VR gaming pc spec check

[jonree]

Hi,

I am looking at upgrading my old micro atx pre-built pc with i5 7400 and gtx1050, because it is microatx and OLD 100 series chipset i cant even upgrade the processor to eighth gen so i'm going to scrap it

I want a PC that can play VR well - yes, i am mainly getting this to play the new Half Life Alyx game among other things.

One thing to note - i like to play old pc games as well, really old games like old lithtech engine games and the like which can cause all sorts of driver conflicts, so i want the processor and GPU to be able to handle this. I know it sounds daft but for example, old games or emulation software only runs on one core and does not use multithreading which can be a problem with AMD, although i understand the new Ryzen CPUs are much better at single core performance.

Also please note my current monitor is trash at 1980x1080 60hz SDR but this will change once we are through Christmas, i'll likely pick up a decent 144hz monitor around February.

I have never gone AMD before and always been intel, but i've noticed their Ryzen 3000 series chips have been killing it lately. So that brings me to the spec. Do you think this would fit my needs:

Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
256GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (550MB/R, 420MB/W)
2nd Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W VS SERIES™ VS-650 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Promotional Item
The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Welcome Book
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Price: £1,342.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[SpyderTracks]

What VR headset are you using?

 

[jonree]

What VR headset are you using?

For now, Oculus Rift S.

But again once we are through Christmas that will most likely change to the Valve Index.

Edit: Oculus for now mainly because it's cheap but also because of the exclusive access to the Oculus Store so i can play games like Asgard's Wrath and Stormlands, which are quite resource hungry at High / Ultra.

Also, i am aware that i could probably save a bit by buying a ventus rtx 2070 super OC card from amazon and just shoving it in the PCI myself as opposed to having the pre-fit Palit or Zotac card from PCS,

 

[SpyderTracks]

For now, Oculus Rift S.

But again once we are through Christmas that will most likely change to the Valve Index.

Valve Index is pretty epic. With regards to monitor, you really need a 1440p 144Hz one to make the most of the 2070 Super, but you'd want that card for VR, especially the Index.
Have configured this with the 3600X ONLY if you're interested in the free game, if not, then reduce to the 3600 which has the same performance but is £50 less

Case
THERMALTAKE V200 TEMPERED GLASS RGB EDITION GAMING CASE Better case for improved airflow
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) For gaming, this is perfectly adequate and will keep up with a current Intel i7 offering but has the added bonus of multithreading which will help generally

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
Gigabyte B450 AORUS ELITE: DDR4, USB 3.1 - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W) Much faster primary drive, literally 4xR and over 2xW
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Much higher quality PSU and semi modular for improved airflow in the case, no need for 650W
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,303.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/HCXaGsUJcQ/

 

[jonree]

Valve Index is pretty epic. With regards to monitor, you really need a 1440p 144Hz one to make the most of the 2070 Super, but you'd want that card for VR, especially the Index.
Have configured this with the 3600X ONLY if you're interested in the free game, if not, then reduce to the 3600 which has the same performance but is £50 less

Case
THERMALTAKE V200 TEMPERED GLASS RGB EDITION GAMING CASE Better case for improved airflow
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) For gaming, this is perfectly adequate and will keep up with a current Intel i7 offering but has the added bonus of multithreading which will help generally

256GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W) Much faster primary drive, literally 4xR and over 2xW

Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Much higher quality PSU and semi modular for improved airflow in the case, no need for 650W

Thank you for this, it is extremely helpful.

Is it really ok to downgrade the R7 3700x to a R5 3600? I am concerned that only having 6 cores as opposed to 8 cores will harm the futureproofing potential.

Also do i take this to mean that AMD are just as viable as intel now? (Hooray, no more overpriced CPUs!)

Again the excessive PSU was for futureproofing in case newer cards require more power, i really do not want to be messing around with replacing PSU's in the future. I do not intend to SLI though, i will only ever run 1 card. But i do get the point about being semi modular for less cable clutter and for having the 80+ Gold as opposed to Bronze for better efficiency

I fully accept my monitor has to change, that is number 1 priority after Christmas. It's just buying this PC plus a load of presents is a bit painful on the old wallet. But it will be all good when i get paid the following month.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thank you for this, it is extremely helpful.

Is it really ok to downgrade the R7 3700x to a R5 3600? I am concerned that only having 6 cores as opposed to 8 cores will harm the futureproofing potential.

Also do i take this to mean that AMD are just as viable as intel now? (Hooray, no more overpriced CPUs!)

Again the excessive PSU was for futureproofing in case newer cards require more power, i really do not want to be messing around with replacing PSU's in the future. I do not intend to SLI though, i will only ever run 1 card. But i do get the point about being semi modular for less cable clutter and for having the 80+ Gold as opposed to Bronze for better efficiency

I fully accept my monitor has to change, that is number 1 priority after Christmas. It's just buying this PC plus a load of presents is a bit painful on the old wallet. But it will be all good when i get paid the following month.

