Solved! What do I need?

[Skpstr]

Hi all, just played my first VR game (Arizona Sunshine) the other day, and though I realise the genre is still in it's infancy, I want to start looking at upgrading my system within the next year.

Now, after playing Arizona Sunshine, I'm happy with the graphics, (realising that they could be much better in a regular 2d game) and the "feel" of the game (interactibility with the environment, movement within the 8x8' box, and the gun handling) is quite adequate.

Using that as a benchmark, what, in your opinion, is going to give me that kind of performance, even say 5 years into the future? (assuming possibly lower settings on prettier games)

I know I can go with the fastest i7 and a 1080 GPU, but I'm wondering about less expensive options, especially if anything AMD will cut it.

I'm also wondering about the mobo. If I decide to go with the Vive headset, (which is the one I tried) I believe I need 3 USB 3.0 ports. Is that something I need to keep in mind when selecting the mobo? (the one I replaced for my current FX-6300 only supports 2 ports, for example)

TIA.

PS: is it at all feasible to look at getting the GPU first, and getting some VR use out of my FX-6300 while I save for new CPU/mobo?

 

[cryoburner]

The problem with the FX-6300 is that its per-core performance is not particularly good, which will limit frame rates. With VR, you'll typically want to try to achieve 90fps to maintain smooth motion, and I'm pretty sure that processor would struggle with that in many VR titles. AMD's Ryzen processors are definitely a lot more competitive, though it's anyone's guess if any given processor today will be suitable for VR games coming out several years from now.

I don't think USB ports should be a major issue for new hardware, as most modern motherboards have around 6 USB 3.x ports, and internal headers to hook up additional ports on the front of the case. You could also plug a USB expansion card into a PCIe slot if you needed more. Plus, going by the Vive's official specs, I believe it only requires a single USB port and an HDMI or Displayport connection to your graphics card. The Oculus Rift is the one that requires at least 3 USB ports plus an HDMI connection. That's because the Rift requires an additional USB port for each camera sensor, whereas the Vive tracks the lasers emitted from its base stations from the inside out.

As for a video card, a higher-end model will undoubtedly stay relevant longer, but another option might be to get a more upper-mid-range card (like a 1070) then upgrade to another card a few years down the line that might be faster than anything available today. Nvidia should be launching a new generation of graphics cards over the coming months, so later this year there will likely be better options available at every price point than what there are now. I suspect AMD will have a new generation of graphics cards available before long as well, but not much is currently known about those, and they might not be coming until around the end of the year, if not later. In any case, the hardware worth recommending now will probably vary from what might be recommended in a few months or so.

 

[harrystam]

I use to run VR (HTC Vive) with the FX 6300 just fine. I clocked it to 4.00 Ghz and it never let me down. The GPU is by far the biggest determining factor when it comes to running VR smoothly.
When I had my 6300 it was paired with a R9 390 with the old Hawaii core.

Your wording is a bit confusing.
BUt...

My short and sweet answer: Go big or go home. Have enough ports to support and if you don't have sufficient cooling right now upgrade.

The 6300 is a sufficient chip, but at 4 Ghz it warms quickly and will need a H60 aio or a nice air cooler.
Most VR games are quite simple: using minimal particle effects and low poly objects. Some high end VR titles use particle effects and high poly objects and will drag your fps significantly if your system isn't ready. You can get away with a 4gb gpu for 90% of VR titles.

Hope this helps,
Harrison

 

[Skpstr]

Definitely helpful. Now I know which order to buy components in. GPU first, then the Vive, then the RAM/CPU/mobo. I've done a bit of research and pricing too.

Thinking of an i5-8600K, RX580 8Gb, 16Gb RAM.

I have an EVO 212 cooler, is that sufficient, or will I need something better?

 

[harrystam]

Definitely helpful. Now I know which order to buy components in. GPU first, then the Vive, then the RAM/CPU/mobo. I've done a bit of research and pricing too.

Thinking of an i5-8600K, RX580 8Gb, 16Gb RAM.

I have an EVO 212 cooler, is that sufficient, or will I need something better?

I actually used the evo 212 for some time with no issue so you'll be fine. Ram is the most expensive item for a pc build these days. You don't need 16 gb for VR. 8gb would do just fine.

I always build a pc in this order: CPU,mobo,ram,GPU, PSU. (That's a bare bones pc with no peripherals)
Then i add storage HDD or SSD or M.2 and OS and cooling options.
After that's done you get fancy with rgb and other options.

Personally, I don't see why you would buy a VR headset without a complete pc to run it.


Harrison

 

[Skpstr]

Sorry, my bad, I forgot to mention my existing PC. It has an FX-6300, HD7790 2Gb, and 12Mb of RAM.

I figured I'd get the new GPU and put it in the existing PC. Then I could use the headset. Then once I had the RAM/CPU/mobo, I'd put it all together in another case, and the FX-6300 would go back to normal, except its SSD and 600w PSU would go into the new PC.