Computer Review For VR Gaming

Hello,

So I have been saving up for a VR ready desktop for quite some time now. I want the best experience so I’m willing to put a good amount of money into it. I’ve been searching all over the internet and came up with one computer that seems too perfect to be true.

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/VR-Ready-Deal-RTX-2070

All these specs seem to be top of the line (especially the beautiful GeForce RTX 2700 which would be incredible for VR) and I just can’t see how it could be under $2,000. I feel as if I have to be missing something so if anyone notices anything off, could you let me know? I appreciate any professional insights so thanks in advance.
 

OmniDyne

Active Member
It's Cyberpower, they're similar to IBuyPower. The reason it's so cheap is because of quality. Uses a sub-par SSD and off-brand power supply. CyberPower and IBuyPower have a long history of severely underpowering their computers and using cheap power supplies that fail.

I've personally seen several of their computers fail. Combine that with a 1-year warranty and horrific customer support.

Have you thought of building your own?
 
It's Cyberpower, they're similar to IBuyPower. The reason it's so cheap is because of quality. Uses a sub-par SSD and off-brand power supply. CyberPower and IBuyPower have a long history of severely underpowering their computers and using cheap power supplies that fail.

I've personally seen several of their computers fail. Combine that with a 1-year warranty and horrific customer support.

Have you thought of building your own?

Absolutely. The only thing is that I'm trying to keep it around $1,500 since the HTC Pro setup will be $1,400 alone plus unexpected expenses. I'm also not knowledgeable in this field so I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stick with that budget since that RTX 2700 card would be $500 alone (although I'd probably go with a GTX 1070). I've been trying to understand how each specification will relate to the VR experience itself since that's the only thing I'm buying the computer for. Do you think it'd be a better route price wise to build it myself?
 

beers

Moderator
Staff member
What are you looking to use the VR piece for? The Samsung Odyssey has similar display specs as the Pro for a lot less, I have one in my racing rig but don't play any other type of VR games.

I'd also consider building yourself instead since you have the component selection advantage. There are some decent deals lately on the 1070Ti side around $350 or so.
 
What are you looking to use the VR piece for? The Samsung Odyssey has similar display specs as the Pro for a lot less, I have one in my racing rig but don't play any other type of VR games.

I'd also consider building yourself instead since you have the component selection advantage. There are some decent deals lately on the 1070Ti side around $350 or so.

I'll be using it primarily for first person shooters through the HTC Pro. I know the pro is much more demanding though which is why I'm cautious about building my own. If I plan on $500 for the 1070ti or 1080 ti alone, I might as well just buy a computer that already has a decent graphics card built into it for $1,500 (although I'm struggling to find a good one).
 

OmniDyne

Active Member
I just kind of BS-ed it here. These aren't even the best deals. Plus, everything comes with at least a 3-year warranty (except the case probably; RAM is lifetime):

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wmrjQZ

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($399.79 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - Z390 Phantom Gaming 6 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($179.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA - XPG SX850 256 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB Video Card ($504.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill - TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1538.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-01 14:04 EST-0500
 
I just kind of BS-ed it here. These aren't even the best deals. Plus, everything comes with at least a 3-year warranty (except the case probably; RAM is lifetime):

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wmrjQZ

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($399.79 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - Z390 Phantom Gaming 6 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($179.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA - XPG SX850 256 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB Video Card ($504.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill - TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1538.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-01 14:04 EST-0500

This actually looks exactly like the setup I’ve been looking for. Thank you, I’ll use this as a base as I begin finding parts
 
Just keep us updated. We can help along the way, and if a deal comes up that I see, I'll throw it your way.

That would be great, thank you. Now as far as the processor goes, do you think I should use an i7-8700k or i7-9700k? I keep reading that hyper threading/thread count is crucial for VR and the 8700k has 6 cores with 12 threads while the 9700k has 8 cores and only 8 threads.
 

OmniDyne

Active Member
That would be great, thank you. Now as far as the processor goes, do you think I should use an i7-8700k or i7-9700k? I keep reading that hyper threading/thread count is crucial for VR and the 8700k has 6 cores with 12 threads while the 9700k has 8 cores and only 8 threads.

