CV-1 and building a new computer

[Wmacky]

So how many will be building a new system?

I've just received my DK2, I'm almost dead in the water with this current computer, so I'm chomping at the bit to do something! I'll be getting a CV-1 (or Vive) right away so it will need to be up to that task in a big way. Will there be a lot of talk here after the specs are released about the best options? Will most be planning / building right away, or will most hold out for newer hardware closer to release?

Boy, I sure would hate to wait, with this DK2 sitting here. But if I must? I'm sure I'll need to build rather than go prebuilt as I'm sure the savings would be substantial. That said I Haven't built one in 10 years and never a gaming type. I'm real big on quality "Bang for the buck" computers. You know, Just a step back from the mega expensive bleeding edge, but with 95% the performance!

Questions:
Anybody have any well informed ideas on what such a system would look like (CPU / GPU) or is it just to far to guess? I5? I7?

Any interest in a forum effort to put together a parts list of a BFTB system that blaze through anything the CV-1 throws at it AFTER we know the specs.

Should I be at some builder forum to figure a parts list rather than here?

[scottycam]

If you plan on buying a computer to get the most out of the Rift then I suggest waiting until closer to release. Q1 2016 will most likely see Nvidia release new cards which will very likely be better "tuned" for VR not to mention more powerful then anything available at the moment.

CPU wise i don't think there is much of a problem with current high end processors. Games that utilize 4 cores (which most new games do) don't require much more then your mid level CPU.

If you are determined to buy a new computer as soon as possible wait until the tech specs for the Rift are released next week and build according to that. If money isn't that big of an issue then you could just buy the current top end gaming PC which will likely run the rift great.

As far as where to get the best help in choosing parts there are many sources, tom's hardware seems to be very popular (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/) and also overclockers.net have some very knowledgeable people when it comes to gaming hardware.

Any great gaming computer will run the rift perfectly. I myself plan on buying the best gaming computer available about a week before the rift is scheduled to arrive at my door.

and yes build the computer yourself or buy from a company that allows you to pay an extra $100 or so for assembly, custom built saves a huge amount of money.

[Wmacky]

"company that allows you to pay an extra $100 or so for assembly, "

What companies do this?

I guess I could build now (After the specs are released) and then sell the GPU for a better one closer to release. What would be a decent option for a GPU now That I would have to dump in 10 months? I wouldn't want to go to expensive on that part!

I also need to say that the final GPU price will be limited to the $600 range. A $1500 or more card will be to much for me!

Does this mean buying it now won't matter then, or am I still better to wait on the "final" GPU purchase for the CV-1?

[Anonymous]

"Wmacky" wrote:
"company that allows you to pay an extra $100 or so for assembly, "

What companies do this?

I guess I could build now (After the specs are released) and then sell the GPU for a better one closer to release. What would be a decent option for a GPU now That I would have to dump in 10 months? I wouldn't want to go to expensive on that part!

I also need to say that the final GPU price will be limited to the $600 range. A $1500 or more card will be to much for me!

Does this mean buying it now won't matter then, or am I still better to wait on the "final" GPU purchase for the CV-1?

Get a GTX 980 should be more than enough raw grunt for now and hasn't been fully utilized as of yet... there is at least another two years life left in it.

[ThreeDeeVision]

Hey Wmacky,

If you have a limited budget and aren't building it yourself, I would hold off on buying anything until Windows 10 is released. AMD has their new processors and GPUs coming out and NVidia's stuff will come down in price as well.

Buy something this summer when the windows 10 PC's hit the market and AMD brings out their answer to the NVidia 900 series.

If you are truly chomping at the bit and want to build it yourself, start buying parts as you can afford them and get the best stuff you can afford. I would shoot for the new LGA 2011-v3 socket, DDR4, and one of the new intel processors. Get a motherboard that supports SLI, but only get one video card for now (they haven't optimized SLI yet, but they will eventually use SLI so each card will display an image for each eye).

[Markystal]

I'll be upgrading my current PC around the time the Rift Launches, though with the amount of upgrades I'm planning, I might as well get a new PC (basically just the RAM, GPU, case and peripheral will remain). Only the best for my VR experience! (my wallet is crying in the corner atm)

In terms of the hardware we'll want, I'd say we should just look at the demands of gaming at this moment in time since most VR software is either being built with game engines (unity, unreal, etc) or operates using under similar loads. CPU wise, almost anything in Intel's i5 lineup since Sandybridge should be just fine for the CV1 considering that even DX12 doesn't seem to leverage much past that to a significant degree. RAM's been in the 8gb territory for a while now and i haven't really seen any game (aside from maybe star citizen) that leverages more than that.

