With a growing number of affordable next-gen PC-uniform headsets like Quest two and HP Reverb G2, in that location's more reason than e'er to finally jump into VR. For the gamers out in that location who are beginning to consider purchasing a PC VR headset, one major question marks the starting indicate on their journeying to a decision: can my PC handle information technology? Here's how to notice out.

Updated – December 3rd, 2021

VR gaming is much more resource intensive than monitor gaming. In short, that's considering the render resolution is much higher than the 1080p displays used by most PC users today. Not to mention, VR games must also exist rendered in 3D and anywhere from 72 to 144 FPS depending on the headset.

Before we dive in, y'all'll want to know a few things about your computer. Starting time and foremost, PC VR headsets are not supported past MacOS. Next up, you'll need to know your PC'due south specs. Aggrandize the section below if yous don't already know where to find that info.

How to Find Your PC's Specs

To determine if your PC can handle VR, at that place's four cadre things you'll demand to know:

  • Video Card
  • CPU
  • RAM
  • Video Output
GPU
  1. Press the Start push and blazon 'device managing director', select it from the list
  2. In Device Manager, aggrandize Display Adapters, your video card is listed beneath
CPU & RAM
  1. Press the First push and type 'about your PC', select it from the list
  2. In the Near window, coil downward to discover 'Processor' (also known as CPU) and 'Installed RAM'
Video Output

For this you'll need to look at the back of your computer and see which ports are available on the back, specifically on your GPU (which is usually lower):

Prototype courtesy Alienware

The ports can expect very like, so look closely at the shapes of each. Remember that you lot will need a free port to plug your headset into.

Image courtesy Alienware

Many headset makers provide what they call a 'recommended' hardware configuration for virtual reality gaming. This gives VR developers a baseline hardware target so that they tin can ensure the consistent FPS requirement is met. If your hardware does not come across the recommended specification, you lot risk dropping nether framerate which can upshot in a choppy and potentially uncomfortable VR experience.

The recommended specs provided past each company are relatively similar just there are some key differences worth looking at in detail:

Meta

Image courtesy Oculus
Oculus Rift Southward Recommended VR Specifications:
  • Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 480 or greater
  • CPU: Intel i5-4590 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or greater
  • Retentivity: 8GB RAM or greater
  • Video Output: DisplayPort
  • USB Ports: 1x USB three.0 port
  • OS: Windows 10
Oculus Rift CV1 Recommended VR Specifications:
  • Video Bill of fare: NVIDIA GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 480 or greater
  • CPU: Intel i5-4590 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or greater
  • Memory: 8GB RAM or greater
  • Video Output: Compatible HDMI ane.3 video output
  • USB Ports: 3x USB three.0 ports plus 1x USB 2.0 port
  • OS: Windows ten (Windows 7/eight.1 no longer recommended)
Meta Quest & Quest 2 with Oculus Link

Meta Quest & Quest 2 can too play PC VR games via Oculus Link.See this commodity for the most up to appointment info on Meta Quest recommended specs and supported graphics cards.

Valve

Image courtesy Valve
Valve Index Recommended VR Specifications:
  • Video Bill of fare: NVIDIA GTX 1070 / AMD equivalent or greater
  • CPU: Quad Core+
  • Memory: 8GB RAM
  • Video Output: DisplayPort 1.two
  • USB Ports: 1x USB 2.0 port (USB three.0 required for photographic camera passthrough), 1x DisplayPort v1.2
  • Os: Windows ten, SteamOS, Linux

Cheque your PC: Yous tin automatically cheque that you meet these specifications with the 'Are you ready for Valve Alphabetize' app on Steam.

