Get guidance on improving your VR PC performance
Get guidance on improving your VR PC performance
Hello, I'm looking for some guidance on improving my PC setup. Right now I have: CPU i5-6600, a Micro-ATX MSI H110M-pro board with just two RAM slots, GTX1060 6G graphics from Asus Turbo, 2x4GB RAM at 2133MHz (HyperX Fury), a Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB paired with Windows and my games, plus a 500GB mechanical drive for the Oculus Rift CV1 (with three sensors). It's been a while since I played demanding desktop games or software that pushes CPU and GPU limits—like Fallout 4 in Ultra+ shaders. Recently I bought a used Rift; if you're after a cheap VR option, you can find full CV1 kits for under $300 on eBay. I mainly play Beat Saber but also some other titles, and I'm noticing performance drops, especially in Beat Saber when running large maps or complex scenes. I've tried overclocking the GTX1060 and got some stable FPS at around 60°C, but still experience many freezes. I'm considering upgrading to 16GB RAM since my current 8GB often gets full during games or Unity projects. I have a few questions: Is it typical for me to see such issues with Beat Saber on this configuration? What do you think is the main bottleneck here? And I need to keep my budget in mind—can't change both CPU and GPU right now. Thanks, Emerick.
Have you checked GPU and CPU activity? This might help identify what’s limiting your performance. Also, reviewing the video Linus shared on Half Life Alyx suggests a 1060 can handle it well, so it’s possible your CPU or RAM could be the bottleneck. You might want to use tools like MSI AfterBurner to keep an eye on CPU and GPU usage for extra assurance.
I suggest upgrading the 2070S for the best value in a VR upgrade. A 1060 still supports VR, but the RX 580 and GTX 1060 are the minimum requirements for a decent experience. Oculus also offers a custom SDK to enhance realistic ASR: https://developer.oculus.com/blog/asw-an...cale=en_US This could make a significant difference. RAM prices are now affordable, so consider adding faster memory for future upgrades.
My performance during the Beat Saber session suggests RAM might already be a constraint, even if it's not completely full. I wonder if constant spikes on the CPU point to an issue with my system. I've noticed Linus discussing Alyx in his video, but I'm unsure how much resource demand Beat Saber places compared to that game. A 2070s setup would seem great for VR, though it's out of reach financially—especially considering higher costs in Europe plus import charges. Upgrading to faster RAM could also mean replacing the CPU, since the i5-6600 only handles up to 2.7 GHz.
I purchased and set up an i5-9600K with 16GB (4x4GB) of 2666MHz RAM on my PC. After more than five hours of VR gaming, I never faced any freezing or lag. In just one hour of Beat Saber, my Expert+ scores jumped dramatically! Overall, my PC performance has improved significantly—I've consistently achieved 10 to 30 FPS across all games. I believe the issue is resolved, thank you for your assistance!