When it comes down to it, the GPU will likely remain the main factor in the performance of VR software, as it is with games at the moment. Assuming that the CV1 operates at no less than 1440p at 90hz, you'll want a GTX 980 or R9 290x at least to get this stuff up and running smoothly. I think waiting till AMD releases the r9 390x, NVIDIA releases a 980 ti or the 1000 series would be advisable since these cards will likely be ready to handle 4k gaming at 60 fps+, which should be just dandy for VR.

If you're planning on building a PC, definitely do what scottycam recommeneded and go to tom's hardware. They're AMAZING for that kind of stuff and should help you get set up in no time with a build that hits up on the BFTB area you mentioned.

Right now, the lowest I'd go for a VR build would be:
CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 - GREAT CPU for the money, but has a hard limit. Overclock it and it can match i7s in many games, but being only a dual core will HURT soon though as more games are using more cores and some stop running on them at all (FarCry4 & DA: Inquisition). At least you'll be able to upgrade to an i5 or i7 later.
Ram: 8GBs - just not a big issue. 8gbs has been a solid recommendation for a while now
GPU: GTX 960 - should hold up current games/VR software (1080p) rather ok, but it will start chugging down the line.

If you want to handle VR no prob, just get the latest Intel i5 CPU available, 8gbs of ram and the highest end NVIDIA/AMD gpu you can get and VR/gaming will run at it's best if the software's up to par. Doesn't matter what kind of GPU you've got, a poorly optimized game will bring it to its knees real quick.

[Malkmus1979]

http://www.octopusrift.com/building-a-vr-pc/

[Wmacky]

Now that the CV-1 specs have been released, I'll ask again.

Build now, or suffer along trying to use the Dk2 with the current computer and wait to release date?

Now that we see the requirements, Should I wait for VR specific GPUs? Is that still a good idea, or go ahead now with a GTX980?

Perhaps a dedicated GPU in the current computer to get by? Currently I'm getting pretty bad judder / studder.
Here's the current machine:

AMD A8-5500 APU with on chip Radeon HD 7560D graphics (3.3GHz Quad core)
6 GB DDR3

[sdplayer]

I've been saving since the beginning of the year to purchase my ideal machine around January 2016. If I can resist all those regular Cappuccino's I'm on target to have $4500 by that time. Current system component list is the following:

8-core 5960x i7 CPU overclocked to 4.5ghz (the extra cores are more of a future proofing thing)

H100i liquid CPU cooler

2 x Nvidia GTX 980 Ti Graphic cards (keep fingers crossed the Rift is compatible with SLI and that Directx 12 stacks video memory and solves micro-stuttering issues or it might be a single Titan X).

32gb 3000mhz DDR4 Ram (my PC will be used for more than gaming).

1TB Samsung Evo 850 Pro SSD.

Asus Rampage V Extreme motherboard (doubt the 'black' edition will be out early 2016).

1300 or 1500 Watt power supply (in case I ever add a third and fourth graphics card - dependent on whether DX12 makes this worthwhile).

And the rest of the usual stuff (additional USB 3.1 ports, Blu-ray writer, SD Card Reader etc.

Of course, these specs aren't set in stone and will likely change a little by next year - but this system should handle anything thrown at it comfortably on max settings at 1440p while I'm saving up for the system to comfortably handle 4K/8K VR (might have to cut those Cappuccino's completely out of the diet - which is probably a benefit)!

And I think I'll skip the Pascal cards and wait for Volta.

[Wmacky]

That certainly seems to be a top tier build!

I've decided on a more modest build will consist of a single GTX 980 card. and perhaps a more modest I7 than your choice!

Since I've had no response just yet at Toms Hardware, and My last build was 12 years ago, can I ask just a few quick questions to the forum?

1 Which GTX 980 card to choose?
2 Which mother board?
3 what is the next step up from the CV-1 recommend I5?
4 I'm thinking the best I7 BEFORE a big price jump as my upper end choice. Which would that be?
5 Where to get the cheapest Operating system while waiting for Win 10? You can PM me if necessary!