System requirements for XR-4 Series
On this page you can find the system requirements for XR-4 Series headsets.
Hardware requirements
The system requirements are designed to help you choose the right setup for optimal performance. For desktop computers, we provide two categories: Best performance and Minimum performance. For laptops, we provide only one set of requirements that provides comparable level of performance to the 'Minimum performance' category for desktop computers. Note that for the best performance, a desktop computer is always recommended.
Before making your choice, review the Overview and use cases sections to determine the configuration that best fits your needs.
Desktop computers
| Category | Best performance | Minimum performance |
| Overview and use cases |
Designed for the most demanding real-time rendering and mixed reality workloads at native XR-4 Series resolution, with full feature support including depth occlusion, video pass-through mixed reality, and advanced shading. Ideal for high-end simulation and other demanding use cases that require intensive rendering of large datasets, for example flight simulators, image generators, complex design model reviews, and product configurators. |
Provides a functional baseline for lighter virtual reality and mixed reality applications that use simplified scenes or have limited rendering complexity. Suitable for use cases with light graphics rendering and environmental details, for example light enterprise training applications, eye tracking analysis applications, 360° viewers, and onboarding tutorials. |
| Component |
Recommended |
|
| Processor (CPU) |
High-end 24–64 core workstation or enthusiast CPU Intel Core Ultra 9 285K |
Modern 8-16 core desktop CPU 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700K |
| Chipset |
XR-4 Series requires a motherboard / chipset that supports high-throughput USB connectivity with multiple IN transactions. Intel chipsets with USB multiple INs support: 600 Series, 700 Series, 800 Series See list of all compatible Intel and AMD chipsets. |
|
| Memory (RAM) | 64 GB | 32 GB |
| Graphics card (GPU)1 |
NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition |
NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell |
| Storage space2 | 3 GB | |
| Video output | 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 or newer | |
| USB connectivity |
1 x USB-C that supports USB 10Gbps or higher The USB port must be directly connected to the chipset. Alternatively, required USB connectivity can be achieved with a compatible PCIe expansion card. |
|
| Operating system | Windows 10 (64-bit) Windows 11 |
|
1 AMD graphics cards are currently not supported.
2 Storage space required to install Varjo Base.
Laptop computers
The recommended laptop requirements listed below offer a performance similar to the minimum performance category of a desktop computer.
One important variable to keep in mind when comparing different laptop systems is the Total Graphics Power (TGP) allowed by the thermal design of the laptop. We recommend laptops that utilize the maximum TGP available for the recommended NVIDIA GPUs. Note that NVIDIA GeForce GPU based laptops can typically provide slightly higher performance than PRO/enterprise GPU based ones.
| Overview and use cases |
Provides a functional baseline for lighter virtual reality and mixed reality applications that use simplified scenes or have limited rendering complexity. Suitable for use cases with light graphics rendering and environmental details, for example light enterprise training applications, eye tracking analysis applications, 360° viewers, and onboarding tutorials. |
| Component | Recommended |
| Processor (CPU) |
Intel Core 9 275HX |
| Chipset |
XR-4 requires a chipset that supports high-throughput USB connectivity with multiple IN transactions. Intel chipsets with USB multiple INs support: |
| Memory (RAM) | 32 GB |
| Graphics card (GPU)1 |
NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell Generation Laptop (150W TGP + 25W Dynamic Boost) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (150W TGP + 25W Dynamic Boost) |
| Storage space2 | 3 GB |
| Video output |
1 x USB-C to DisplayPort adapter or 1 x Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort adapter Note that the adapter must support 8k video and DisplayPort 1.4 or newer with Display Stream Compression (DSC). The adapter must be connected to a port that is routed directly to the dedicated NVIDIA GPU. If using a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter, the port must also include support for Alternate Mode. See the list of verified USB-C to DisplayPort adapters for more information. |
| USB connectivity |
1 x 10 Gbps USB-C 10Gbps or higher The USB port must be directly connected to the chipset. |
| Operating system | Windows 10 (64-bit) Windows 11 |
1 AMD graphics cards are currently not supported.
2 Storage space required to install Varjo Base.
Software requirements
The following software is required to use XR-4 Series headsets.
| Software |
Requirement | Where to get it |
| Varjo Base | We recommend using the latest version. |
Download Varjo Base from the Varjo Account Portal. Note that you will need a Varjo Account to download Varjo Base |
| Windows OS version | Windows 10: v. 1809 or later Windows 11: v. 21H2 or later |
Windows 10: Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. Windows 11: Navigate to Settings > Windows Update. |
| NVIDIA GPU driver | We recommend using the latest version. |
See the Release notes, for the latest NVIDIA drivers verified to be compatible with Varjo Base. The oldest verified drivers are:
|
| SteamVR (optional)1 | We recommend using the latest version. | 1. Download the Steam desktop application 2. Create a Steam account 3. Download SteamVR (For offline use, install SteamVR for Enterprise / Government use instead) |
1 The SteamVR software is required when using OpenVR applications and with XR-4 base station tracking versions using SteamVR™ Tracking.
Network requirements
Read more about the network requirements for Varjo software.