Gaming has not just remained any ordinary Esport we used to play on our gaming PC or game consoles, but more new Technologies are getting associated with it day by day. As a result of which, gaming is now becoming a big source of revenue as well as creating the biggest gaming lobby that ever exists. The biggest example we have is ray tracing gaming and VR gaming, which are responsible for upscale not only this field but accelerating the innovation in computer components as well. Thus, in this guide, we have tested the best graphics card for VR and are going next to review, the best GPU for ray tracing.
What is VR Technology?
An environment developed by simulation of the object’s visual and audio together like performing them to generate lively effects, that a person feels real and interactive with them, is being called by a Virtual Reality Technology.
The concept of virtual reality has started dominating most of the industrial sectors from past few years and the role it is playing is something we haven’t expected before. Now thinking about eliminating this Technology fully from our industrial, health & educational departments, if not our daily life, is nearly impossible. VR Technology has captured our tourism as well as marketing behaviours, in short we are being influenced by VR to a great extent and don’t really know how much this technology is going to penetrate in our lives in the coming future.
Back to VR gaming, in this article we have placed VR GPUs from both Nvidia and AMD. It also includes VR graphics cards from the latest Radeon RX 6000 Series and Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 Series, the new generation GPUs for VR ultimate gaming experience.
List: Best Graphics Card for VR 2021
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 – Best high end graphics card for VR
- AMD Radeon RX 6800 – Best 4k video card by AMD
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super – Best 1440p VR GPU
- AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT – Best VR ready GPU at 1440p by AMD
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 – Best VR graphics card at 1080p
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT – Best 1080p VR GPU by AMD
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 – Best budget VR graphics card
- AMD Radeon RX 590 – Best graphics card for VR oculus
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti – Best Valve Index graphics card
- AMD Radeon Vega 56 – Best HTC Vive GPU
Best Graphics Card for VR 2021 Reviews
1. GeForce RTX 3080 – Best 4k graphics card
Video memory: 10GB GDDR6X | Code name: GA 102 Ampere | Base clock: 1440Mhz | Boost clock: 1710Mhz | Cuda cores: 8704 | PSU: 750W
GeForce RTX 3080 Currently Offering by:
Nvidia GeForce 3080 Founders Edition
- Boost Clock: 1710Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.2 x 4.4 x 1.9 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
Asus TUF Gaming Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition
- Boost Clock: 1815Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.8 x 4.9 x 2.0 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
Asus Rog Strix Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition
- Boost Clock: 1935Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 16 x 9.2 x 3.5 inch
- Slots: 2.9
- Fans: 3
EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra Gaming
- Boost Clock: 1800Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x2
- 11.8 x 5.3 x 2.0 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3080
- Boost Clock: 1815Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x2
- 12.7 x 5.5 x 2.2 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
PNY GeForce RTX 3080 Revel Epic-X RGB
- Boost Clock: 1710Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.5 x 4.4 x 2.2 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Vision OC Edition
- Boost Clock: 1800Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 12.5 x 5.0 x 2.1 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
If you are really going to upgrade your PC and decide to spend on the rig, then why not avail the futuristic hardware, afterall upgrading is not something very frequent to happen. Starting from the latest graphics cards, from the Geforce 30 Series, there is nothing better than the RTX 3080 which joined us in September 2020. Through which not only you can play existing VR games but whatever the VR game is about to join, this is a best graphics card for VR is very much capable of handling those. Further, if you intend to play 4k or 5k gaming, this GPU wouldn’t let you down. It has 10GB video memory with GDDR6X that is double the bandwidth we used to play with. That is, in short, instead of 256-bit, this video card is having 320-bit of memory.
It supports Direct3D 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, OpenCL 1.2 and Vulkan 2.2. With 7th generation Nvidia Encoder and 5th generation Decoder, this is the best graphics card for video editing or handling graphics intensive tasks. Whether it’s about 4k, 5k or even 8k high resolution content generating, this VR video card has geared to the next level of performance in this matter as well. Whereas, testing for few popular games in 4k ultra settings, Cyberpunk 2077, Borderland 3 and Watch Dogs Legion can squeeze out frame rates around 40. On the other hand, The Grand Theft Auto V, Witcher III, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and Doom Eternal bring more than 100FPS.
