Is it worth upgrading to a 4790 from a 4690 for VR

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aquielisunari

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Mar 31, 2011
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I want to walk into the VR world with as much ammunition as possible so I am not underwhelmed. I have done months of research and see these products continuously evolving but it would seem the immersion factor seriously trumps the GFX. Not expecting the Matrix or anything. Below are my specs

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I have a 500W 80+ EVGA PSU which I am probably just going to sell for cheap and replce it with a Seasonic 520W 80+ bronze modular PSU.

Now for the questions.

Will the performance boost in VR be any different than regular gaming. I don't see why it should be but I don't know the Rift or the Vive. Should I just stay with my 4690K or would the 4790K be worth it?

I am going to be purchasing a 1080. Which one do you recommend?

Are there any must have accessories such as a sweat band?

I'll be buying a new 16GB RAM kit.

Total budget is $2000. That includes taxes.
 
Solution
photonboy
1) don't go with a new socket type. too much money

2) for now keep the same CPU so you can see if you even have a CPU bottleneck. VR is relatively high resolution, and my research suggests more than an i5-4690K is unlikely to help much.

3) *buy another 2x4GB kit of identical system memory if possible rather than getting new memory. then run MEMTEST86 www.memtest86.com

4) GTX1080Ti or GTX1080 - either way, I recommend the Asus Strix depending on prices. Most are similar performance but it has one of the best coolers to keep noise down and reduce frequency spikes (which do happen when frequency is fluctuating quickly and can cause stutter)

*Do investigate what solutions have a front HDMI connector for ease of HUD attachment. I...
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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The main value of a I7-4790K would be the extra 4 hyperthreads.
How well they can be used depends on the app you are using.
Look for benchmarks to see if many threads are of real value to you.

I note that your 4690K is running at 3.5.
It would seem that you have added performance available through overclocking.

My advice is to buy your graphics card, oc a bit and see how you do.
Changing to a I7 adds threads, but not any big single thread performance boost.

For that, a I7-7700K is about as good as you can do today. That will also require a z270 motherboard, ddr4 ram. Probably $650 for the 3.

As to the graphics card, consider using a GTX1080ti which is the strongest single card available today. About $700.
I like EVGA as a gpu brand, they have good usa based support.

GTX1080 needs the same 500w psu you already have.
That EVGA unit is not the best, but should be ok.
If you are going to buy a new psu, look into Seasonic 620w S12II which seems to be on sale, and will handle a GTX1080ti.

Lastly, 120gb is too small for a windows C drive.
Consider upgrading to 240gb or more.
Samsung EVO would be my pick for performance and warranty.

Your $2000 budget should be more than enough for all.

 
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Graybush

Graybush

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Feb 13, 2017
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In regards to VR headsets, we have a couple of reviews and face-offs!

Here's the face-ogg between the HTC Vive and occulus RIft: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/oculus-rift-vs-htc-vive,review-3433.html
Here's the Vive review: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/htc-vive,review-3513.html
and the Rift: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/oculus-rift,review-3493.html
with bonus Rift controllers:http://www.tomsguide.com/us/oculus-touch-controllers,review-4072.html

I have a GTX 980 Ti video card, and while I don't play VR very often, I haven't seen any significant problems while playing. If you go for a 1070 or a 1080 that supports VR I generally suggest EVGA or Nvidia.

Personally, I'd wait on upgrading the CPU until after you're tested the VR rig with your current 4690K. If you're going to play really demanding games, then upgrading to an i5-7500 and up may by the way to go.

Let me know if you have more questions!
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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1) don't go with a new socket type. too much money

2) for now keep the same CPU so you can see if you even have a CPU bottleneck. VR is relatively high resolution, and my research suggests more than an i5-4690K is unlikely to help much.

3) *buy another 2x4GB kit of identical system memory if possible rather than getting new memory. then run MEMTEST86 www.memtest86.com

4) GTX1080Ti or GTX1080 - either way, I recommend the Asus Strix depending on prices. Most are similar performance but it has one of the best coolers to keep noise down and reduce frequency spikes (which do happen when frequency is fluctuating quickly and can cause stutter)

*Do investigate what solutions have a front HDMI connector for ease of HUD attachment. I believe some have an INTERNAL HDMI connector (on the card inside the case) so they can run a short cable to a front panel (so the HUD attaches then like a front USB)

5) perhaps get the HUD first (VIVE or RIFT I assume) then see how it goes
 
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Solution
photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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A

aquielisunari

Judicious
Mar 31, 2011
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33,015
It seems I am putting the cart before the horse. I know that now. Try out the 4690K and then see. Sounds good.

