If you’re wanting ahead to Half-Life: Alyx as a lot as we’re right here at RPS (it’s one among our most exciting games of 2020, don’t you already know), you then’ll need to ensure that your PC is prepped and able to play it come its massive launch day on March 23rd. The excellent news is that you just don’t want an costly Valve Index headset to run it, as Half-Life: Alyx will be performed on virtually each VR headset below the solar, together with low cost Windows Mixed Reality units, and even the Oculus Quest when you join it to your PC by way of a hyperlink cable.
To provide help to be sure you’ve received every thing you want, I’ve put collectively this Half-Life: Alyx PC necessities record, detailing precisely what elements you’ll want to get Half-Life: Alyx operating in addition to all of the completely different VR headset specs it’s appropriate with. I’ll be taking a a lot nearer take a look at the game’s efficiency come launch day, analyzing how Half-Life: Alyx runs on completely different VR headsets in addition to what sort of expertise its minimal PC spec gives versus a extra highly effective one, however in the intervening time, right here’s every thing must get your PC Half-Life: Alyx prepared.
Half-Life: Alyx PC necessities
Half-Life: Alyx will run on any VR headset that’s appropriate with SteamVR, which implies you should utilize the next VR headsets to get your Half-Life VR repair and gaze longingly at its iconic environments and somewhat nifty reload animations:
Half-Life: Alyx VR headset compatibility:
- Valve Index
- HTC Vive / HTC Vive Pro / HTC Vive Cosmos
- Oculus Rift / Oculus Rift S
- Oculus Quest (however solely by way of Oculus Link)
- All Windows Mixed Reality headsets
Half-Life: Alyx additionally helps all method of various play types, together with room-scale, seated or standing up, and works no matter whether or not you’ve received finger-tracking controllers or older trigger-based ones. It has three completely different motion choices, too: teleporting (with a small fade-out as you progress from level A to level B), “shift” (which includes a easy zoom between completely different factors), and steady the place you employ the analogue stick in your controller to run or stroll.
As a consequence, you actually don’t must spend a great deal of cash on a flowery pants VR headset in an effort to play it, as Valve have sensibly coated just about each possibility presently accessible. However, simply because Half-Life: Alyx works with each VR headset going doesn’t essentially imply your present PC will be capable of run it. Below, for instance, are the minimal specs for all of at the moment’s mainstream PC-based VR headsets:
| Minimum PC necessities | Valve Index | HTC Vive / Vive Pro / Vive Cosmos | Oculus Rift / Rift S | Windows Mixed Reality headsets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OS: | Windows 10, SteamOS, Linux | Windows 7-10 | Windows 10 | Windows 10 |
| CPU: | Dual-core with hyperthreading | Intel Core i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 | Intle Core i3-6100 / AMD FX 4350 | Intel Core i5-4590 / AMD Ryzen 5 1400 |
| RAM: | 8GB | 4GB | 8GB | 8GB |
| GPU: | Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / AMD Radeon RX 480 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / AMD Radeon R9 290 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 / AMD Radeon R9 290 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 470 |
| USB: | 3.0+ | 3.0+ | 3.0+ | 3.0, USB-C |
| Output: | DisplayPort (HDMI not supported) | DisplayPort (Cosmos) / HDMI (Vive / Vive Pro) | HDMI (Rift) / miniDisplayPort (Rift S) | HDMI, DisplayPort |
The minimal PC necessities for Half-Life: Alyx, then again, are a bit greater many of the minimal headset necessities I’ve listed above, so you might want to consider upgrading your PC in case your present one solely nearly meets your respective VR headset specs.
Half-Life: Alyx minimal PC necessities:
OS: Windows 10
CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 / AMD Ryzen 5 1600
RAM: 12GB RAM
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB) / AMD Radeon RX 580 (8GB)
Thankfully, most of Half-Life: Alyx’s minimal PC specs aren’t truly that demanding. It does have fairly a excessive RAM requirement, all informed, so in case your PC solely has 8GB in the intervening time then it is likely to be time to step as much as 16GB, however in any other case Valve’s CPU and GPU selections are pretty affordable. Both the GTX 1060 and RX 580 are getting on a bit now, as are the minimal CPUs, so when you’ve purchased or built a PC within the final couple of years then you need to be fairly set.
How to construct a PC for Half-Life: Alyx
However, in case you are in want of in improve, then I’ve put collectively a really useful PC construct under to get your PC Half-Life: Alyx prepared. The excellent news is that the fashionable equivalents of these minimal specs aren’t massively costly, so that you shouldn’t must lay our a fortune earlier than the game comes out. Most of the elements listed under are the identical as what you’ll discover in our official RPS Rig, which particulars every thing you’ll want to construct a good 1080p gaming PC for below £1000 (together with a monitor and all of your peripherals), however there are a few adjustments because of that aforementioned massive RAM requirement.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a incredible CPU and it’s presently my best gaming CPU choose for these after a top-notch mid-range AMD processor. It additionally comes with its personal (and superb) cooler within the field, too, which helps save on price. To see precisely the way it shapes as much as its different AMD and Intel competitors, have a learn of our AMD Ryzen 5 3600 review.
