AMD has put its own desktop processors into testing in ordfer to show whether they can meet the 'High' or 'Very High' fidelity performance levels needed to earn the SteamVR performance test VR Ready moniker. In fact, HTC recommends the AMD FX 8350 as a processor that’s capable of driving the HTC Vive VR headset - an entry point to a VR-capable PC.

Valve, the game developer behind popular games such as DOTA 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Half-Life, recently released the SteamVR performance test so that gamers can find out how capable their hardware is for Virtual Reality workloads.

In AMD's testing, the company found that many of its desktop processors can meet the High or Very High fidelity performance levels needed to earn the SteamVR performance test VR Ready moniker:

Obviously, the highest-end hardware will provide the highest visual fidelity, but you can get a great experience from a midrange PC as long as you pair it with a capable graphics card designed to maximize your VR experience - then adjust visual detail levels appropriately. The SteamVR performance test also indicates where a more mainstream PC can be considered "VR Capable" for these hand-tuned VR gaming experiences, some of which are indicated below:

All these combinations caused no CPU bottlenecked frames. A VR Capable rated platform is also able to be upgraded to "VR Ready" status by upgrading the discrete GPU - AMD's testing shows an A10-7890K platform can be upgraded to Very High fidelity by using a GeForce GTX 980 graphics card, for example.