Pros
- Most futuristic buying
- 2nd generation real time ray tracing
- Support DirectX 12 Ultimate and next generation AI performance
- Excellent for 3D editing or creating high end graphics content in real time
Cons
- Expensive for mid range gaming
- Overkilling for 1080p gaming
- Power hungary
2. AMD Radeon RX 6800 – Best AMD 4k graphics card
Video memory: 16GB GDDR6 | Code name: AMD Navi 21 | Base clock: 1700Mhz | Boost clock: 2105Mhz | Stream Processors: 3840 | PSU: 650W
AMD Radeon RX 6800 is Currently Offering by:
XFX Speedster MERC 319 Radeon RX 6800
- Boost Clock: 2190Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 13.3 x 5.4 x 2.3 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 6800
- Boost Clock: 2170Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.9 x 5.0 x 2.1 inch
- Slots: 2.5
- Fans: 3
PowerColor Fighter AMD Radeon RX 6800
- Boost Clock: 2155Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.8 x 4.7 x 1.9 inch
- Slots: 2.5
- Fans: 3
Gigabyte AMD Radeon RX 6800
- Boost Clock: 2250Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x2, USB-C x1
- 10.5 x 4.7 x 1.9 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
Asus Rog Strix AMD Radeon RX 6800
- Boost Clock: 2190Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 13 x 5.0 x 2.2 inch
- Slots: 2.9
- Fans: 3
Check Price
Asus Tuf Gaming AMD Radeon RX 6800
- Boost Clock: 2340Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 13 x 5.5 x 2.2 inch
- Slots: 2.9
- Fans: 3
Picking one of the best graphics cards for VR from AMD latest GPUs, we have AMD Radeon RX 6800 from Radeon RX 6000 Series launched in November 2020. It is a great option for 4k gaming who has freesync gaming monitors. Although it is again an expensive pick due to short supply and high demand, still this video card is worth buying for VR gaming. The most impressive part is, this graphics card is offering 16GB huge video memory, that is very suitable for dealing memory intensive gaming as well as graphics loaded content or intense multitasking we say. Further, the overclocking is also great, it is cool and runs silently under the load.
AMD Radeon RX 6800 is a very suitable GPU for Oculus rift, Vive Pro and Value Index etc. it is capable of unleashing the precision we ultimately look for. However, the real time ray tracing is not up to the mark and is lower than what we were expecting from this next generation video card. Further, for few popular AAA titles, this GPU is performing poorly which is again something out of imagination. Though we still are not in a position to say this graphics card is a deal breaker anytime soon. Due to the frame rates it offers and being capable of handling upto 4k content easily, it is one of the best 4k GPUs we have tested. Playing Doom Eternal, Forza Horizon 4, Wolfenstein Young blood and Resident Evil 3 have up to 100FPS on 4k settings.
Pros
- Impressive VR gaming
- Highly defined edge to edge gaming performance
- Support DirectX 12
- Great overclocking
Cons
- Costly
- Ray Tracing quality is not super impressive
3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super – Best 1440p graphics card for VR
Video memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Code name: TU104 Turing | Base clock: 1605Mhz | Boost clock: 1700Mhz | Cuda cores: 2560 | PSU: 650W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super is Currently Offering by:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super Founders Edition
- Boost Clock: 1700Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x2, USB-C x1
- 10.5 x 4.5 x 1.9 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 Super
- Boost Clock: 1800Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.6 x 5.6 x 2.2 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 Super Windforce OC
- Boost Clock: 1785Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11 x 4.5 x 1.5 inch
- Slots: 2.5
- Fans: 3
Asus Rog Strix GeForce RTX 2070 Super Advanced Overclocked
- Boost Clock: 1935Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x2, USB-C x1
- 11.8 x 5.1 x 2.1 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
Asus GeForce RTX 2070 Super
- Boost Clock: 1845Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 10.5 x 4.7 x 2.2
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 2
Almost a year back, Nvidia RTX 2070 Super was considered as a best 4k GPU but at this very moment, it is more likely to be called good for 1440p gaming instead. It is due to the games which keep coming and require more of the performance from the graphics card side. RTX 2070 Super can still work fine for 4k gaming but is worsen off in latest AAA titles or unable to pull those high frame rates as before. Whereas, talking about the VR competitiveness, RTX 2070 Super is still in a better position and is very capable to squeeze out the right juices for virtual reality games both for PC and VR headsets.
