Help me build the perfect VR PC please!

Dread Lord · Jun 3, 2016

Hi Commanders,

there is great Knowledge in this Forum and I am receiving my Rift between the 27th this month and the 7th of juli.

I Will buy a gtx 1080 thats all I know... but what Motherboard, ram, cpu? etc... no clue... also which 1080 should I get?
I am leaning towards the gtx1080 Asus Strix OC but I dont know if that is a good idea, as I recall reading Elite had Trouble with overcocked Cards in the past?!?!

So which parts make sense.. and what case is great? Considering the Cards have light effects I like to have it somehwat open to see those lighteffects properly...

I plan to Play with 1.5 or higher supersampling (or what ist called) through the debug tool...

Thanks for all the Input!

Cheers,

Dread Lord

shadragon · Jun 3, 2016

Can you wait six months?

AMD Zen chips will give a 40% IPC Boost and the 1180's will be out by then along with AM4 mobos with DDR4 RAM support. Should handle SS 2.0 without strain.

Oh and knowing your budget would help.

CMDR MAIN SEQUENCE · Jun 3, 2016

As for a case I can recommend the Phanteks Evolv ATX: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/search?sSearch=phanteks+evolv+atx. Top quality (3mm aluminium) and IMO one of the best-looking cases on the market (not the best airflow ever but helps with noise).

Dread Lord · Jun 3, 2016

shadragon said:
Can you wait six months?

AMD Zen chips will give a 40% IPC Boost and the 1180's will be out by then along with AM4 mobos with DDR4 RAM support. Should handle SS 2.0 without strain.

Oh and knowing your budget would help.

Budget is no issue - I want best possible Performance around the best possible 1080!

I will not go back to AMD for many reasons - not over my dead Body!

an no I wont wait any longer than I already did! End of the month it is for me - Christmas Comes early

dogbite · Jun 3, 2016

Dread Lord said:
Budget is no issue - I want best possible Performance around the best possible 1080!

I will not go back to AMD for many reasons - not over my dead Body! an no I wont wait any longer than I already did! End of the month it is for me - Christmas Comes early

Well then if "money is no issue" at the end of the month, wait for VRMark (should be out before end of month) and pick the one at the top of the list and wrap a nice case around it. Probably as close as your going to get without starting a whole bunch of fanboy flame wars.

Dread Lord · Jun 3, 2016

dogbite said:
Well then if "money is no issue" at the end of the month, wait for VRMark (should be out before end of month) and pick the one at the top of the list and wrap a nice case around it. Probably as close as your going to get without starting a whole bunch of fanboy flame wars.

VRMark, hm I look Forward to that! But I am pretty sure a 1080 is the only Card that will matter if the asus strix OC works fine with Elite than i dont have to wait...

Dread Lord · Jun 3, 2016

USB ports? Some HOTAS have Problems with the USB 3 ports they run fine with the usb2s though.. so I guess I will Need at least 1 or two of those USB2 ports?
I plan to get the new HOTAS X56, anybody know which USB port that one uses?

Silverwind · Jun 3, 2016

i7 5930k, Decent x99a motherboard, 32GB of DDR4 Ram @2800 or better, SSD, GTX 1080 or two of them, win 10 64 Bit. Only my opinion.

dogbite · Jun 3, 2016

Dread Lord said:
VRMark, hm I look Forward to that! But I am pretty sure a 1080 is the only Card that will matter if the asus strix OC works fine with Elite than i dont have to wait...

If for some reason Futuremark doesn't deliver VRMark in time for you, then Firestrike test in the current 3dMark benchmark is optimized for VR so top of that list. You know your going to sell the 1080 as soon as the 1080i hits the street. lol

HeavyGroovez · Jun 3, 2016

Corsair for your case, i have a 540 and it rocks.

Get a Z170 chipset/socket 1151 motherboard and an i7 6700k CPU. Asus, Gigabyte, MSi all make awesome boards, get one with an M.2 interface so you can whack an uber SSD in.

Corsair for memory - DDR4 for the Skylake boards - 3000Mhz is decent.

Get an AIO water cooler for the CPU - Corsair H100 is awesome - and overclock the nuts out of it.

Elite is very heavy on the CPU in resource sites, all the rock physics stress the CPU out like crazy - i had my 1080 and i5 6600k (both on heavy overclocks) simultaneously maxed out earlier on VR High + 1.5 SS and the fps tanking below 70 while i was brawling.

