PC compatible VR headsets require a computer with the following minimum specs to run fast paced and vibrant games and experiences. Please note that Mac computers and laptops are not compatible with VR yet.
Without the proper computer or laptop for gaming and exercising in VR, the video and image quality will suffer, loading times will slow to a crawl, and you’ll wonder why you bought it in the first place.
Before you purchase a VR setup, read this article first to see whether your PC or laptop can power your future VR setup.
HTC Vive
Check your laptop or PC’s system specs by cross-comparing what you’ve got with the Vive. Or, click on this convenient link to go to the Vive Performance Test (FYI: It will download as a .exe file immediately) to see if your system is VR ready.
Graphics cards: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, AMD Radeon RX 480 (or better)
Other compatible graphics cards:
- NVIDIA™ Titan X
- NVIDIA™ GTX Titan X
- NVIDIA GeForce™ GTX 970
- NVIDIA GeForce™ GTX 980
- NVIDIA GeForce™ GTX 980 Ti
- NVIDIA GeForce™ GTX 1060
- NVIDIA GeForce™ GTX 1070
- NVIDIA GeForce™ GTX 1080
- NVIDIA™ Quadro K6000
- NVIDIA™ Quadro M6000
- NVIDIA™ Quadro M5000
- AMD Radeon™ R9 290
- AMD Radeon™ R9 290X
- AMD Radeon™ R9 295X2
- AMD Radeon™ R9 390
- AMD Radeon™ R9 390X
- AMD Radeon™ R9 Nano
- AMD Radeon™ R9 Fury
- AMD Radeon™ R9 Fury X
- Radeon™ RX 480
- AMD™ FirePro W9100
- Radeon™ Pro Duo
CPU/Processor: Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350 (or better)
Memory: 4GB RAM (on up)
Video cable output: HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2 (or newer)
USB: 1x USB 2.0 port (or better)
Operating system: Windows 7 SP1, 8.1, or 10
Oculus Rift
Much like the Vive, you’re going to want to do a cross comparison of your current PC or laptop with the Oculus’ minimum system spec requirement. Or, follow this link to the Oculus Compatibility Tool (FYI: Clicking this link will start the download as a .exe file immediately) to get started.
Graphics cards: NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti, AMD Radeon RX 470 (or better)
Other compatible graphics cards: NVIDIA GTX 960, AMD Radeon R9 290 (or better)
CPU/Processor: Intel i3-6100, AMD Ryzen 3 1200, FX4350 (or better)
Memory: 8GB RAM (on up)
Video cable output: HDMI 1.3
USB: 1x USB 3.0 port, 2x USB 2.0 ports
Operating system: Windows 8.1 (on up)
Windows Mixed Reality
Please note that the Windows Mixed Reality headset is a VR headset, not an augmented or mixed reality headset like the name implies. You are going to need to cross-reference your PC and laptop specs with the minimum that’s required to run VR with Windows MR. Or, do a simple Windows Mixed Reality PC Check (FYI: Clicking the link will take you to the Free Windows Store app) to save some time.
Graphics cards: Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 or greater DX12-capable integrated GPU
Other compatible graphics cards: NVIDIA MX150 discrete GPU, NVIDIA 965M discrete GPU; For WMR Ultra: NVidia GTX 960/1050 or greater DX12-capable discrete GPU, AMD RX 460/560 or greater DX12-capable discrete GPU
CPU/Processor: Intel Core i5 7200U; For WMR Ultra: Intel Core i5 4590
Memory: 8GB RAM DDR3 dual channel (or better)
Video cable output: HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2; For WMR Ultra: HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2
USB: 3.0 Type-A or Type-C
Operating system: Windows 10
