Agreed. After my wife was so blown away by the Quest the other day, she decided to invite a bunch of her friends over to try it out tomorrow. So now I have a bunch of software designers who haven't tried VR coming over to play Beat Saber and Vader Immortal.

I'm looking at building a computer for the Valve Index and wanted y'alls input.


Here is the Valve Index system requirements page:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=4061-QUZB-4602


Below is a list of hardware that someone I know recommended based on the above requirements. Please advise what you think needs to be improved or left as is. I would like to be able to run the Index at 144Hz to fully utilize its capabilities. Thanks!


Intel Core i7-4790 Haswell Quad-Core 3.6 GHz LGA 1150 84W BX80646I74790 Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model

ASUS H87-PLUS LGA 1150 Intel H87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti SC ULTRA GAMING, 06G-P4-1667-KR, 6GB GDDR6, Dual Fan, Metal Backplate

EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G5, 80 Plus Gold 650W, Fully Modular, Eco Mode with FDB Fan, 10 Year Warranty, Includes Power ON Self Tester, Compact 150mm Size, Power Supply 220-G5-0650-X1

WD Blue 3D NAND 1TB Internal SSD - SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5"/7mm Solid State Drive

Are you getting that CPU, RAM, and motherboard for free or something? If so, it'll be okay. If you're spending any money, that setup doesn't make a ton of sense. That old quad core CPU is going to struggle to keep up consistent frame times with higher end titles, which is a real problem for VR that can lead to issues like nausea. You really want something along the lines of an R5 3600 on the low end for the Index if you're buying new, along with an MSI Tomahawk B450 or similar for the motherboard.

The 1660 Ti is pretty much bare minimum for the Index as well. You're better off spending a few more bucks for an RTX 2060, especially in light of the new $50 price cut by NVIDIA on the 2060.

Based on your suggestions I now have the following in my cart:

Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-06 CC-9011144-WW Black Steel / Plastic / Tempered Glass ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX AM4 AMD B450 SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD Motherboard

MSI GeForce RTX 2060 DirectX 12 RTX 2060 GAMING Z 6G 6GB 192-Bit GDDR6 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G5, 80 Plus Gold 650W, Fully Modular, Eco Mode with FDB Fan

AMD RYZEN 5 3600 6-Core 3.6 GHz (4.2 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 65W 100-100000031BOX Desktop Processor

WD Blue 3D NAND 1TB Internal SSD - SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5"/7mm Solid State Drive

Patriot Viper Steel 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 4000 (PC4 32000) Desktop Memory

What are your thoughts on this? Would this PC be able to run most games at 144Hz?

Also a few other questions:

Are there multiplayer VR games that you can play online with friends?

Is moving about VR games as the character seamless? I played Arizona Sunshine today and it was kind of odd how you had to move your character through the areas on horde mode.

Thanks!

kevinmw55 said:

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Based on your suggestions I now have the following in my cart:

Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-06 CC-9011144-WW Black Steel / Plastic / Tempered Glass ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX AM4 AMD B450 SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD Motherboard

MSI GeForce RTX 2060 DirectX 12 RTX 2060 GAMING Z 6G 6GB 192-Bit GDDR6 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G5, 80 Plus Gold 650W, Fully Modular, Eco Mode with FDB Fan

AMD RYZEN 5 3600 6-Core 3.6 GHz (4.2 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 65W 100-100000031BOX Desktop Processor

WD Blue 3D NAND 1TB Internal SSD - SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5"/7mm Solid State Drive

Patriot Viper Steel 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 4000 (PC4 32000) Desktop Memory

What are your thoughts on this? Would this PC be able to run most games at 144Hz?

Also a few other questions:

Are there multiplayer VR games that you can play online with friends?

Is moving about VR games as the character seamless? I played Arizona Sunshine today and it was kind of odd how you had to move your character through the areas on horde mode.

Thanks!

---

Overall that build looks good, but you're better off saving some money on the GPU and get a cheaper model like this Gigabyte as you really don't get any different performance with that more expensive MSI Gaming X card.

https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-geforce-rtx-2060-gv-n2060oc-6gd/p/N82E16814932115?Item=N82E16814932115&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-COM&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-PCPartPicker&AFFID=2558510&AFFNAME=PCPartPicker&ACRID=1&ASID=https%3a%2f%2fpcpartpicker.com%2fproduct%2fKX66Mp%2fgigabyte-geforce-rtx-2060-6-gb-oc-video-card-gv-n2060oc-6gd&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2558510&ranSiteID=8BacdVP0GFs-NJ6jjzQmgrMV2Xd434I4Hg