HTC

Paradigm courtesy HTC
Vive Cosmos Recommended VR Specifications
  • Video Menu: NVIDIA GTX 1070 / AMD Radeon Vega 56 or greater
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-4590/AMD FX 8350 equivalent or greater
  • Memory: 8GB RAM
  • Video Output: DisplayPort one.two
  • USB Ports: 1x USB 3.0 port
  • OS: Windows x
Vive Cosmos Elite Recommended VR Specifications
  • Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 1070 / AMD Radeon Vega 56 or greater
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-4590/AMD FX 8350 equivalent or greater
  • Retentiveness: 8GB RAM
  • Video Output: DisplayPort 1.2
  • USB Ports: 1x USB three.0 port
  • OS: Windows ten
Vive Pro 2 Recommended VR Specifications
  • Video Menu: NVIDIA GTX 1060 / Quadro P5000 / AMD Radeon Vega 56 or greater
  • CPU:Intel Core i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 equivalent or greater
  • Retention: 8GB RAM
  • Video Output: DisplayPort one.ii or newer
  • USB Ports: 1x USB 3.0 port or newer
  • OS: Windows 10
Vive Focus iii Minimum VR Specifications
  • Video Bill of fare:NVIDIA GTX 1060 /AMDRadeon RX 480 or greater
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 or greater
  • Retention: 8GB RAM or more
  • Video Output: HDMI 1.4 / DisplayPort ane.2
  • USB Ports: 1x USB two.0 port
  • Wired Streaming: 1x USB Type-C 3.0 cable (5 Gbps)
  • Wireless Streaming (routers): Wi-Fi 802.11ac or Wi-Fi 802.11ax (5GHz)
  • OS: Windows 10

WMR & HP

Paradigm courtesy HP
General Windows Mixed Reality Recommended VR Specifications
  • Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 1060 / AMD RX 470/570 or greater
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 / AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or greater
  • Memory: 8GB
  • Video Output: HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2 (may vary based on specific headset)
  • USB Port: 1x USB iii.0
  • Os: Windows 10 (Note: Not supported on N versions or Windows 10 Pro in S Way)
  • Bluetooth Some headsets require Bluetooth iv.0 for controller connectivity
HP Reverb G1 and G2 Windows Mixed Reality Recommended VR Specifications
  • Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 1080 / AMD RX 5700 or greater
  • CPU: Intel Core i5, i7 / AMD Ryzen 5 or greater
  • Memory: 8GB
  • Video Output: DisplayPort 1.3
  • USB Port: 1x USB 3.0
  • OS: Windows ten (may require latest updates)

Pimax

Prototype courtesy Pimax
Pimax 8K X Recommended VR Specifications
  • Video Card
    • Upscale Mode: NVIDIA RTX 2060
    • Native Manner: NVIDIA RTX 2080
  • CPU: Intel Cadre i5-9400 equivalent or greater
  • Memory: 8GB
  • Video Output: DisplayPort 1.2
  • USB Port: USB two.0 or greater
  • Os: Windows 10
Pimax 8K Plus Recommended VR Specifications
  • Video Card:NVIDIA RTX 2060
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-9400 equivalent or greater
  • Memory: 8GB
  • Video Output: DisplayPort 1.two
  • USB Port: USB two.0 or greater
  • Bone: Windows 10
Pimax 5K Super Recommended VR Specifications
  • Video Card:NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-9400 equivalent or greater
  • Memory: 8GB
  • Video Output: DisplayPort 1.2
  • USB Port: USB two.0 or greater
  • Os: Windows 10
Pimax 5K Plus Recommended VR Specifications
  • Video Carte du jour:NVIDIA GTX 1070
  • CPU: Intel Cadre i5-9400 equivalent or greater
  • Memory: 8GB
  • Video Output: DisplayPort 1.4
  • USB Port: USB 2.0 or greater
  • Bone: Windows x, Windows 8.1
Pimax Artisan Recommended VR Specifications
  • Video Card:NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-9400 equivalent or greater
  • Retention: 8GB
  • Video Output: DisplayPort 1.4
  • USB Port: USB ii.0 or greater
  • OS: Windows x, Windows 8.1