It is a 8GB GDDR6 video card, with 256-bit memory, 14Gbps memory speed and 448GB/s memory bandwidth. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan API and OpenGL 4.6, although it does support DLSS 2.0 and Ray Tracing, but the performance in this regard is not very up to the mark. As for the maximum resolution it can support is 4k. Turning towards the game test, RTX 2070 Super can play Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Control, Metro: Exodus and Borderland 3 with around 50FPS on 1440p ultra settings. Assassin’s Creed: Unity, Far Cry 5, Battlefield V and Forza Horizon 4 bring around 80FPS. Though you are going to get 100+FPS when playing Far Cry: New Dawn, Doom Eternal, Rise Of the Tomb Raider and Crysis 3.
Pros
- Suitable frame rates for VR gaming
- Cool and silent performer
- Good for Oculus, Valve, Index
- Great 1440p gaming
Cons
- Subpar performance for few AAA games on 4k
- Power hungary
4. AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT – Best graphics card for VR at 1440p by AMD
Video memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Code name: AMD Navi 10 XT | Base clock: 1605Mhz | Boost clock: 1905Mhz | Stream Processors: 2560 | PSU: 600W
Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 5700 XT
- Boost Clock: 2010Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x2
- 12 x 5.3 x 1.9 inch
- Slots: 2.5
- Fans: 3
Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT Gaming OC
- Boost Clock: 1905Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 10.9 x 4.5 x 1.9 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
Asus TUF Gaming 3 AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT OC
- Boost Clock: 1980Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 10.6 x 5 x 2.1 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
ASRock Phantom Gaming D Radeon RX 5700 XT
- Boost Clock: 1945Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.2 x 4.9 x 2 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
MSI Gaming Radeon RX 5700 XT
- Boost Clock: 1980Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.6 x 5.5 x 2.2
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
ASRock VCX RX 5700 XT Challenger D
- Boost Clock: 1905Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11 x 5.3 x 1.6 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
Asus Rog Strix Radeon RX 5700 XT
- Boost Clock: 2035Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 12 x 5.1 x 2.1 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
- Boost Clock: 2010Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.8 x 5.1 x 2 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
XFX RX 5700 XT Thicc III Ultra
- Boost Clock: 2025Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 12.4 x 5.16 x 2.2 inch
- Slots: 2.8
- Fans: 3
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT which came in january 2019 is in a position to still lead VR gaming even in 2021. It puts back the RTX 2060 in terms of performance and few more of the GTX graphics cards are behind it too. If you want to get fat frame rates, then RX 5700 XT way better than playing games on 1440p instead of 1080p or 4k resolution. Most of the popular games are smoothly run over this video card. Its 8GB VRAM with GDDR6 is suitable equally to Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Index or more of the VR headsets present today. It supports DirectX 12 and Vulkan API. It lacks ray tracing technology and having a little narrow overclocking compared to the video cards by Nvidia.
With a less condensed frame rate at 4k, it can play AAA titles with tweaking down the settings a bit more. Thus, we have tested RX 5700 XT on 1440p ultra settings and came to a conclusion that this VR graphics card is better for 1440p gaming instead. Playing games, Cyberpunk 2077, Total Wars: Three Kingdoms, Control, Borderlands 3, brings frame rates around 50. Assassins Creed: Origin, The Division 2, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Assassins Creed: Odyssey brings around 60FPS. Yet on testing, for Rise of the Tomb Raider, Wolfenstien II: The New Colossus, Hitman 2 and The Witcher III brings around 90FPS. Whereas, you will witness more than 100FPS on games like Wolfenstein Youngblood, GTA V, Battlefield V, Far Cry 5 and Forza Horizon 4.