A 2060 however will not be able to sustain 144fps with more demanding games on the Index. For solid 144+fps performance, you have to step up to the RX 5700XT or the RTX 2070 Super. Some excellent solid models of the RX 5700XT like the Sapphire Pulse and PowerColor Red Dragon can be had for just a bit more than that MSI 2060 Gaming X you linked. The 2070 Super is a better card than the 5700XT, but also runs about $100 more, and not really worth the increased cost in most games.

https://www.newegg.com/sapphire-radeon-rx-5700-xt-100416p8gl/p/N82E16814202349

https://www.newegg.com/powercolor-radeon-rx-5700-xt-axrx-5700xt-8gbd6-3dhr-oc/p/N82E16814131756

https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-graphics-cards-for-vr

Here's some good VR multiplayer games. Pavlov is a stand out shooter. Orvus VR Reborn is an MMORPG.
No Man's Sky - https://store.steampowered.com/app/27...
From Other Suns - https://www.oculus.com/experiences/ri...
VRChat - https://store.steampowered.com/app/43...
Firewall Zero Hour - https://www.playstation.com/en-us/gam...
Rec Room - https://store.steampowered.com/app/47...
Star Trek: Bridge Crew - https://store.steampowered.com/app/52...
Pokerstars VR - https://store.steampowered.com/app/88...
Stormland - https://www.oculus.com/experiences/ri...
Climbey - https://store.steampowered.com/app/52...
Gunheart - https://store.steampowered.com/app/55...
Vox Machinae - https://store.steampowered.com/app/33...
Arizona Sunshine - https://store.steampowered.com/ageche...
Raccoon Lagoon - https://www.oculus.com/experiences/qu...
Pavlov - https://store.steampowered.com/app/55...
Serious Sam 3 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/41...
The Forest - https://store.steampowered.com/ageche...
Karnage Chronicles - https://store.steampowered.com/app/61...
Payday 2 - https://store.steampowered.com/ageche...
Space Junkies - https://store.steampowered.com/app/64...
Orbus VR Reborn - https://store.steampowered.com/app/74...

Locomotion is still a bit of a learning process and will be until everyone has the equivalent of an omnidirectional treadmill or something. Most games either use some form of teleportation or use the joysticks for movement. Each method has it's strengths and it really matters how well each game implements it.

Looking at various graphics cards it looks like the geforce 2070 super is high quality without getting to the upper limits of cost. If you look at newegg there are about 15 different types...

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=geforce+2070+super

Which of those would you recommend?

Also, would you advise any other changes with the computer?

Any other websites besides newegg that you would recommend looking at?

Thanks again!

kevinmw55 said:

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Looking at various graphics cards it looks like the geforce 2070 super is high quality without getting to the upper limits of cost. If you look at newegg there are about 15 different types...

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=geforce+2070+super

Which of those would you recommend?

Also, would you advise any other changes with the computer?

Any other websites besides newegg that you would recommend looking at?

Thanks again!

---

No problem!

This is an awesome deal on the EVGA Black Edition. It's solid cooler that works well and uses a reference PCB (so nice if you would ever want to do anything like watercool it). Honestly, unless you get into the 2080 Ti territory or going to do extreme overclocking, it's usually not worth spending the money on the higher end cards. It's really about getting a decent cool that's better than the stock cooler and any other specific features you want (like cosmetics or size).

https://www.newegg.com/evga-geforce-rtx-2070-super-08g-p4-3071-kr/p/N82E16814487456?Description=geforce%202070%20super&cm_re=geforce_2070_super-_-14-487-456-_-Product

Honestly the rest of that setup looks really solid. If you have some budget left and want some additional future proofing, you could look at something like the Asus X570 TUF motherboard as it's the best X570 board under $200. The version with WiFi is about $20 more if you want that, otherwise it's the same board. The X570 chipset really just gives you PCIe 4.0 support for future faster storage and GPUs, but nothing out now really takes advantage of it in the consumer space outside. The B450 Tomahawk is a solid board though if you want to save that $50 for something else.

https://www.newegg.com/asus-tuf-gaming-x570-plus/p/N82E16813119198?item=N82E16813119198&source=region&nm_mc=knc-googleadwords-pc&cm_mmc=knc-googleadwords-pc-_-pla-_-motherboards+-+amd-_-N82E16813119198&gclsrc=ds

You can of course shop on Amazon, but you definitely want to keep an eye on who the seller is and their individual rating. If it's actually solid by Amazon, it's better than Newegg due to easier returns. B&H Photo is another great site as well. You can check out pcpartpicker.com and it can scan for the lowest price on a particular item, but I tend to stick with Newegg, Amazon, and B&H unless there's just an insane deal somewhere else.

Also, looking back at your case selection, here are a few alternatives at that price that will offer better airflow (and therefore better cooling) compared to that Corsair case you picked (though it's still solid).