Admittedly, you’ll be able to technically get the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 for a few quid cheaper over on Amazon the place it’s £152, but when UK consumers get this from CCL along with the AsRock motherboard I’ve talked about under then CCL will ensure that the motherboard has the right BIOS replace put in to run your shiny new processor at no cost – which I believe you’ll agree is price the additional few quid you’ll save by shopping for the CPU elsewhere.
Motherboard – AsRock B450M-HDV
If you’re shopping for a brand new CPU, you then’re in all probability going to wish a brand new motherboard to go along with it, and this micro-ATX motherboard from AsRock has every thing you’ll want to kind the muse for an excellent gaming PC. It might not have essentially the most spectacular function set in comparison with newer and costlier X570 boards, however you continue to get six USB ports around the again (4 of that are USB3), plus a Gigabit Ethernet port, three audio jacks, and 4 SATA ports to your SSD and any extra storage drives you would possibly need to add additional down the road. Plus, its PCIe 2.Zero x1 slot sits above the primary PCIe 3.Zero x16 slot so it gained’t get obscured by your graphics card.
RAM – Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x 8GB) 2666MHz
And when you’re shopping for a brand new motherboard and CPU, likelihood is that you just’re additionally going to wish some new RAM as effectively, as trendy motherboards don’t help older DDR3 sticks. Admittedly, 12GB is a little bit of an odd quantity to go for particularly, as RAM tends to work higher once you’ve received two sticks which might be equivalent in dimension and velocity. As a consequence, I’d suggest going for this 2x 8GB 2666MHz set from Corsair, as they not solely make wonderful RAM, however their Vengeance LPX vary is among the greatest within the enterprise. Plus, it’s fully freed from any RGB lighting, which virtually comes as commonplace on costlier fashions. You can all the time go for a quicker 3000MHz mannequin when you actually need to push the boat out right here, however 2666MHz continues to be completely fantastic for a modern-day gaming PC.
Graphics card – Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Super Twin Fan
The sort-of direct successor to Nvidia’s GTX 1060, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super is one among best graphics cards you should purchase proper now for these on a finances. It’s quicker than the common GTX 1660, and its efficiency nearly matches the costlier GTX 1660 Ti as effectively, so you might as effectively save your self some money and go for the Super as an alternative. Yes, the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT is arguably the higher worth graphics card general (what with the 8GB mannequin presently costing £190 / $200 at time of writing, plus the actual fact it comes with oodles of free games, too), however I’ve gone with the GTX 1660 Super, right here largely as a result of Nvidia GPUs are typically held to be a bit higher for VR – though I’ll be placing this concept to the check over the approaching week.
SSD – WD Blue SN500 (500GB)
There are so many nice SSDs round in the intervening time, however the 500GB WD Blue SN500 is arguably one of the best worth for cash. Not solely is it cheaper or across the similar value as a whole lot of finances 2.5in SATA SSDs today, however it’s NVMe kind issue means you’ll be able to stick it straight into your new motherboard with out worrying about a lot of messy cables around the again. It really is among the best gaming SSDs you should purchase at the moment, and you could find out extra in our WD Blue SN500 review.
Power provide – Corsair CX550M
Your energy provide is the beating coronary heart of your PC, so it pays to get a great one. I’ve gone for the semi-modular model of Corsair’s CX550 PSU (therefore the additional M on the top of its title), as this permits for barely tidier cable routing and general cable administration. You can all the time go for the common model if you wish to save your self one other £20, however this implies you’ll possible have fairly just a few spare cables knocking round your case. Either means, the Corsair CX550 / CX550M ought to present greater than sufficient juice to energy every thing listed above. It’s an 80 Plus Bronze rated PSU, too, which implies it’s good and vitality environment friendly.
The solely factor remaining is a case to place every thing in. I’ll depart that one to your personal discretion, as you might have already got one in thoughts, otherwise you would possibly also have a case you’re seeking to reuse. Either means, all the above ought to solely set you again £609 / $699, which isn’t too shabby within the grand scheme of issues.
As I stated above, I’ll be placing collectively a extra thorough efficiency evaluation of how Half-Life: Alyx runs on numerous headsets and PC specs in time for the game’s launch on March 23rd, so ensure that to be careful for that as effectively when you’re occupied with doing a extra substantial improve to your current PC. For now, although, the elements I’ve listed above will certainly meet the minimal PC necessities for Half-Life: Alyx, and on the very least ought to hopefully offer you a little bit of an concept about how a lot you’ll must spend to ensure your PC is as much as snuff.
Don’t neglect, you’ll be able to nonetheless play the Half-Life collection free on Steam till Alyx comes out on Steam, and the complete and last model of Black Mesa has simply come out as effectively (which, when you’re something like Graham, you may as well mod so you’ll be able to play Half-Life 1 in VR). Alternatively, there’s in all probability nonetheless time to squeeze in a few our best VR games earlier than Alyx comes out, or you might spend the remainder of this week watching Valve’s three Half-Life: Alyx gameplay videos on loop as an alternative. As that outdated saying goes, “It’s time to choose…”