Take a look at this article:

https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3421-intel-i7-9700k-review-benchmark-vs-8700k-and-more

That's a tough decision. It basically boils down to consistency. Newer games are seriously taking advantage of higher thread counts, so the 8700K provides more consistent frame rates and frame times over the 9700K in some games, but the 9700K provides higher frame rates. Even with the 9700K overclocked to 5.1GHz, it can't provide or just matches the 1% lows that the stock 8700K can in certain games. This is really interesting. It's a tough call. If you wanted to save between $70 and $100, you could go with the Ryzen 7 2700, albeit at a performance loss.

How soon are looking to buy? AMD is believed to be releasing new processors soon. Could you possibly wait a few months?
 
Take a look at this article:

https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3421-intel-i7-9700k-review-benchmark-vs-8700k-and-more

That's a tough decision. It basically boils down to consistency. Newer games are seriously taking advantage of higher thread counts, so the 8700K provides more consistent frame rates and frame times over the 9700K in some games, but the 9700K provides higher frame rates. Even with the 9700K overclocked to 5.1GHz, it can't provide or just matches the 1% lows that the stock 8700K can in certain games. This is really interesting. It's a tough call. If you wanted to save between $70 and $100, you could go with the Ryzen 7 2700, albeit at a performance loss.

How soon are looking to buy? AMD is believed to be releasing new processors soon. Could you possibly wait a few months?

I’m planning on picking up one part per month so I can study each piece and understand everything cause I’m having a blast learning. I plan on completing the computer in May so I’ll probably make the processor the last thing I buy since they release new CPU’s so often.

As far as the CPU goes, I’d be willing to wait but I don’t plan on spending over $600 on this chip. I’m not sure how much of an effect it would have going above the i7 8700k tbh.
 

OmniDyne

Active Member
I’m planning on picking up one part per month so I can study each piece and understand everything cause I’m having a blast learning. I plan on completing the computer in May so I’ll probably make the processor the last thing I buy since they release new CPU’s so often.

As far as the CPU goes, I’d be willing to wait but I don’t plan on spending over $600 on this chip. I’m not sure how much of an effect it would have going above the i7 8700k tbh.

Yeah you probably shouldn't spend $600 on a processor, I think that's a good call ha. The 9900K sits at $540, and while in most games it can be argued as the "best" processor, the premium price just doesn't seem worth it. The 9700K sits at $400, compared to $370 for the 8700K.

Well just so you know, it's possible that AMD will be releasing some processors in a few months (we'll find out in a few days) that could very well compete with Intel on the high end (AMD has the mid-range and budget market on lock and is out-selling Intel 2 to 1). Based on 2017 and 2018 releases by AMD and Intel, if AMD releases processors that directly compete with Intel on the high end, I think we'll see huge benefits for consumers in the form of cost reductions and more performance per dollar.
 
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Yeah you probably shouldn't spend $600 on a processor, I think that's a good call ha. The 9900K sits at $540, and while in most games it can argued as the "best" processor, the premium price just doesn't seem worth it. The 9700K sits at $400, compared to $370 for the 8700K.

Well just so you know, it's possible that AMD will be releasing some processors in a few months (we'll find out in a few days) that could very well compete with Intel on the high end (AMD has the mid-range and budget market on lock and is out-selling Intel 2 to 1). Based on 2017 and 2018 releases by AMD and Intel, if AMD releases processors that directly compete with Intel on the high end, I think we'll see huge benefits for consumers in the form of cost reductions and more performance per dollar.

Yea I'll have to buy the processor last but it's just tough to figure out 8700k vs 9700k because everyone seems to say something different. Anyways, thanks for all your help Omni. You helped out a lot. This is the build I've got so far if you're interested --> https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RM4Hjy

Keep in mind that I'm still looking for a cheaper motherboard (I'll have to put in a few hours of research on that topic soon) since it doesn't seem to directly relate to performance and the CPU is still a debate. Other than that, it might be a little pricey but I'll stick with it until my research inevitably sways me to a new direction.
 
Unless you really want watercooling, have you thought about the Cryorig H7 cpu cooler? I have it with the 8700K and my temps are at just below 40C at idle.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13C-000U-00005

That’s another topic I haven’t thoroughly researched yet since I plan on getting the cooler with the CPU. I do plan on experimenting with overclocking a good amount to determine its effects on performance. I figured I’d go with a water cooler to be safe as I’ve never experimented with this before.
 
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