How to know if your computer can run Oculus Link

You need a fairly powerful PC to run the Oculus Quest

The Oculus Link is an app that allows you to connect your Oculus Quest to your computer so that you can play all the games available in that platform, like the thousands of titles in Steam VR, without having to buy an Oculus Rift S.

It has recently entered public beta, and so it has become available to everyone who owns an Oculus Quest. All you need is to have your Quest and the Oculus App (on your PC) up to date. Linking them is as simple as connecting the platforms with a USB cable.

However, is your computer up to the task?

Can my PC run the Oculus Link?

To be able to run the Oculus Link, your computer needs to be Windows 10 and have at least 8 GB of RAM. Your processor must be at least an Intel i5-4590 or an AMD Ryzen 5 1500X.

To check which processor and how much RAM you have, open the search bar on your Start Menu and type "About". Select "About This PC”, and a window will pop-up with your computer's specifications. Your processor (and how much RAM you have) will appear on the screen.

First, open your search bar and type "about your PC".

On the "About your PC" page, you can see your computer´s processor and how much RAM it has.

If the number next to the i or Ryzen is lower than 5, then you can´t use the Oculus Link. If it is five, but the next set is lower than 4590 (for Intel) and 1500 (for AMD), then you also shouldn't be able to play with the Oculus Quest on your PC.

If your processor is up to the task, next you have to see if your Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) is compatible with the Link. To see which GPU you have, open the "Task Manager" by right-clicking the taskbar and selecting it or pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc.

Right-click on the taskbar to open this menu, then click again on the Task Manager to open it.

From the Task Manager, click on the "Performance" tab, and then select "GPU 0" from the menu. Your card should appear at the top right of the graph.

First open the "Performance" tab, then click on "GPU 0" and your GPU will appear on the upper right.

For AMD GPUs, you will need a Series 400 card or higher. The Vega series works with the Link as well.

For NVIDIA cards, you will need a GeForce GTX 970 or above to play with your Quest. It is important to note that the GTX 1060M DOES NOT work with the Link, although the Desktop version of that card does. The Titan Z is similarly unsupported, although the Titan X works just fine.

And that´s it, as far as computer specs go. If you meet all the above requirements, your computer is ready to connect with the Quest, there is only one last detail to consider.

Your computer needs to have a USB 3 port, if it doesn´t, it won´t be able to connect. USB 2 (or below) transfer data too slow to be able to stream a game to your headset. If your computer doesn´t have a USB 3 port, you can always upgrade it by following these instructions.

Additionally, you need to buy a 10 feet (3 meters) USB 3 cable, like this one. You will need either a USB C to C cable or C to A to be able to connect your Quest to a PC.

And that´s it! If your computer matches the above criteria, you will be able to connect your Quest and access all the games available on Steam VR and similar platforms. Hopefully, your PC is powerful enough to let you enjoy all the benefits of PC-powered VR gaming.

Just like we mentioned in our comparison between the Go and the Rift S, the number of titles that standalone headsets have available is much less than their PC peers, but with the Link, you can access the entire library of both worlds. In fact, why don´t you check out our infographic comparing the Quest and the Valve Index?

Of course, if you have a Quest 2, you don´t need to use the Link. You can connect to your PC wirelessly using Oculus Air.