Radeon R9 270 for VR?

  • When I read here about Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) headsets working with Steam VR and Aerofly FS2, I began to dream that I could "get into" VR with my current PC and without breaking the bank.

    My PC is a Dell XPS8700 purchased in 2014, with an i7 4770 CPU at 3.4 GHz, and a Radeon R9 270 GPU with 2 GB DDR5 video RAM.

    It runs AFS2, FSX SE and X-Plane 11 with satisfactory frame rates.

    When I run the WMR compatibility check, it says:

    "The graphics card hasn't yet been tested with Windows Mixed Reality on the PC configuration you're using. If Windows Mixed Reality doesn't run well, consider installing a compatible graphics card or switching to a compatible PC."

    When I run the Oculus Rift tool, it says:

    "Your iDisplay (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM v1.1) graphics card doesn't meet our recommended specification, which is an Nvidia GTX970/AMD 290 equivalent or greater."

    Since I am only interested in flight simulation and not action gaming, I am wondering if I should try VR with my present hardware.

    Those of you with some experience with the various VR platforms, do you think I would be wasting money buying a current headset with this current hardware?

    Thank you for your opinions.

  • Probably not. I have a 1060 6GB, and it runs AFS2 fine in VR, but in P3D I have to turn off most all ground objects and use photoreal scenery. AFS2 seems faster, butter smooth in comparison to P3D, but even still I think a 270 is pushing it. Might be OK with a lot or most of the details on low.

  • One of the biggest performance issues for VR is the need to run with Super Resolution (FS2 calls it Render Scale Factor)- maybe as high as 3840x2160 (which is then downsampled for actual screen resolution) - so that the image is clearer with less shimmer. I also recommend a Nvidia 1060 6gb as the minimum.

  • I recently bought a new PC to replace my old ASUS R9280X-DC2T-3GD5-V2 based system. I'm now running a Gigabyte GTX 1080 G1 system, and the difference is amazing. This thing is powerful, and runs things effortlessly with which my old R9 280X system would have struggled. If you want to go VR, it's time to upgrade your graphics card.