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Afraid your ancient PC can't handle the Rift? Oculus Ready PC pre-orders start next week

Brad Jones
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Image used with permission by copyright holder
After years of research and development, we’re finally drawing near to the consumer launch of the much-anticipated Oculus Rift. Now, the first wave of Oculus Ready PCs are being rolled out, as the company attempts to ready a vast audience for the impending onslaught of VR content.

Oculus has paired with major PC manufacturers to offer a range of systems that customers can buy with confidence, knowing they’ll be capable of doing VR justice. Some of these rigs will be bundled with a Rift headset, sensor, remote, an Xbox One controller and two games; the EVE: Valkyrie Founder’s Pack and Lucky’s Tale — however, these additions are not reflected in the bundled price points.

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Asus will field three systems with Oculus Ready branding, with the most wallet-friendly being the G11CD. Despite packing an Intel i5 processor, 1 TB of storage and 8GB of DDR4 memory, the bundled PC will cost just $950. The G11CD also boasts an Nvidia 970 GPU.

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Meanwhile, Asus’ ROG subdivision will offer up two versions of its G20CB, the more advanced of which comes fitted with an Intel i7 processor and an Nvidia 980 GPU, not to mention 16 GB of DDR4 memory. The high-end bundled version goes for $1,600, while a variant with specs closer to the G11CD is priced at $1350.

Alienware’s Area 51 comes with an Intel i7 CPU, an Nvidia 980 GPU and 16GB of DDR4 memory. The PC is outfitted with a 128GB SSD and a 2TB HDD, and will retail for $2,550.

A slightly less expensive option being presented by the company is the X51 R3, which comes in two configurations like the G11CD. The more capable of the two features an Intel i5 processor, an Nvidia 980 GPU and 16GB of DDR4 memory, retailing for $1,500.

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L-R: G11CD, G20CB, XPS 8900 SE, Area 51, X51 R3 Image used with permission by copyright holder

The cheaper version of the X51 R3 halves its memory, swaps its 980 for a 970 and slashes the price to $1,200. This option is the only Alienware rig being offered as part of a bundle, where it is priced at $1,000.

Finally, there’s Dell’s lone Oculus Ready system, the XPS 8900 SE. With an Intel i5 processor, 8GB of DDR4 memory and an Nvidia 970 GPU, it’s not the most powerful system on offer — but its bundled price point of $1,000 certainly makes it a more compelling purchase.

These PCs will all be available to pre-order from February 16, with bundled prices starting at $1,500, but the rigs are not expected to ship until April. These bundles are the only way to grab a Rift CV1 earlier than July — until they sell out, at least.

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Brad Jones
Brad Jones
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…
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