For gaming there is no benefit of the R7 over the R5 even moreso over 1080p resolution, the R7 is more intented for media creation AS WELL AS GAMING. That's the thing, AMD can cover gaming performance with their insane multicore chips, so content creators and streamers who also game can have one chip that covers all uses, whereas with Intel, you take a performance hit at the gaming level when stepping up the core count. Intel's current offerings are literally neck and neck with the R5 for gaming, we're talking an improvement of literally a couple of frames per second but for an elevated price of between 200 - £400, it's just not worth it. And when you factor in you have to get the i9 9900k to include a similar level of multithreaded performance for literally double the price, there's just no contest for price vs performance. Plus the fact that current intel chips require excessive heating solutions because they thermal throttle under heavy loads and that all intel chips suffer from major security flaws that have to be patched at the BIOS and Windows level which further reduces performance with each patch (and it's almost certain there are more flaws to be found in the coming years).

OnePlus 7T review: excellent hardware | Trusted Reviews

The OnePlus 7T aims to fix a few niggling issues with the original OnePlus 7 with a refreshed CPU, improved Fluid AMOLED screen and new triple camera setup

www.theinquirer.net

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Puts Intel Core i9-9900K To Shame In Gaming

Even the mid-range $233 AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and $249 Ryzen 5 3600X CPUs beat the $449 Intel Core i9-9900K in 1440p and 4K gaming.

respawnfirst.com

Note: If you're looking at comparison sites like CPUBenchmark or UserBenchmark, they're totally useless results based on completely nonsensicle factors

 

[SpyderTracks]

P.S... 1440p is now the go to resolution. 1080p is really reserved for competitive gameplay where they reduce settings to achieve ludicrous fps, and complete entry level systems around the £650 mark.

There are some really great value 1440p 144Hz screens hitting the market now from MSI and newer manufacturers and the reviews have all been stellar. Finally we're seeing a directed push towards higher framerates as default.

We have a good thread here on good options for various budgets and to match various GPU's, worth taking a look (more will be added in the coming weeks as lots of new models have been anounced for release before christmas):

Gaming Monitors Guide

The monitor is probably the most important component in any gaming build – it defines how you experience games and the hardware the PC should have. Overlooking the monitor can be the single biggest bottleneck to your gaming experience. With recent monitor and graphics card launches, and wider...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[jonree]

P.S... 1440p is now the go to resolution. 1080p is really reserved for competitive gameplay where they reduce settings to achieve ludicrous fps, and complete entry level systems around the £650 mark.

There are some really great value 1440p 144Hz screens hitting the market now from MSI and newer manufacturers and the reviews have all been stellar. Finally we're seeing a directed push towards higher framerates as default.

We have a good thread here on good options for various budgets and to match various GPU's, worth taking a look (more will be added in the coming weeks as lots of new models have been anounced for release before christmas):

Gaming Monitors Guide

The monitor is probably the most important component in any gaming build – it defines how you experience games and the hardware the PC should have. Overlooking the monitor can be the single biggest bottleneck to your gaming experience. With recent monitor and graphics card launches, and wider...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Thanks so much for your help Spyder. I definitely plan on getting a 1440p 144hz monitor in the next couple of months to match the pc.

You've sold me on the 3600 chip, not just yourself but everywhere i look people are raving about how good it is.... i think i just got nervous because it's only 6 core not 8 core (but its still multithreaded which is more than intel can say at i7 level)

In regards to the PSU, do you honestly feel a 550w is "enough" or is the there a risk of future graphics cards needing more power? Again, i will only ever have 1 card at a time. I tried SLI once and never again....

Also do you think it's better to buy the rtx 2070 elsewhere and connect it myself or just include it in the order from pcs? I was looking at getting this one:

MSI NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER VENTUS OC Graphics Card '8GB GDDR6, 1785MHz, 3x DisplayPort, HDMI, Dual Fan Cooling System': Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Buy

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[SpyderTracks]

In regards to the PSU, do you honestly feel a 550w is "enough" or is the there a risk of future graphics cards needing more power? Again, i will only ever have 1 card at a time. I tried SLI once and never again....

Yeah, SLI isn't really supported these days anyway, there's literally a handful of games that do, and often you'll see REDUCED performance in other titles. Plus, cards are so powerful these days, it's just as cost effective to buy a replacement card anyway.

According to the configurator on that build, if i overspec it with a 750W PSU, it states:
"We have calculated your specification to require around of 522W power including a 20% allowance"

I generally like to see around 100W headroom to be comfortable for future upgrades, which that will generously allow. There's no harm in getting a higher wattage, I was only considering cost factor. Personally, I always overspec the PSU and as such, have never had a failure or ever run out of juice. My current PSU has served 3 top tier builds since 2007 and still going strong (it's a 750W). I'll retire it for my next build next year though, think that's long enough to run one PSU!!!