Pros
- Great for 1440p gaming
- Fits best as a mid range GPU
- Fetch decent frame rates for 4k
- Excellent for any of the VR headset that came till now
Cons
- Shouty blower cooling
- Lacks real time ray tracing
5. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 – Best 1080p VR graphics card
Video memory: 6GB GDDR6 | Code name: TU104 Turing | Base clock: 1365Mhz | Boost clock: 1680Mhz | Cuda cores: 1920 | PSU: 500W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 is Currently Offering by:
Asus RTX Dual Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
- Boost Clock: 1755Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x1, DVI-D
- 7.8 x 4.8 x 1.5 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 2060
- Boost Clock: 1680Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 8.3 x 4.7 x 1.6 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 2060
- Boost Clock: 1830Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 9.7 x 5.0 x 2.0 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 KO Gaming
- Boost Clock: 1680Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x1, DVI-D
- 7.8 x 4.3 x 1.5 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
Asus GeForce RTX 2060
- Boost Clock: 1710Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x2, DVI-D
- 10.6 x 4.3 x 2.2 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 2
For those who want to max out on 1080p gaming irrespective of the game generation you want to play, RTX 2060 is having a great potential to serve you with high frame rates and the detail any game enthusiasts longed for. Another great thing that happens here is, RTX 2060 is one of the best graphics cards for Ray Tracing as well. With phenomenal ray tracing, it is providing the precise and very accurate shadows and highlights, we have rarely found in any of the graphics cards tested yet. It is equipped with DLSS 2.0 to level up the tracing and have premium virtual reality technology that is very suitable for AAA game titles and the popular VR headsets we have today. It is purely a 1080p GPU with which you can even play few of the latest titles on 1440p as well.
Further putting some light on its specification, this VR video card is offering 6GB video memory, 14Gbps memory speed, 192-bit width and 336GB/s memory bandwidth. Out of curiosity, the games it can play stretched out long, since we have opted for this video card for 1080p max (ultra settings). Therefore, playing Cyberpunk 2077, Metro: Exodus, Horizon: Zero Dawn provides up to 50FPS. Red Dead Redemption 2, Marvel’s Avengers, Borderlands 3, Control, Death Stranding gives more than 60FPS. Infact, games like Doom Eternal, Battlefield V, Far Cry 5, Hitman 2, The Witcher III, Crysis 3, Wolfenstein Youngblood, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus can be enjoyed with more than 100FPS.
Pros
- Buttery smooth 1080p gaming
- Set well as a mid range GPU
- Impressive overclocking
- Supports DLSS 2.0 + ray tracing & DirectX 12
Cons
- Not for 4k gaming
6. AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT – Best graphics card for VR 1080p by AMD
Video memory: 6GB GDDR6 | Code name: Navi 10 XLE | Base clock: 1375Mhz | Boost clock: 1560Mhz | Cuda cores: 2304 | PSU: 550W
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is Currently Offering by:
Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX 5600 XT
- Boost Clock: 1620Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x2
- 9.0 x 4.8 x 1.5 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
Asus Rog Strix AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- Boost Clock: 1770Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.96 x 5.12 x 2.13 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
X
FX RX 5600 XT THICC II Pro
- Boost Clock: 1620Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.02 x 5.8 x 1.7 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- Boost Clock: 1620Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 9.4 x 4.6 x 1.5 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
Asus Dual AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT EVO
- Boost Clock: 1770Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.1 x 5.2 x 2.1 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 2
Gigabyte Radeon RX 5600 XT Windforce OC
- Boost Clock: 1620Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 8.9 x 4.6 x 1.6 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
Asus TUF Gaming 3 AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- Boost Clock: 1770Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.13 x 5.0 x 2.1 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
ASRock Challenger Pro Radeon RX 5600 XT
- Boost Clock: 1750Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.0 x 4.6 x 2.0 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 3
If anyone in the line of 1080p graphics cards is giving competition shoulder to shoulder to RTX 2060, it is AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT. whereas for price, RTX 5600 XT is having upper hand. Though the performance is quite identical to each other in gaming perspective. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is one of the best VR GPUs we have today, fits well with the VR headsets and meets all the necessary VR requirements. Based on the RDNA Architecture, this video card is capable of providing artifact free smooth gaming and is also very nice for creative work, like, editing or generating 3D modeling or animation.
On further dwelling, this VR graphics card owns 6GB video memory, 336GB/s memory bandwidth, 192-bit width and 14Gbps memory bandwidth similar to RTX 2060. RX 5600 XT is good for 1080p gaming on ultra settings, but if you aim for 1440p gaming, then you have to lower down the scale to get decent frame rates. Besides checking it for game performance, we have put our gear to 1080p ultra and find out that playing Cyberpunk 2077 gives frame rates around 45, Metro: Exodus, Borderlands 3, Control are having more than 60FPS. Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Hitman 2 has around 90FPS, whereas you can have 100+FPS on games like Far Cry: New Dawn, Far Cry 5, Battlefield 1 & 5, GTA V, Forza horizon 4, The Witcher III and so on.
