Best video card for VR (Dec 2023)

[Dillon 2,198]

After the Navigraph survey it seems the most popular cards are the $800 'Nvidia 3080 TI' and the $2,000+ 'Nvidia 4090'.  Are both these cards good with VR and what is the best brand to get (PNY, EVGA, ect.)?  Of course I'm going to go with the cheaper option if it improves VR from what I currently have.  Thanks in advance.🍺 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Dillon

[dogmanbird 269]

evga didn't release an nvidia version this round, much to the disappointment of a lot of folk, as it seemed to be one of the better brands to deal with if you had a fault

i remember umart staff saying they had a lot of issues dealing with pny over warranty

i believe only gigabyte offer a 4 year warranty (on some models), if you register it online within the first month

with 4090, there's variations of length, width and height, so if you are limited on space, some models are notably bigger/smaller than others. there's a chart online with dimensions across the brands - edit *** 4080/4090 are big cards! *** you may need a new case

there's a big spec difference between a 4080 v 4090, unlike the 3080 v 3090 which was a very small upgrade with regards to gaming performance

other than that, i recon it's a case of splitting hairs as far as variations in brand/model performance across all the 4090's. I think I'd prefer to have the longest warranty possible if anything

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by dogmanbird

[Lange_666 167]

I'm having a 3080Ti but it's not powerfull enough to keep FPS at the native refreshfreq all the time (even with low settings). So in order to keep everything smooth, ASW is needed (refresh in half).
Currently using an Oculus Rift-S headset (native refresh is 80Hz).

[ZoblebV8 58]

My thoughts are that if you are looking for any real longevity there are only 3 basic cards worth buying for VR right now, the 4080/4090 or 7900XTX.

Most people around here only recommend NVIDIA cards, and if you want the best card overall and price isn't a factor you definitely want some flavor of 4090. NVIDIA is also your choice if DLSS3 and the best implementation of FG is important. 

Personally I wouldn't purchase anything with less than 16GB of VRAM.

Since you said price is a factor you might want to at least consider the 7900XTX. It's roughly the same price/performance as the 4080, with more VRAM. I have one from Sapphire, whom I understand is considered to be similarly respected to EVGA, for AMD cards.

I can confirm it ran my Pimax Crystal well and I plan to use it for the Bigscreen Beyond which I have on order.

You don't say which headset you are running but I don't believe you can use an AMD card on the Varjo units so that could also be a factor.

[turbomax 3,307]

4 hours ago, ZoblebV8 said:

I plan to use it for the Bigscreen Beyond which I have on order.

yes, please report back once you got it. I am very interested to hear how it does in MSFS.

FOV only 92 degrees like Quest 2 (Valve Index: 120 degrees), edge to edge clarity and glare worse than HP Reverb G2, according to MRTV test. I would only order if you could return it.

Edited December 25, 2023 by turbomax

[Dillon 2,198]

On 12/25/2023 at 1:01 PM, ZoblebV8 said:

My thoughts are that if you are looking for any real longevity there are only 3 basic cards worth buying for VR right now, the 4080/4090 or 7900XTX.

Most people around here only recommend NVIDIA cards, and if you want the best card overall and price isn't a factor you definitely want some flavor of 4090. NVIDIA is also your choice if DLSS3 and the best implementation of FG is important. 

Personally I wouldn't purchase anything with less than 16GB of VRAM.

Since you said price is a factor you might want to at least consider the 7900XTX. It's roughly the same price/performance as the 4080, with more VRAM. I have one from Sapphire, whom I understand is considered to be similarly respected to EVGA, for AMD cards.

I can confirm it ran my Pimax Crystal well and I plan to use it for the Bigscreen Beyond which I have on order.

You don't say which headset you are running but I don't believe you can use an AMD card on the Varjo units so that could also be a factor.

Thanks for the great feedback, the Headset I'm using is the HP Reverb G2. 

[eslader 1,814]

I'm doing fine on a G2 with a 3070Ti. Our headsets don't need nearly as much power as the Pimax Crystal mentioned above. I still get the occasional mild stuttering, but I usually have to be flying over somewhere like LA or NYC before it will become noticeable. Were I shopping right now I might consider holding off until the 5 series cards come out in the hopes that they completely fix the melting power connector issue. 

[TheFamilyMan 281]

I use a 3080ti which I got over two years ago and which I soon paired with the Reverb G2 revised.  Spent a not so small fortune on that gcard back in '21, but it was money well spent IMO and I have no immediate plans to upgrade it.  A good friend got a 4080 for his G2 when the 4080 first released and he's very happy with it.  Definitely a noticeable improvement over my 3080 ti, from first hand experience, though I've read posts from 4080 owners that regret that they didn't get a 4090. The unfortunate bottom line is that IMHO no gcard at this time can fully satisfy the capabilities for better visuals which VR can deliver in MSFS, plus MSFS DX12 consumes VRAM in such quantities that at times even 16GB may not be adequate.

[tull 290]

Just bought the the quest 3, running a nvidia 3060 12GB here and the image in the cockpit is suffice, it’s not crystal clear but frames are good, all settings on high and I’m amazed how good it performs…my pc is midrange upper end i7 -32gb ram. I can never go back now to a monitor, I truely can’t get over how immersive it is….bloody unbelievable!! 
 

What you have never had you never miss…..well I’ve had the meta quest 3 on my head now for over a week and that’s it now….was going to treat myself to a proper good monitor this year but hey…..what’s the point in that now!

😃👍

[eslader 1,814]

9 hours ago, tull said:

 I truely can’t get over how immersive it is….bloody unbelievable!! 

 

Exactly. I'm usually pretty intense about visual fidelity. I want everything perfectly in focus. But I'm more than willing to put up with slightly fuzzy instruments for the immersion VR brings. My first VR flight, I just took the Icon up in the Yosemite area of California in the early evening. I felt so "there" I could almost feel the heat from the sunlight streaming into the cockpit. Just fantastic.

 

 

[turbomax 3,307]

 

[AJZip 251]

Both myself and my brother-in-law use the Reverb G2 for MSFS.

I built/updated my rig progressively up to a 4.6GHz AMD Ryzen 5800x, driving a factory overclocked 3080Ti.  I got good results with all of the normal 'conservative settings where the effect isn't personally important' graphics settings

My b-i-l was new to MSFS and so I built him a rig using my motherboard/cpu/3080Ti and upgraded my motherboard to be able to run a Ryzen 7800x at 5.4GHz and a 4080 graphics card.

Yes - there is a tangible difference in the settings I am able to wind up a touch to have made it worth my while.  But, like all this stuff, it's pennies on the scale.  We are both happy bunnies - I have a bit more clarity, a touch further LOD, more ground and air traffic density; he has an experience that blows his socks off and that he never imagined in his wildest dreams 

In summary, I can endorse both the 3080Ti and the 4080  🙂