Custom desktop build for Oculus Rift

gekko11

Hi guys,

So I've bought the Oculus Rift DK2 and now I need to build a suitable desktop for it. Never built a desktop before so I'm a bit clueless on the whole thing. For anyone unaware the "recommended" specs are:
* NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
* Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
* 8GB+ RAM
* Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output (required)
* 2x USB 3.0 ports (required)
* Windows 7 SP1 or newer (required)

I'd post a link to the page with the specs but I'm a new user and can't link things.

Anyway, I filled out the form below but as long as I can use it meets the recommended specs for the rift I'm happy. If there's already a build specifically for the oculus which is preassembled that would be great too, otherwise advice on assembling it would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
gekko

1. What is your budget? €1000-€1500

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Oculus Rift and VR

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Yes

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No

5. Do you need a monitor? Yes

5a. If yes, what size do you need. 22'

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? Wireless Card maybe

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? No

8. How can you pay? Any method

9. When are you purchasing? Next 5 days

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? Westmeath

Xenoronin

Is that not the spec for the release Oculus Rift?
Either way it's a good spec to go with for your budget.

Check the attachment for a build I slapped together on amazon. Comes to approx €1370

Few changes could be made. Would maybe switch to a H97 board instead due to the lack of overclocking. Could look at downgrading the monitor, picked a really good, but relatively expensive gaming one.

Edit: Add homeplugs rather than a wireless card. More reliable connectivity.

gekko11

Cheers. It's the spec for the consumer version alright but I figure it's a bit more future proof to aim for that as a minimum req. Yeah I see what you're saying about not needing a wireless card, bit unnecessary.

Is buying form Amazon.co.uk the best option though? The exchange rate between euro and sterling is dire atm, is there any other sites that trade in Euro that you could recommend?

LmnadZ

Hi gekko,

Xenoronin's build is what you need for oculus rift however I would change a few things.
As he's not overclocking I would go with MSI h97 or Asus h97 atx board.
Also that Amd Radeon r9 390(which I'll be buying for the rift) is faster than the gtx 970 for about the same price has more vram for the rift in the future.If you go with the r9 390 maybe bump the psu up to 650w

Other than that I guess you are good to go

Have you tried Komplette,Elara,computerpartsireland,dabs etc?

gekko11

Thanks. I haven't had a chance to price parts yet, I gave pcspecialist a quick look to get a rough idea of the budget but that was it. I'll do some price checking this evening

I agree, Xenoronin's build is pretty much what I'm looking for, might tweak a couple things like you suggested but it's got most of what I'm looking for. Any other recommendations are always welcome, first time building a desktop so I could do with a few different viewpoints.

Cheers lads.

LmnadZ

gekko11 wrote: »

Thanks. I haven't had a chance to price parts yet, I gave pcspecialist a quick look to get a rough idea of the budget but that was it. I'll do some price checking this evening

I agree, Xenoronin's build is pretty much what I'm looking for, might tweak a couple things like you suggested but it's got most of what I'm looking for. Any other recommendations are always welcome, first time building a desktop so I could do with a few different viewpoints.

Cheers lads.

Yes take your time.Try comparing gtx 970 to r9 390 on youtube etc it will give you a better idea as to why you should choose one over the other.That'll pretty much be the only thing you would really have to decide on.The rest of it you can't go wrong.

Good luck Building, I can't wait for VR either:)

gekko11

So after a bit of price comparison I finally ordered the parts today. I'd attach a screengrab but don't have the permissions . Ended up getting them off amazon, price difference was pretty negligible when I factored in shipping and custom tax from other sites.

It's pretty much identical to Xenoronin's build but I picked 2x8GB ram instead of the 2x4GB since I might be doing some pretty heavy (VR unrelated) development work on it.
I also stuck with the z97 board since there was no difference in price and I read some reviews about how it's has better port access.

So while I'm waiting for the parts to be dispatched I gotta couple stupid of questions.

1) Will there be any incompatability issues or difficulties with me using 16GB instead of 8GB ram?

2) Where would be the cheapest place to pick up a copy of windows 8 or windows 10?

Cheers,
gekko

Digital Solitude

gekko11 wrote: »

So after a bit of price comparison I finally ordered the parts today. I'd attach a screengrab but don't have the permissions . Ended up getting them off amazon, price difference was pretty negligible when I factored in shipping and custom tax from other sites.

It's pretty much identical to Xenoronin's build but I picked 2x8GB ram instead of the 2x4GB since I might be doing some pretty heavy (VR unrelated) development work on it.
I also stuck with the z97 board since there was no difference in price and I read some reviews about how it's has better port access.

So while I'm waiting for the parts to be dispatched I gotta couple stupid of questions.

1) Will there be any incompatability issues or difficulties with me using 16GB instead of 8GB ram?

2) Where would be the cheapest place to pick up a copy of windows 8 or windows 10?

Cheers,
gekko

No, and here

gekko11

Thanks man

Severard

Building a PC isn't too difficult. What you'll need is a 10 inch Philips screwdriver (installing the motherboard to the case can be difficult with a smaller screwdriver), cable ties, and side cutters/snips (for cutting the cable ties). All of the screws should be in the box that comes with the case. Be careful when installing the I/O shield (I've cut my fingers on a few occasions when putting them in). I had a look at the case and since it's indented it can allow for the cables to be easily managed. But if you decide to wrap the cables instead with the cable ties be sure that the cables don't get anywhere near the fan.

There are also tutorial videos on YouTube that have a step-by-step instructions of how to build a PC if you're unsure about anything.

Stokolan

I got my build on mindfactory.de was the cheapest of several sites i checked