Also do you think it's better to buy the rtx 2070 elsewhere and connect it myself or just include it in the order from pcs? I was looking at getting this one:

Totally your call. If you're invested in a particular model, it's certainly something you can happily do, PCS do accomodate this and fitting a GPU is completely straightforward. If it were me, I personally would, simply to eliminate the risk of getting an inferior model to that which I wanted cooling wise. But then, I'd always build my own PC's for that exact reason

That particular GPU has excellent user reviews, if you can find it nearer the £470 mark then I'd say it's a worthwhile investment.

 

[jonree]

I generally like to see around 100W headroom to be comfortable for future upgrades, which that will generously allow.

That particular GPU has excellent user reviews, if you can find it nearer the £470 mark then I'd say it's a worthwhile investment.

Great. So i think i will get the 650w PSU to allow that 100w extra space for future upgrades then and stick with the 80+ gold semi modular.

I will also get that Ventus card from Amazon and install it myself.

Last question (I promise!!) In regards to the Motherboard, do you think it's ok to stick with the basic B450-Plus chipset or is it important to really push for the new x570 motherboards? I don't want the motherboard to bottleneck or prevent any CPU upgrades in the future

 

[SpyderTracks]

Great. So i think i will get the 650w PSU to allow that 100w extra space for future upgrades then and stick with the 80+ gold semi modular.

I will also get that Ventus card from Amazon and install it myself.

Last question (I promise!!) In regards to the Motherboard, do you think it's ok to stick with the basic B450-Plus chipset or is it important to really push for the new x570 motherboards? I don't want the motherboard to bottleneck or prevent any CPU upgrades in the future

X570 has the added benefit of PCIe 4, so you can add m2 drives that go up to 5000mbs (and handy for future gpu’s). BUT they’re expensive. Given your original budget it wasn’t really an option. It’s not something you want to compromise other specs on, but if you’re willing for the additional cost then it’s worth it.

BUT, if you’re looking to do that, then there’s a Black Friday review spec which includes the R7 3700x with a X570 and 2070 Super for £1500 which is well worth it. You’re essentially getting the processor upgrade for free.

 

[jonree]

[

X570 has the added benefit of PCIe 4

From what i have seen everyone seems to be saying that 99% of users really won't see much benefit from PCIe 4.0, is this true or will it be mandatory for GPUs in the next couple of years?

 

[SpyderTracks]

[



From what i have seen everyone seems to be saying that 99% of users really won't see much benefit from PCIe 4.0, is this true or will it be mandatory for GPUs in the next couple of years?

We don't know when GPU's will shift to PCIe 4, there's no rumours even yet. The newer PCIe was only released with 3rd Gen Ryzens a few months ago, so it's definitely early adoption scenario. The only real benefit at the moment is faster M2 drives which for me would be enough of a factor as I'd hate to be limited in upgradeability 2 years down the line, but it's a very niche requirement. The other factor to consider is future AMD chip compatibility. Whilst the B450 boards are low end and a couple of generations old and probably won't allow for too many future CPU upgrades, the X570 is cutting edge, so it's POSSIBLE (although again anyone's guess) that it may allow better compatibility with future chips.

BUT, motherboards don't dictate any kind of performance really, they're purely for binding together features like SATA ports, PCIe, wifi, sound etc. The only real performance aspect comes when extreme overclocking or running very high end CPU's that require exceptional VRM cooling for stable overclocking, it's not really a factor here.

It's certainly not necessary. It's a want for extreme performance at a definite premium (with arguable future compatibility aspects).

If you wanted to find the middle ground, consider an X470 board if they're still doing them.

 

[Oussebon]

Great advice in this thread, and also great questions.

I was wondering about the case.

Case
THERMALTAKE V200 TEMPERED GLASS RGB EDITION GAMING CASE Better case for improved airflow

Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE

The V200 doesn't seem to have very good airflow, looking at the design and a few user comments online (hard to find a decent review?) whereas the Spectrum does at least have a full mesh front.

The front left side is sealed glass on the V200 with a strip of air holes only on the front right.

When going for a cheap RGB case I tend to recommend the Spectrum as it probably can't be worse? Though I may have got that wrong ofc

 

[jonree]

Great advice in this thread, and also great questions.

The V200 doesn't seem to have very good airflow, looking at the design and a few user comments online (hard to find a decent review?) whereas the Spectrum does at least have a full mesh front.

Thanks Oussebon It has been extremely helpful to discuss with knowledgeable people i am very grateful to Spyder for the advice.

On the airflow point, i decided to go with standard fans / coolers, i have not chosen any extra fans and i have not selected any liquid cooling. Do you think this will still be ok? I don't want it to overheat but i'm a bit wary of liquid cooling, even in a closed circuit.

Here is my updated specs. Do you think this would still be ok for VR and high end gaming:


ase
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
Gigabyte X570 GAMING X: ATX (USB 3.2 Gen 1, PCIe 4.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Promotional Item
The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Price: £1,323.00 including VAT and Delivery