Pros
- Great VR quality
- Good value GPU at this moment
- Great for 1080p gaming
- Nicely overclocked and runs silently under the load
Cons
- Lacks ray tracing
- Subpar 1440p performance mainly
7. Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 – Best minimum GPU for VR
Video memory: 6GB GDDR5 | Code name: GP104 | Base clock: 1506Mhz | Boost clock: 1708Mhz | Cuda cores: 1280 | PSU: 400W
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 is Currently Offering by:
Asus GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Turbo Edition
- Boost Clock: 1708Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x2, DL-DVI-D
- 10.5 x 4.38 x 1.5 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1060
- Boost Clock: 1809Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3, DL-DVI-D
- 10.9 x 5.5 x 1.5 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
This is good news for those who need something under the budget, filling the gap mainly for VR gaming via headsets, Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 meant to be the one and only minimum VR graphics card holding the threshold. When we say it suffices better to those who look for cheap GPUs for VR, then it’s pretty obvious GTX 1060 is unable to fulfill the requirements of the most popular PC games today. Although it was capable enough to handle AAA titles when it was launched back in 2016, asking how good it is in 2021, seems irrelevant. Nevertheless, as far as it is meeting the needs of VR gaming, it is one of the best budget VR GPUs.
Based on the Pascal Architecture, it is a 6GB video card with 8Gbps memory speed, 192-bit width and 192GB/s memory bandwidth. Although it does support real time ray tracing, it is a bit lower than decency of today’s modern games. Checking this out for games on 1080p ultra, it has 20 to 25FPS for latest games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Microsoft Flight Simulator, whereas, Control, Marvel’s Avengers, Watch Dogs Legion, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Metro: Exodus are having around 30FPS. Though you can have around 60FPS on Gears Tactics, Hitman 2, Far Cry: New Dawn, Death Stranding and Shadow of the Tomb Raider & around 70FPS on Battlefield V, Raise of the Tomb Raider and Far Cry 5.
Pros
- Best entry level GPU
- Good for 1080p gaming
- Meets minimum requirement of VR headsets
- Quite and cool
Cons
- Not for 4k or even 1440p gaming
- Not a futuristic one
- AAA game titles are hardly able to have decent frame rates
- There are more better options available under the GTX flag
8. AMD Radeon RX 590 – Best minimum graphics card for Oculus Rift
Video memory: 8GB GDDR5 | Code name: Polaris30 XT | Base clock: 1469Mhz | Boost clock: 1545Mhz | Cuda cores: 2304 | PSU: 550W
AMD Radeon RX 590 is Currently Offering by:
XFX Radeon RX 590 Fatboy Core Edition
- Boost Clock: 1565Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3, DL-DVI-D
- 10.6 x 4.8 x 2.09 inch
- Slots: 2.5
- Fans: 2
Gigabyte Radeon RX 590
- Boost Clock: 1650Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3, DL-DVI-D
- 9.1 x 4.5 x 1.5 inch
- Slots: 2.7
- Fans: 2
Sapphire Radeon Nitro+ RX 590
- Boost Clock: 1650Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x2, DL-DVI-D
- 10.2 x 5.3 x 1.6 inch
- Slots: 2.2
- Fans: 2
PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 590
- Boost Clock: 1576Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x2, DL-DVI-D
- 10.0 x 6.1 x 2.2 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
ASRock Phantom Gaming X Radeon RX 590
- Boost Clock: 1560Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x2, DL-DVI-D
- 10.9 x 4.9 x 1.6 inch
- Slots: 2.5
- Fans: 2
An alternative to GTX 1060 yet a better version as a best graphics card for VR to meet the minimum requirement in this regard. That is the AMD Radeon RX 590, where GTX 1060 is incompetent to fetch even the least satisfactory frame rates, RX 590 is able to pick more FPS in few game titles unexpectedly compared to this. RX 590 came in 2019, much later than the arrival of GTX 1060, that’s why it is much stronger and faster than this and has more potential to deal with VR gaming. However, it still remains as a minimum GPU for VR though. As for best gaming resolution, RX 590 performs better on 1080p instead, although there are a number of games which can produce more than enough frame rates on 1440p but for popular games it is better on 1080p.
