MSI introduces compact ‘VR-ready’ PC
MSI has introduced a compact gaming PC. The system is about the size of an original Xbox One and features an Nvidia GTX 1060 video card. According to MSI, it is the smallest VR-ready computer on the market.
The computer comes in different variants. MSI offers a choice of two different processors, namely the Core i7-6700 and the i5-6400. For the graphics card, there is a choice of the 3GB and 6GB variant of the GTX 1060. With the 3GB variant of the 1060, in addition to halving the amount of memory, ten percent of the cores are disabled compared to the 6GB -variant.
The housing without stand is 353.73mm wide, 251.35mm deep and 97.56mm high. There are two ddr4-sodimm slots on the motherboard, which can accommodate up to 32GB of RAM. There is also room for an m2-sata-ssd and a 2.5 “hdd or -ssd. The computer is equipped with an Intel AC 3168 network card, which supports dual band 802.11ac and bluetooth 4.2.
The front panel of the computer is generously equipped for use with virtual reality. There are two 3.5mm jacks for connecting headphones and microphone, an HDMI connection, a USB-c port that uses USB 3.1 gen. 1 and two USB-a ports that are also USB 3.1 gen. 1 use. One of those ports provides extra power to charge devices.
At the back, the computer has connections that can be found on a standard I/O shield, such as three audio jacks, an internet connection, a USB 3.1-gen-1 port, four USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI connection and a power connection. MSI also talks about a vr link, which should connect the connections of the front panel to the video card.
The video card appears to be a slightly modified version of an existing MSI video card. It can probably be replaced by another video card. However, it must be taken into account that the power supply can deliver a maximum power of 230 watts and there is no room for a video card that is longer than about 20 centimeters. The video card seems to get power from the pcie slot and a 6-pin power supply. Since MSI speaks of an H110 motherboard, the processor may also be replaceable.
MSI’s claim of being the smallest VR-worthy PC can be questioned. Zotac introduced a compact computer in October, which, with a slightly larger volume than the Trident from MSI, managed to accommodate a GTX 1080 and a Core i7-6700. However, Zotac also offers a barebones with a GTX 1070 and a Core i5-6400T. It has a volume of about half of the two computers mentioned. The Core i5-6400T is less fast than a Core i5-4590, which was set by Oculus in 2015 as the minimum processor to handle VR. In October this year, however, Oculus lowered those requirements, allowing the company to produce better frame rates with new techniques. The Core i5-6400T does meet these new minimum requirements. In practice, however, the speed of the processor appears to make less difference in virtual reality than a good video card.
MSI is not yet announcing prices of the computer. Some online stores already have the computer in their range, with a stated price of between 1099 and 1299 euros and an advertised delivery month of December. No specifications are mentioned on the product pages yet.