HTC Vive minimum requirements: Is my PC powerful enough?
![HTC Vive laptop](https://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1513850/htc-vive-laptop.jpg?w=736&f=979b703127d347898fb2a2c048fdef41)
All articles about the HTC Vive virtual reality system begin in much the same way. 'It's an amazing, groundbreaking and truly extraordinary piece of kit, but...'.
That 'but' is a segue to a variety of requirements and limitations that make buying, installing and playing Vive a tricky and demanding process. This article looks at the minimum PC performance required for running Vive. Anything less, and the system simply won't work, because a small drop in resolution or frame rate would be a disaster and make playing with Vive as comfortable as stumbling through a house of mirrors after eight pints of strong lager.
If you aren't sure whether your computer can handle Vive or not, Stream offers a free app on its store to help you find out. It will benchmark your PC and either say yes or no. If it's a no, the app will help explain where you computer is lacking and what you need to buy to improve it.
![HTC Vive](https://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1513854/htc-vive.jpg?w=736&f=6a8c75af522d983e22f8b0d704364cf8)
As an indication of just what it takes to run Vive, HTC recommends the AMD Radeon R9 390X graphics processor, which costs almost £300 ($433) alone. The laptop we were sent by Nvidia to use with the Vive (an MSI GT72S Dragon Edition G) costs around £2,500 and has a massive 32GB of RAM.
If you manage to set Vive up with a desktop PC instead of an easily moveable laptop, then a compatible Alienware Area-51 will set you back between £1,300 and £2,065.
So there you have it. The HTC Vive is a hugely demanding piece of kit that needs a powerful PC and, as we discover in a related feature, a large amount of free space (and some DIY skills) to work. When you finally overcome all of these hurdles (and the lengthy setup process), you will be in for a real treat. Vive produces the best VR on sale right now.
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