Looking at its memory, RX 590 holds 8GB video RAM with 8Gbps memory speed, 256-bit width and 256GB/s memory bandwidth. It provides stutter free and lag free flow of gaming without compromising and has sufficient power to get into the details of VR movies or games. While testing this VR video card, we get 40 to 49FPS on Control, Metro: Exodus, Borderland 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassins Creed: Origin, whereas, 60 to 69FPS on Just Cause 4, The Witcher III, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Assassin’s Creed: Unity. Moreover, you can have more than 80FPS on Battlefield V, PUBG, Far Cry 5, Crysis 3 and Wolfenstein: Youngblood.
Pros
- Best GPU for Oculus, HTC, Valve
- Great VR performance even in latest games
- Better performer than GTX 1060 and RX 580
- Good as a 1080p GPU
Cons
- It does support Ray Tracing but is not up to the mark
- Got hot and noisy under the load
9. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti – Best GPU for Valve Index
Video memory: 6GB GDDR6 | Code name: TU116 | Base clock: 1500Mhz | Boost clock: 1770Mhz | Cuda cores: 1536 | PSU: 450W
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is Currently Offering by:
Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1660 Ti
- Boost Clock: 1800Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 8.8 x 4.8 x 1.5 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
- Boost Clock: 1875Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 9.7 x 5.0 x 1.8 inch
- Slots: 2
- Fans: 2
EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti SC Ultra Gaming
- Boost Clock: 1845Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 7.9 x 4.3 x 1.5 inch
- Slots : 2
- Fans:2
Being one of the value GPU and a best graphics card for VR under the budget, GTX 1660 Ti is a better option in the GTX flagship. Although the missing ray tracing might be a bottleneck for the gamers to buy this, due to the VR performance, GTX 1660 Ti is not going to be left behind and will remain there for probably a couple of years more. Call it a mid range graphics card at 1080p, it is performing well comparatively to pricey ones dominating the market. Its aming performance may worsen off as the tweaking scale goes up, as a result you have to stick to 1080p gaming instead. As for compatibility, we found this best for Valve Index HTC Vive, Vive Pro, Oculus and much more other than just PC gaming.
Moving towards its potential, GTX 1660 Ti is having 6GB video RAM with GDDR6, with 12Gbps memory speed, 192-bit width and having 288GB/s memory bandwidth. As per said, we have tested this GPU on 1080p ultra and the significant results are; 40 to 49FPS on WatchDog Legion, Total war, Three Kingdoms, Assassins Creed: Valhalla. Whereas, 50 to 59FPS on Cyberpunk 2077, Borderland 3, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Control, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Metro: Exodus. Moreover, the good thing is there are a number of games you can play with more than 80 and even up to 100 frame rates, like, Death Stranding, The Division 2, Just Cause 4, PUBG, Battlefield V, Far Cry: New Dawn, Crysis 3 and Doom Eternal.
Pros
- One of the best mid range graphics cards
- Nicely overclocked
- Good for 1080p gaming
- Nicely produces VR content
Cons
- Lacks RT and Tensor cores
- Disappointing performance for 1440p or more
10. AMD Radeon Vega 56 – Best HTC Vive graphics card
Video memory: 8GB HBM2 | Code name: Vega10 XL | Base clock: 1156Mhz | Boost clock: 1471Mhz | Cuda cores: 3584 | PSU: 650W
AMD Radeon Vega 56 is Currently Offering by:
XFX Radeon RX Vega 56
- Boost Clock: 1471Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.14 x 5.12 x 1.5 inch
- Slots : 2
- Fans:2
Sapphire Pulse RX Vega 56
- Boost Clock: 15125Mhz
- HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x3
- 11.1 x 4.9 x 1.9 inch
- Slots : 2.5
- Fans:2
Vega 56 came in 2017 but is much more powerful and faster than most of the graphics cards that came after this. It has a great potential to beat the high end graphics card we are mostly coming across to be benefited at the cost of more dollars for them. It works well with HTC VR headsets and many others, the quality of VR is very impressive. As for PC gaming, you can enjoy high frame rates or high refresh rates on 1080p gaming and somewhat reasonably too at 1440p resolution. It is equipped with DirectX 12 but lacks ray tracing features.