Phanteks Eclipse P400A (the mesh front version)
https://www.newegg.com/white-phanteks-eclipse-p400a-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811854087

Fractal Design Meshify C TG
https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-meshify-c-dark-tg-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352072

NZXT H510
https://www.newegg.com/matte-black-nzxt-h-series-h510-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811146315

Phanteks Eclipse P360X
https://www.newegg.com/black-phanteks-enthoo-luxe-2-e-atx-full-tower-case/p/N82E16811854096

After all of this, I realized that the Valve Index is on backorder. Does anyone know how long it will take to be able to purchase one? If you are on the waiting list, how long have you been on it?

Ordered mine in November and got it a week later.

Looks like the Index is backordered until at least February.

https://uploadvr.com/oculus-quest-valve-index-backorder-february/?amp

What graphics card do you have and what level performance are you getting if you don't mind?

Beat Saber does look fun



How do you get the Darth Maul option?

https://bsaber.com/getting-started/

kevinmw55 said:

---

What graphics card do you have and what level performance are you getting if you don't mind?

---

An MSI GeForce 2070 RTX. I have the graphics maxed out on all the games I own and still maintain 120 FPS.

I was going to wait on getting a VR headset, but seeing this mod for Assetto Corsa might speed up that buying process.

I'm still waiting on the Valve Index to come available... I've put off buying the computer for it and was thinking about going ahead and buying it so that I don't have to wait on it once the Index becomes available again.

Here is what I'm currently looking at buying. I know a lot of it is similar to what I had in mind previously but if you wouldn't mind looking over it, I would greatly appreciate it.

Fractal Design Meshify C - Dark TG FD-CA-MESH-C-BKO-TG Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX Power Supply

MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX AM4 AMD B450 SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD Motherboard

EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G5, 80 Plus Gold 750W, Fully Modular, Eco Mode with FDB Fan

AMD RYZEN 5 3600 6-Core 3.6 GHz (4.2 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 65W 100-100000031BOX Desktop Processor

Windows 10 Home - 64-bit - OEM

WD Blue 3D NAND 1TB Internal SSD - SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5"/7mm Solid State Drive - WDS100T2B0A

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=rtx+2080+super

I'm planning on getting the RTX 2080 Super. If you could provide your recommendation for which one to get, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

Ditch the 2.5" SSD and get a Samsung 970 Evo NVMe drive.

With that processor/graphics card combo your bottleneck will most definitely be the CPU in gaming. If you are planning on anything higher than 1080p gaming then the CPU will be your handicap. If not going beyond 1080p then you are solid.

I'm essentially getting this computer for the Valve Index. Would it be good to run that or do I need to upgrade it?

Sorry, forgot for a moment that this was the VR thread. You will be good to go for VR with that setup. It's far more GPU intensive than CPU.

My NVMe recommendation won't even give you a performance boost in gaming, but it's an upgraded drive for about three same price.

Average Joe said:

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Ditch the 2.5" SSD and get a Samsung 970 Evo NVMe drive.

With that processor/graphics card combo your bottleneck will most definitely be the CPU in gaming. If you are planning on anything higher than 1080p gaming then the CPU will be your handicap. If not going beyond 1080p then you are solid.

---

First, that CPU is solid from a gaming standpoint.

Second, the opposite of what you just said about bottlenecks is actually true. Generally as the resolution increases, the GPU becomes more of the bottleneck since it takes longer for the GPU to render those higher resolution frames the CPU has more time to deliver the required data to the GPU. As the resolution decreases, so do the frame times, which reduces the window of time the CPU has to deliver the data to the GPU, thus increasing the likelihood that the GPU will have to wait on the CPU for data. In more modern games, the CPU can certainly be a bottleneck at higher resolutions, but that's generally only the case with older CPUs or CPUs with 4 or less cores. The Ryzen 5 3600 is neither of those things and there's a reason why it's one of the most recommended CPUs currently on the market for gaming as well as most general computing builds that don't require even more cores.

The 970 Evo won't provide any real noticeable benefits for gaming, but can improve system responsiveness.

kevinmw55 said:

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I'm essentially getting this computer for the Valve Index. Would it be good to run that or do I need to upgrade it?

---

That's a very solid gaming build, especially for VR.

With a Ryzen CPU, make sure you get good, fast RAM. Generally for Ryzen, especially Ryzen 3000 series CPUs, you want 3600Mhz RAM with decent timings. Just double check that whatever you get is on the QVL for that motherboard.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/B450-TOMAHAWK#support-mem-19

Here's a couple solid 2080 Super options. Remember that most 2080 Super models will generally perform with margin of error of each other and you can overclock them all if you'd like. The focus on choosing a model should be finding one with good cooling (since the cooler it runs, the faster it runs) for as cheap as possible, unless you have some specific requirement for size or looks.

