You mean the laptop crashes or Zwift crashes? It’s possible this is a video driver problem, but in that case a Zwift application crash is a bit more common than the laptop dying. The latter can also be due to hardware problems such as bad memory or a poorly mounted heat sink. Stress testing the laptop with memory testing and benchmarking utilities might reveal if that’s the case. And if you haven’t turned off the video screenshots setting in Zwift that might be worth trying as well.
The Samsung tablet will work fine, but that laptop sounds decent and should perform better than the tablet.
Right? I mean its only 4 years old and was quite decent, not top notch but OK, and it runs basic games like Age of Empires very decently.
I will try again by turning off the videos and all that… may be worth a try. Samsung tablet sounds great etc, but if not super needed, id rather save the money.
You’re getting 1080p at 30fps, but most importantly the basic graphics profile. So you’re seeing the bare minimum amount of scenery and no rider shadows.
I’m not going to get into the whole Apple TV vs PC debate, but you can spend a similar amount on a used pc and graphics card which will result in a better experience.
Unfortunately the graphics are fairly ordinary.but the device is simple and fast operating.
I’m using an old Mac Pro from 2010 with an upgrade to a 6 core Xeon X5690 and a Radeon RX6600XT flashed so it is compatible with the Mac. I also run opencore so this machine runs Monterey 12.7.4. It is very stable and didn’t cost much. The graphics are 4K ultra as well. It can run windows on another SSD but I haven’t set that up so far.
I also use Ant+ so that’s a big benefit to a dedicated computer.
Yes, you can given prices here in the UK at the moment.
I recently saw a suitable secondhand office PC sell for £25 on eBay and used graphics cards are very cheap at the moment.
So:
PC - £25
Graphics Card - £75 (
WiFi dongle - £15 (Amazon)
Bluetooth dongle - £14 (Amazon)
Total - £129.
The best price I can find for an Apple TV box here is £149.
That’s fair enough. I’d see secondhand Apple TV 5th gen boxes sell for around £70 on eBay. But the comment I was replying to was asking for a comparison with the cost of a new box.
The other advantage to the AppleTV box is that it boots up in seconds. It updates automatically. I use the Companion app to bluetooth bridge the trainer and HR monitor. I know. It doesn’t have a rider shadow and as many details like as many bushes and giant squirrels all over the place but it’s super easy to just plug it in and it works. You guys trying to turn this into an Xbox Series X game are hysterical. It’s not a bike simulator. It’s an app to get in shape for real life. I’ve been using the same AppleTV box for 2 years and there has been zero technical issues. I get on the bike, turn it on and I’m connected and riding in less than 1 minute.
The only other thing I dislike is when the Apple TV doesn’t work properly on Zwift, I had lost rides because of it. Thats why I went over to an old second hand desktop Mac (it was originally got for something else). You can find the ride in progress and manual upload it if needed.
I still have Apple TV 4K here but rarely use it. Years ago I also got burned by the inverted gradient resistance bug on Apple TV version of Zwift. Fortunately I had an iPad that could be used for Zwift (no desktop at the time).
Can anyone recommend an all in one PC to run Zwift at its peak?
Bear in mind that I’m lazy and incompetent so I won’t be building anything myself. I’m talking off the shelf. Would be interested to know how much it would cost.
All-in-one Windows PCs generally do not have a dedicated GPU which means they will not run Zwift at its best. There are a few out there that do, but they are very poor value compared to a standard mini-tower desktop PC. A Mac Mini M4 is a better option if you want all-in-one with a small form factor. I’m assuming you are OK with having a separate display right? A mid-range desktop gaming machine with an Nvidia GPU is the usual way to get a good pre-built PC for Zwift. I would choose one with the fastest CPU clock speed rather than lots of cores, so that usually means an Intel CPU.