5 Best VR-Ready Laptops For Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest
Our top choice:
- 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H 6-Core Processor (Upto 4. 5 gramHz) with Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Graphics with 6 GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM
- 15. 6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED-backlit IPS display (144Hz Refresh Rate, 3ms Overdrive Response Time, 300nit Brightness & 72% NTSC)
- 16 GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M. 2 Slots | 1 Slot Open for Easy Upgrades) & 1 - Available Hard Drive Bay
- Backlit Keyboard | LAN: Killer Gaming Network E2500 | Wireless: Killer DoubleShot Pro Wireless-AX 1650 WiFi 6 802. 11ac | 4th Gen All-Metal AeroBlade 3D Fan
If you’re shopping for a VR-ready laptop, there are a few things you need to know. Namely:
- For graphics card, aim for at least a GTX 1060: VR games are pretty intense nowadays and whilst a GTX 1050 will work, you’ll have to settle for low settings on some games. A GTX 1060 is the recommended spec for Oculus Rift S and Quest.
- Get at least 16 GB of DDR4 RAM: Browsers are extremely RAM intensive nowadays and it’s easy to use the whole 16 GB up. If you only have 8 GB of RAM, you won’t be able to have anything else opened whilst playing in VR and a few games require more than 8 GB.
- For the CPU, an i5 is completely fine, but if you have the money get an i7: An i5 does the job for every game as of now, but you might find yourself needing an i7 a few years down the line.
Here are the laptops we have tested and recommend:
Budget Option:
- Realistic graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (4 GB GDDR5 dedicated). enjoy new levels of gaming realism and performance with real-time ray-tracing technologies. Vr Ready. 15.6-Inch diagonal FHD IPS Anti-Glare micro-edge WLED-backlit Display (1920 x 1080)
- Omen command center: easily turn up your performance with included software that enables control over your CPU overclocking settings and prioritizes your gaming traffic to minimize latency
- Cutting-edge gaming performance: play The latest games, including Fortnight, PUBG, and Overwatch, from anywhere—without sacrificing performance
- Super Fast Processor: 9th Generation intel(r) core(tm) i7-9750h Processor, 6-Core, 2.6GHz up to 4.5GHz for superior gaming performance
- Memory: 8 GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM (upgradable with 2 accessible Memory Slots)
This is the cheapest laptop I can find that passes the bare minimum ‘system requirements’ for the Oculus Rift S. DO NOT BUY THIS IF YOU HAVE A QUEST. Although we got it to work, you might run into issues since it’s not officially supported.
From our tests on the Oculus Rift S, it seems to run most VR games smoothly (Beat Saber, SUPERHOT, Arizona Sunshine etc.).
However, it doesn’t run well with the most graphically intense VR games like Boneworks and Half-Life: Alyx.
Even on low settings, we experienced low frame rates and occasional stuttering on Half-Life: Alyx. It’s still playable, but can be immersion breaking at points. The mid-range computer (next on this list) is 10 times better for these graphically intensive games.
If these games don’t appeal to you and you’re just looking for a cheap laptop to play Beat Saber or VRChat, then this laptop would be a great candidate for you. Again: Don’t buy this if you have an Oculus Quest.
Mid-range Option (Recommended):
- 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H 6-Core Processor (Upto 4. 5 gramHz) with Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Graphics with 6 GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM
- 15. 6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED-backlit IPS display (144Hz Refresh Rate, 3ms Overdrive Response Time, 300nit Brightness & 72% NTSC)
- 16 GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M. 2 Slots | 1 Slot Open for Easy Upgrades) & 1 - Available Hard Drive Bay
- Backlit Keyboard | LAN: Killer Gaming Network E2500 | Wireless: Killer DoubleShot Pro Wireless-AX 1650 WiFi 6 802. 11ac | 4th Gen All-Metal AeroBlade 3D Fan
With a GTX 1660 Ti and 16 GB RAM, this laptop fares much better than the previous one and you’ll be able to play most VR games on max settings. For the ultra intense ones:
We were able to run Half-Life: Alyx on ultra settings! Although we noticed occasional frame drops/stuttering, it was still very playable.
For the smoothest experience possible, we recommend playing the game on medium or high settings with this laptop.
