Best Cheapest PC Purely for HTC Vive?

[Drubus]

I'm fairly sure I need to get a new computer for the HTC Vive (I'm on Alienware 17 from 2013). My computer seemed to pass requirements on everything except for my NVidia 860m (Do you think it could still work?). But if I were to get a new pc it'd be for just the Vive. What is the cheapest possible pc that is optimized for the Vive. I want it to be able to run no problem however, no low framerate or low graphics.

 

[ajpaolello]

How low we talking here? $1000 would go a long way. If your current pc has thunderbolt 3 you might be able to use an external GPU.

 

[Drubus]

How low we talking here? $1000 would go a long way. If your current pc has thunderbolt 3 you might be able to use an external GPU.

I could go anywhere from $800 to $1000 I guess. Not sure what the thunderbolt 3 is, I read on its website and they didn't explain well.

 

[ajpaolello]

Sorry didn't see what your laptop model was. Thunderbolt 3 is definitely out of the question.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H170A PC Mate ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($97.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($429.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $961.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-02 10:35 EDT-0400

This should do VR just fine

 

[Drubus]

Sorry didn't see what your laptop model was. Thunderbolt 3 is definitely out of the question.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H170A PC Mate ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($97.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($429.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $961.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-02 10:35 EDT-0400

This should do VR just fine

Thanks, should I worry about any compatibility issues?

 

[Geekwad]

There are a bunch of ideas here:

http/www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3127627/build-ready-build-750.html

Some are light on storage and have no operating systems included, so by the time you add those in (perhaps WiFi if you need it), then you're right in the budget you outlined.....

 

[jjbtexas]

Changed a few parts to get the price down and included the OS. This would be the absolute minimum and wouldn't be very future proof.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H110M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($29.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GAMING Video Card ($249.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($85.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $805.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-03 11:08 EDT-0400

This would be my recommended build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.38 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI H110M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($429.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($85.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1058.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-03 11:14 EDT-0400

I just built a VR rig for my living room and went with a GTX 1070 personally.

 

[ajpaolello]

I would never go 8 gb RAM for VR. Personal preference but I think 16 gb is a must. But those are both good builds. I generally leave the obtaining of the OS to the owner, since they may have one, may know or be able to get it for cheap or for free ( I do not condone pirating but what they do is their business and not mine).

 

[jjbtexas]

I would never go 8 gb RAM for VR. Personal preference but I think 16 gb is a must. But those are both good builds. I generally leave the obtaining of the OS to the owner, since they may have one, may know or be able to get it for cheap or for free ( I do not condone pirating but what they do is their business and not mine).

Both Oculus and HTC have 8gb as the minimum but I would agree that 16gb is the way better option. That being said, I have personally never utilized more than 8gb in VR (*while logging) but so far I only really use it for The Lab and a few other "simpler" games.

 

[ComputerSecurityGuy]

Spend the $10 for an i5-6500.

 

[jjbtexas]

Microcenter has the 6500 for 179.99 this week!

They will also price match amazon and newegg + give you $30 off the mobo if you buy the CPU and Mobo together. It's a fantastic deal.

 

[ajpaolello]

Even never using more than 8 gb, I would rather have the excess than be at the limit. Microcenter is amazing.