Not everyone needs the fastest possible PC to enjoy virtual reality. This portable PC meets the minimum requirements set out by the headset manufacturers and, while perhaps not as future-proof as some PCs, is at least friendlier to your wallet. Here's our Overclockers UK Kinetic VR gaming PC review.
A no-frills PC that will happily power an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift
By
Paul Monckton
Should I buy the Overclockers UK Kinetic VR Gaming PC?
Expert's Rating:
The Kinetic VR Gaming PC is one of the least expensive VR-ready PCs you can buy. It doesn't have a lot of power, but delivers performance where it’s really needed in order to provide a good VR experience at a low price. It’s also one of the few gaming PCs which could be considered portable.
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Overclockers UK Kinetic VR Gaming PC
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The compact dimensions of the Kinetic VR immediately sets it apart from the competition. Rather than selecting a standard ATX midi-tower housing, Overclockers has gone for a diminutive and much more portable system, which also happens to be just about the least expensive gaming PC you can buy that's capable of running a VR headset such as the HTC Vive.
If you’re feeling poor after shelling out nearly £700 for an HTC Vive, then this PC may be just what you need. At just over £700 direct from OCUK, it represents what we feel is the true basic entry-level for a VR-ready PC. It’s far from speedy and not exactly feature-rich, but it’ll pass all the VR compatibility tests and deliver an enjoyable VR experience.
If you'd prefer to spend a bit more and get one of the latest graphics cards, OCUK also offers the PC with a GeForce GTX 1070 for £879.95.
Overclockers UK Kinetic VR review: Design and features
To create a viable VR-ready PC at this price, Overclockers has made some careful component selections, which deliver all the available performance precisely where it’s needed. That means selecting an GeForce GTX 970 graphics card – ticking the first box on the minimum requirements list. The version used here is actually a factory overclocked model, providing a little speed boost, just to make extra sure.
The chosen CPU is a 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 6500. There’s no ‘K’ in the name, so there will be no overclocking going on here (despite the company name). This meets the minimum requirements for VR, passes all our compatibility tests and is shown not to slow down VR performance. It may be a slower CPU than you'll see in more expensive VR PCs, but it does the job just fine. That’s another box ticked for the Kinetic VR Gaming PC.
Overclockers UK Kinetic VR review: Components and upgradeability
The aforementioned case comes in the form of the Kolink Satellite Micro-ATX Cube Case, finished in a tasteful black. It’s neither pretty or exciting, but it most certainly is small. That’s great for portability, but not so good for expandability or access to internal components. Taking a look inside we find precious little room for upgrades as everything is packed in so tightly, but that’s to be expected. Somewhere tucked away inside there’s 8GB of system RAM and a 1TB hybrid hard drive (a mechanical disk with a small amount of solid-state storage), while the processor is kept in check by a stock Intel heatsink and fan.
An Asus H110M-A Micro ATX format motherboard sits at the heart of the system, its basic Intel H110 Express chipset offers no frills, but everything that’s required for adequate performance.
Overclockers UK Kinetic VR review: Performance
The lack of an SSD causes the Kinetic VR to appear somewhat sluggish when burdened by more intensive disk operations, such as copying huge folders full of game setup files, but this is less apparent once games are up and running.
While the Overclockers Kinetic VR Gaming PC won’t excite power-hungry gamers, it does provide everything you need at and impressively low price, which is exactly what it’s designed to do. On the other hand, maybe you don’t want it for home use: if you need a small PC to take on the road as part of your VR demo kit, the Kinetic VR Gaming PC really comes into its own here as none of the others in this round?up can touch it for portability or price and you can be sure it’ll get the job done.
