Table of Contents:
Minimum and recommended PC system requirements for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality virtual reality headsets.
What are the system requirements for the normal operation of the VR headset?
We decided to buy a brand new VR headset, saved up some money, but will your computer pull it? The three main players in the industry: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality have significantly different recommended system requirements. In this article, you will find out how powerful your PC needs to be so that the experience of immersion in virtual reality is not overshadowed by lags and friezes.
System requirements for HTC Vive
There are several options for system requirements to consider when considering the HTC Vive. First, the minimum requirements are what you absolutely need to run the Vive properly. Second, the recommended requirements are to get the most out of your Vive. Now that the Vive is available on the Mac, it’s worth considering the recommended specs for that platform as well.
For download on Steam, the SteamVR Compatibility Tool is available. Use it to check if your computer is ready to run the Vive.
Recommended PC specs for HTC Vive
Of course, you may have more powerful hardware than what is listed here, but these are the specifications recommended by HTC.
- Processor: Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350 (equivalent or better)
- Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 480 (equivalent or better)
- RAM: 4 GB or more
- Video output: HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2
- USB: One USB 2.0
- OS: Windows 7 or later
Minimum PC specifications for HTC Vive
These are the minimum specifications your PC needs to run the Vive properly. The only thing that really differs from the recommended ones is the graphics card. Mainly thanks to asynchronous reprojection, a technology implemented in Steam VR that provides a smoother VR experience with less powerful hardware.
- Processor: Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350 (equivalent or better)
- Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290 (equivalent or better)
- RAM: 4 GB or more
- Video Output: One HDMI 1.4 or one DisplayPort 1.2
- USB: One USB 2.0
- OS: Windows 7 or later
Minimum Mac specs for HTC Vive
The HTC Vive and Steam VR have arrived on the Mac and many of the new high-end iMac interfaces will be supported right out of the box thanks to the powerful Radeon Pro 560 GPU with 4GB of VRAM. The rest of the specs remain pretty much the same as the PC; you still need at least 4 GB of RAM and a powerful processor that any new iMac has. However, you will need to purchase a Thunderbolt 3 adapter in order to have the correct connection ports.
Don’t forget that the new MacBook Pro supports an external GPU, making it even more suitable for VR headsets.
Oculus Rift system requirements
Oculus Rift has two technologies – Asynchronous Spacewarp and Asynchronous Timewarp – that help reduce the load on your computer. For this reason, Rift’s minimum system requirements are slightly lower than those of its competitors.
Oculus has a great compatibility tool that will scan your computer and tell you if you have enough power to run the Rift.
Recommended PC specs for Oculus Rift
These are the hardware requirements Oculus recommends for the best Rift experience. If you have a better processor, graphics card and more RAM, then FPS drops during active moments will become even less.
- Processor: Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X (equivalent or better)
- Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 480 (equivalent or better)
- RAM: 8 GB or more
- Video output: HDMI 1.3
- USB: three USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0
- OS: Windows 7 or later
Minimum PC specifications for Oculus Rift
Due to Asynchronous Spacewarp and Timewarp, the Oculus Rift has a significantly lower set of minimum hardware requirements.
- Processor: Intel Core i3-6100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or AMD FX 4350 (equivalent or better)
- Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 290 (equivalent or better)
- RAM: 8 GB or more
- Video output: HDMI 1.3
- USB: one USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0
- OS: Windows 7 or later
System requirements for Windows Mixed Reality
Hardware required to run Windows Mixed Reality. Please note that they are slightly different from what the Rift and Vive require.
- Processor: Intel Mobile Core i5 (e.g. 7200U) Dual-Core with Hyperthreading equivalent
- GPU: Integrated Intel® HD Graphics 620 (GT2) or higher DX12 API
- RAM: 8 GB + dual channel required for integrated graphics
- HDMI: HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2 for 60Hz displays
- HDMI: HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2 for 90Hz graphic displays
- HDD: 100 GB + SSD (Preferred) / HDD
- USB: USB 3.0 Type-A or USB 3.1 Type-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 for accessories