Instead of GDDR memory type, Vega 56 has HBM2, has 8GB video RAM, 1.6Gbps memory speed 410GB/s bandwidth and 2048-bit width. You can have significant results for PC gaming, which includes Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon wildlands, Total war: Three Kingdoms, Control, Borderland 3 and Metro: Exodus with 50+FPS. Games like, Assassins Creed: Origin, GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2 revolve around 60FPS. Whereas, you are going to have 90+FPS on Hitman 2, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Far Cry; New Dawn. Further, you can nicely achieve more than 100 frame rates on Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, Far Cry 5 and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
Pros
- Compatible with many of the VR headsets
- Not only good for 1080p but 1440p gaming is also decent
- Fast and powerful
- Good competition for GTX 1070
Cons
- Power hungary
- Not suitable for 4k gaming
- No ray tracing
How to choose the best graphics card for VR? Buyers Guide
VR gaming on Head-Mounted Displays (HMD’s) that are VR headsets or VR PC gaming? The decision is yours. But the fundamental features you must look for Virtual Reality gameplay for both the scenarios is not much different from each other. However requires your little bit of attention to get the best out of it, at the same time makes your PC upgrading worth it. Although the above mentioned best graphics card for VR covered both of the cases for you. The only thing you need to do is to evaluate your need for VR GPU, performance you are willing to get and most importantly your budget.
In case, you are looking for a VR graphics card for VR headsets, then go and check the system requirements for them, including the minimum VR GPU demand, here;
- VR graphics card requirement for Oculus Rift (& S)
- VR graphics card requirement for Valve Index
- VR graphics card requirement for HTC Vive, Vive Pro & Vive Cosmos
- VR graphics card requirement for Windows Mixed Reality Headsets
Not to forget that gaming on a VR headset is somewhat in need of a little more push of frame rates, ideally, 90Hz refresh rate is important to bring the VR performance to a decent and acceptable level as compared to 60Hz average refresh rate for standard PC gaming.
But that’s not the whole story about the importance of refresh rate for virtual reality, since VR Technology is super emerging and dominating these days, your benchmark or priority should also be high. Upgrading your PC is not so often, it at least rest the time for a good after spending it on the basic components, so why not get something futuristic?
Which means, a GPU you buy, must be capable of handling the latest as well as previous games, easily. For this, RTX 3080 and RX 6800 seems the perfect option to avail. Although the RX 5700 XT, as well as the RTX 2070 Super knows to pull the right strings for VR gaming.
If you are suffering from your limited budget, then still the situation is in your favour, as there are few mid range VR graphics cards as well, like, GTX 1660 Ti and RX Vega 56.
Besides, the GTX 1060 and RX 590 fills the gap for the most shrinked budget as a cheap VR graphics card at this time when getting a new graphics card requires your boots off.
After tagging the best graphics card for VR, the next thing you need to do are as follows;
The graphics card you are about to buy, check the size in terms of dimension, whether it is able to nicely fit in your tower or you need to upgrade your PC casing at the end as well. We suggest getting the right size of GPU in the first place to avoid any inconvenience.
Similarly, the ports and connectivity must need to be identical for the rest of the components of your PC. It is not only important to get the work done we require it for but it allows the most right amount of refresh rate and the loads the components are designed for.
Inspect the cooling mechanism of the GPU including the number of fans, PSU and TDP of the graphics card. If the power consumption of the graphics card is not supportive to the overall PSU of the PC,it probably causes inefficient heat dissipation, under working of the units, draining more power and even failure of the system.
Am I buying a new graphics card just for VR or there is more scope than this? You have to ask this question to yourself guys. In case, you are a gamer but have professional luggage to load on your back, then you have to think beyond any ordinary or we might say any value graphics card. Means something that feeds the right amount of virtual immersiveness as well as have potential to deal with intense multitasking, is highly important. Then the budget graphics cards are not for you and you have to leave that section for good.
Significant aspects: We believe you have already taken care of the VRAM and the clock speed of the GPU. As it is more likely to be defined by the job you have to take with it, that’s why the purpose of using a particular graphics card helps you to pick the right amount of video RAM and clock speed. In short, the more intense and professional work you need the more memory and its speed is required.
Conclusion
For the most immersive and futuristic approach, our vote goes to the RTX 3080 as the best graphics card for VR 2021. Not only for VR, but the latest architecture, more cores, fast clock speed are much suitable for those who are reluctant for a beastly performance in any regard. Moreover, one time fat investment can last longer than the spending on budget graphics cards. Although the situation is totally up to your purchasing power and behaviour you set. Therefore, feeling the flex in the budget constraint our consumers mostly suffer from, our second best recommendation is RTX 2070 Super if you are more into value graphics cards due to the high price tags we are suffering from nowadays.
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