case should include selected components, motherboard, and video card, often in the case goes PSU and then you do not need to take it separately.

PSU:

Must be able to cover video card recommendations. It can be 800-850W, depending on the video card and processor power.