Benchmarks

Choose a performance level

VRMark measures your PC's ability to meet the performance requirements for different types of virtual reality content. The latest release includes three levels based on VR gaming content.

Orange Room

The Orange Room benchmark shows the impressive level of detail that can be achieved on a PC that meets the recommended hardware requirements for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. A PC that passes this test is ready for the two most popular VR systems available today.

Cyan Room

Cyan Room is a DirectX 12 benchmark. Sitting between the Orange and Blue Rooms, it features a large, complex scene and many eye-catching effects. Cyan Room shows how using an API with less overhead can help developers deliver impressive VR experiences even on modest PC systems.

Blue Room

The Blue Room is a much more demanding test. It's ideal for benchmarking the latest graphics cards. With its massive 5K rendering resolution and spectacular volumetric lighting effects, the Blue Room sets the bar for future hardware generations.

Choose an evaluation mode

VRMark offers two modes that let you test and assess VR performance both objectively and subjectively.

Benchmark mode

The purpose of the benchmark is to measure a PC's ability to meet the performance requirements for a specific level of virtual reality content. The benchmark workload runs on a fixed path, which makes it easy to repeat the test on other systems. 

In desktop mode, the benchmark runs on your monitor. A headset is not required. At the end of the test, you'll see whether your PC is VR-ready for that level of content, and if not, how far it falls short. See the Results section later in this guide for more details.

In HMD mode, you can run the benchmark on a connected headset to test performance with actual VR hardware and runtime libraries. Note that VR software limits the frame rate to the refresh rate of the headset, which is 90 Hz for both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. This means that the frame rate will be capped at 90 FPS even when the system is capable of rendering at a higher frame rate. 

For your own comfort, you should not wear the headset while running the benchmark in HMD mode.

Experience mode

In Experience mode, you can freely explore each test scene in your own time. 

With a connected HMD, Experience mode is a great way to see the quality of the VR experience on the system with your own eyes. VR headsets use clever techniques to compensate for missed frames and low frame rates. Even when the benchmark shows that the average frame rate is below the target, you may be surprised by the quality of the experience in Experience mode. 

In desktop mode, Experience mode runs on your monitor. Take your time and enjoy getting up close to the scenes. 

Experience mode does not produce a score or other results.

Choose a platform

You can choose to run VRMark on your desktop monitor or on a connected VR HMD. The test content is identical in both cases.

Desktop mode

Desktop mode runs on your monitor, no headset required. It's the ideal way to answer the question, "Is my PC ready for VR?" before buying a headset.

Desktop mode is the default in VRMark. The workload is exactly the same as when an HMD is connected. It has the same resolution and a view is rendered for each eye.

HMD mode

When a supported HMD  is attached to the system, choosing HMD mode will render the workload on the headset. Note that the frame rate will be capped at 90 FPS when running on an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift as these HMDs are limited by vertical sync at 90 Hz.

To use HMD mode, go to the Options screen and set "Allow content to run on an HMD" to Yes.