As far as the 1080 goes, you cant go wrong to be honest. Just get the one you like the look of lol.

Dread Lord · Jun 3, 2016

whats the difference between Z170 PRO GAMING S1151 Z170 ATX and the x99a boards?

is one of them for a reason in any way better than the other?

Dread Lord · Jun 3, 2016

Ok I think I am set on the Motherboard and CPU:

Motherboard: ASUS Z170 Pro gaming Socket 1151 ATX - it got 4 USB3 and 2 USB 2 and two USB 3.1
CPU: i7 6700k

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What uber SSD did you have in mind HeavyGroovez
Think I will get that CPU cooler you mention as well! Now I look up the case...

Filmgeek47 · Jun 3, 2016

Dread Lord said:
whats the difference between Z170 PRO GAMING S1151 Z170 ATX and the x99a boards?

is one of them for a reason in any way better than the other?

Big difference. They're two completely different sockets (the x99 boards are enthusiast boards for enthusiast processors). I'd say if this machine is purely for gaming you're just throwing money away on an enthusiast board and processor (not to mention potentially reduced performance).

GTX 1080 is the best you can get right now in terms of graphics. I'd assume elite wouldn't have any issues with a factory overclocked card, but I'd verify with others for confirmation on that.

the Z170 pro gaming looks like a solid board. I've always had good luck with Asus motherboards and the feature set is solid.

Doesnt really matter too much what ram you get as long as it's DDR4, and a good manufacturer (corsair, crucial, Kingston etc). 16GB is a good amount for a high end gaming system.

I completely agree on the AIO corsair coolers, they're great for performance, quiet and they'll help you get a lot more out of your CPU.

Cases are super subjective, but I also love the Corsair carbide air 540. Just get something that has good reviews in terms of airflow and can support a standard ATX size motherboard. Check anandtech.com for some really in depth case reviews that delve into performance and build quality. Or just buy the 540!

CMDR MAIN SEQUENCE · Jun 3, 2016

Filmgeek47 said:
I'd assume elite wouldn't have any issues with a factory overclocked card

Unfortunately as the OP has already heard there have been issues with factory OC cards (including my own) and to be fair ED isn't the only game this happens in. Doesn't seem that common though and the root cause is anyone's guess. Too early to know if it affects any 1080s. It wouldn't put me off buying a factory OC'd card though especially if you are playing other games.

Doesnt really matter too much what ram you get as long as it's DDR4, and a good manufacturer (corsair, crucial, Kingston etc). 16GB is a good amount for a high end gaming system.

Agreed.

OP - you haven't mentioned PSU - this is arguably the most important component - do not skimp on this part and make sure you get one by a decent brand (Corsair, Seasonic, Superflower, EVGA...)

Dread Lord · Jun 3, 2016

ok cool I get that CPU cooler and I think I just get the Corsair 540 Tower case as it got now 2 recomendations in this threat...

PSU? Good Point wasnt aware that matters! Can you suggest a good one for me?

Filmgeek47 · Jun 3, 2016

The brands the previous poster suggested are all good choices. PSUs are pretty straight forward to buy in all but the most niche circumstances. Get a good brand, and get enough wattage that you know you won't risk under powering your system. I'd guess something in the 750 or 850 range would be plenty, but it depends on whether you plan on doing SLI in the future. I'd recommend googling power supply calculator, inputting all the parts you plan on buying (including any possible future additions like a second video card) and then buying whatever wattage is recommended.

Dread Lord · Jun 3, 2016

well I would consider a second Card in the future if they ever deliver proper VR SLI... I think I have a look at a power supply calculator, never used them...

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regarding ram? I know it used to be faster to have 2 times 4 GB compared to 1 time 8gb for gaming....

Is that still the case with ddr4? if so is 16GB plenty for VR or is 32 indeed needed?

shadragon · Jun 4, 2016

16GB is plenty for a games station. You only need more for intensive apps which it sounds like you are not touching.

I have a 1200 W Dominator PS. Lots of head room for all my toys.

Dread Lord · Jun 4, 2016

ok great I settle for 16 than! 4 times4 or 2 times 8 or just one 16gb? is 4 times 4 still the fastest Option for gaming?

HeavyGroovez · Jun 4, 2016

Board RAM utilisation rarely gets above 3 gig.

Modern GPUs have huge dedicated VRAM buffers.