Some of the higher end models like the EVGA 2080 Super FTW3 allow for more power, which will give you more overclocking headroom, but generally not enough to justify the $80+ price increase. Of course I say that as someone who went with an EVGA 2080 Ti FTW3 with a waterblock for my last build, but I definitely went over the top with that one, lol.

https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-geforce-rtx-2080-super-gv-n208swf3oc-8gd/p/N82E16814932211

https://www.newegg.com/evga-geforce-rtx-2080-super-08g-p4-3081-kr/p/N82E16814487461

I'm on an extended business trip and was missing my Index. So I went and miraculously found a quest at a local Walmart.

So far:
1) I've been impressed with the setup.
2) Controllers seem really small in my hands. I'd like to get some grips for them
3) Can definitely notice the reduced refresh rate with my eye strain along with the screen door effect.
4). The head straps aren't quite as comfortable as the index.
5). Bring untethered is really nice.

I think if they came out with a set with a higher refresh rate, it would dominate. At this point, still prefer my index, but it's nice having this in the hotel room while I avoid the crowds.

Finally received my Valve Index and got it setup. Thanks for all the input on this thread! I'm only getting starting in these "interesting" times and it is amazing. The couple of games I've played so far (Vader & Beat Saber) are great. Also...watching a movie via the Index is just like being in a theater if you can ignore the white halo "glow" (which I can). Look forward to Half Life Alyx !

Philip J Fry said:

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I'm on an extended business trip and was missing my Index. So I went and miraculously found a quest at a local Walmart.

So far:
1) I've been impressed with the setup.
2) Controllers seem really small in my hands. I'd like to get some grips for them
3) Can definitely notice the reduced refresh rate with my eye strain along with the screen door effect.
4). The head straps aren't quite as comfortable as the index.
5). Bring untethered is really nice.

I think if they came out with a set with a higher refresh rate, it would dominate. At this point, still prefer my index, but it's nice having this in the hotel room while I avoid the crowds.

---

These are the grips I have for my Quest. Makes a huge difference, especially in preventing my wife from throwing the controllers.

AMVR Touch Controller Grip Cover for Oculus Quest or Rift S Anti-Throw Handle Protective Sleeve https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X117LPR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ggXDEb31535RX

I'd also suggest doing the Frankenquest mod and replacing the quest head strap with the vive Deluxe Audio strap. Made a significant improvement in comfort and balancing the heavy quest headset without having to add a counterweight to the back like some are doing.

agdoc2001 said:

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I'd also suggest doing the Frankenquest mod and replacing the quest head strap with the vive Deluxe Audio strap. Made a significant improvement in comfort and balancing the heavy quest headset without having to add a counterweight to the back like some are doing.

---

This accomplished the same thing (much better balance, which means more comfort) for me and my wife while also adding another 6-8 hours of battery life to the quest.

https://rebuffreality.com/products/vr-power?variant=30494855462994¤cy=USD&utm_campaign=gs-2019-11-29&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmdzzBRC7ARIsANdqRRn8AuSZqDYARrnawMwTZaAATbKiCHjfcxV32mBPUBS22n3yauih0VQaAhtsEALw_wcB

I also really recommend another facial interface. There's a few on Amazon that are decent, but we ended up settling on this one from VRCover.

https://vrcover.com/product/oculus-quest-foam-and-interface-basic-set/

Yeah. I did notice myself sweating a lot more under the headset.

This is another one that I got that might breath a little better and used until I got the VRCover one in.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VT3BM7P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Anyone have any updated VR setups or changes since March? Feel like people have probably gotten into their VR setups throughout 2020's events.

I am looking to get in the game and not sure if it makes sense to start with a Quest 2 or go whole-hog with a PC/headset combo.

I preordered a Quest 2 to replace my Quest. I haven't bothered unpacking my Rift since we moved in April as the aquest is just an overall better experience, especially when playing PC VR games wirelessly.

The Quest 2 appears to be a pretty big upgrade in terms of resolution, pixel arrangement, refresh rate, form factor (weight and size), huge boost in onboard computing power, and wireless connectivity. It's also doing that at a lower price point, even if you factor in the pretty much required Elite strap. The upgraded panels is just about on par with the Index, though with a lower refresh rate.

For $350 (including the Elite strap), the Quest 2 still looks like the best VR option for most people.

The HP Reverb G2 is looking like it will be really interesting option for higher end VR at $600 if you have the PC horsepower to drive those high resolutions displays.

Can't wait to play Star Wars Squadrons in VR.

tamusc said:

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Can't wait to play Star Wars Squadrons in VR.

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I just put a couple of hours into it. It's amazing.