It does boost to 3.9GHz, compliments of Intel. I don't know if an OC to 4.4GHz will really help and I don't really know if I want to push it any faster. I will see what happens at 4.4.

I like the roominess(15' x15') the Vive offers as well as its more adjustable headset. Oculus is being greedy with titles since they got into bed with FB. I'll proably side with Vive.

I guess accessories aren't really needed apart from something to avoid making the face cushion gross.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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There are different ways to overclock a CPU. When I overclocked my i7-3770K it was rated at 3.9GHz (max Turbo) but probably 3.7GHz at most under heavy load (the amount of turbo depends on load). Possibly 3.6GHz but I think the i5-4690K drops only 200MHz, so 3.7GHz whenever gaming etc or close.

Now, I then went into my BIOS to change the MULTIPLIER values. I did not touch the voltage as it's best to avoid that unless needed. Voltage helps stabilize the frequency but also significantly affects temperature.

Anyway, I played around and was able to get to a multiplier value of "45" for each of the cores. I had an option in MANUAL mode to designate the value for each core (you may want for example, 4.2GHz with four cores loaded, 4.3GHz with 2, 4.4GHz with 1). But for whatever reason my testing showed 4.5GHz regardless of cores used was stable so I just stayed with that.

Err on the side of stability, especially at first. For you, I'd try "43" for each multiplier value (assuming you can do it exactly the same way), then verify "XMP" is still enabled, save then test with:

a) MEMTEST86 www.memtest86.com
b) Prime95 and/or other similar software (tends to run far hotter than normal though so 85degC is still fine for that test)
c) Intel CPU diagnostic (easy to google and find, however it seems to assign default values. i.e. 3.9GHz max turbo. Nice to run and see the "PASSED" pop up but you should then reboot to get your OC values set.

Vive vs Oculus:
I've not tried either one. I don't think you should look at Facebook as a con though and having money (despite the Zenimax suit) should mean good support. However, VALVE is behind the VIVE so they certainly have some cash too so really none of that's an issue.

I won't be buying for a little while though, as both companies keep coming out with addons, price is a bit high, and there's not quite enough GOOD content IMO.

My biggest gripe is wireless. There's a $200 addon but I'm waiting until that's part of the HUD itself. Which also means a battery pack but I just can't see using the VIVE with a wire. Best solution seems to be hanging it from the ceiling but that just looks horrible to me.

The RIFT requirements are a bit lower, but the main reason is due to some software (warp whatever, forget details) which frankly has or will come to the VIVE.

Having said all that, if you gave me one it would be the VIVE (especially if I had a large space to walk around in). At least today. I think both will be very similar in a year or so as the RIFT will adopt anything noteworthy that the VIVE has and vice versa. Unless this has changed, the VIVE advantage today is:
a) room sensors
b) better controllers? (the RIFT does have the new ones, and I'm going by other people's comments but many seem to prefer the Vive)
c) camera (for video passthrough)

But, the VIVE is also $200 more ($800USD vs $600) if you compare the Rift with the new controllers. Again though, not a fair comparison as the VIVE has all the room base stations so it's going to cost more (and the camera). RIFT has built-in headphones though, and I think the Vive's are BYOH.

*I plan to eventually get a HUD for Star Citizen, though I'm in no danger of needing to decide on that tomorrow. Possibly by the end of 2018.
 
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A

aquielisunari

Judicious
Mar 31, 2011
6,499
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33,015


I ended up buying the Vive. A new RAM kit will probably be purchased in another month. I chose the EVGA 1080 Ti FTW3 Hybrid. I am only using an EVGA 500W 80+ PSU so I also ordered a Seasonic 650W 80+ Gold PSU. Now I have to wait for the card to get in stock and be delivered in about 2 weeks from Amazon:pfff:. Of course I still have the 4690K. The anticipation....
 
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