The good news: Half-Life: Alyx still looks gorgeous on medium settings.
High End Option (Recommended):
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6
- 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H Processor
- 120Hz 15.6” 1920x1080 IPS Type Display
- 16GB DDR4 2666MHz RAM | 512GB PCIe SSD | Windows 10 Home | Gigabit Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
- ROG intelligent cooling thermal system with dual 12V fans, Triple radiators, anti-dust technology, and adjustable fan modes
The RTX 2060 is a slight upgrade from the previous GTX 1660 Ti and you should see a noticeable improvement with this laptop. You’ll be able to play Half-Life: Alyx on ‘high’ settings pretty smoothly.
This laptop is powerful enough to run most VR games on max settings (except a few poorly optimized games).
Ultra Option:
- 15.6" FHD, Anti-Glare Wide View Angle 300Hz 3ms NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q 8G GDDR6
- Core i7-10750H 2.6 - 5.0GHz Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201(2*2 ax)
- 512GB NVMe SSD 32GB (16G*2)DDR4 2666MHz 2 Sockets; Max Memory 64GB
- Thunderbolt 3*1 PD charge ; USB-C Gen1 *1 USB 3. 2 Gen2 *3 Steel Series per-Key RGB with Anti-Ghost key (84 Key) 720p HD Webcam
- Win 10 PRO Dynaudio Speakers 2W*2 4 cell (99. 9Whr) Li-Polymer 230W Slim
A laptop with an RTX 2070 Super, i7-processor and 32 GB of RAM.
We tested this laptop with the most intense VR games: Half-Life: Alyx, Boneworks and Elite Dangerous and it runs butter smooth on all those games on max settings.
Although a bit expensive, you’ll be able to play any VR game for years to come.
With 32 GB of RAM, you’ll be able to have 100 tabs opened on Chrome whilst playing a VR game at the same time.
- Battery Life: 4 hours VR gaming. Up to 7 hours for less intensive tasks.
- Free Copy of Windows 10 included
- Keyboard has RGB lighting
- Durable materials & sturdy build
The only downside of this laptop is it looks average – nothing flashy. If you want something that looks good:
Best Looking:
- High-end materials like magnesium alloy, copper and steel provide a premium, lightweight and performance-driven gaming experience with iconic AlienFX lighting
- Alienware Cryo-Tech optimizes component cooling, which maximizes overall performance and keeps your laptop cool to the touch
- At just 4.65lb and under 20.5mm, the new Alienware m15 is the thinnest laptop in Alienware history—even lighter and leaner than our previous m15
- Memory storage capacity: 32.0
Although more expensive, Alienware are known for making the best looking laptops and this one is killer.
It’s got killer specs and will run any VR game you want on max settings.
I personally don’t care much for a laptop’s looks, but I know some of you do, so I’ll list this one here.
FAQ:
What are the minimum/recommended specs for the Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest?
Oculus Rift S minimum specs:
| Component | Recommended Specs | This Computer |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel i5-4590/AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or greater | AMD Ryzen 5 3600 |
| Graphics Card | NVIDIA GTX 1060/AMD Radeon RX 480 or greater | GeForce GTX 1660 |
| Memory | 8 GB+ RAM | 16 GB RAM |
Oculus Quest minimum specs (using Oculus Link):
| Component | Recommended Specs |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel i5-4590/AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or greater |
| Graphics Card | GTX 1060 6 GB |
| Memory | 8 GB+ RAM |
Why don’t you recommend any laptop with a RTX 2080 graphics card?
Although an RTX 2080 is great, it’s an overkill as the 2070 can already run the best games on max settings. The only reason you would need a RTX 2080 for is if you have a higher end headset like the Valve Index or Pimax 8K. Those headsets have higher refresh rates and resolution and require more powerful graphics cards.
But for the Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S, the best you’ll need is a 2070.
Will these laptops support Oculus Link on the Quest?
Yes, they all have the required USB 3.0 ports and have hardware specs that are officially supported by Oculus Link (except for the budget laptop). Although that one works too, I wouldn’t recommend it for Quest users.
Should I get a laptop or desktop PC?
If you can, always go for a desktop computer. They’re cheaper and just more powerful overall. See my post about best computer for VR.
For mystery lovers:
