Decent cheap PC

The Archives Archived: General Discussion
1

I have a PC which is good enough for most things but it won’t run Zwift, it takes forever to load up and when it does the screen moves about 1 frame per 10 seconds. So obviously not capable.

However I know little of the PC market in the UK and I’m having trouble finding anything within a reasonable e.g. <£500 budget which had the recommended graphics, everything has the likes of “Intel HD graphics” which I’ve no doubt wouldn’t work properly.

Any advice on what to look for? As at the moment I’m beginning to think it’s a massive outlay just for Zwift :frowning:

2

Alienware Alpha i3.  Then put a 250GB SSD in it and an additional 4GB of RAM.  That will get you 30 FPS on High and 17-25 FPS on Ultra.

The Alpha i3 will run you about $450 USD and the SSD + RAM should run you about $100 USD.  That’s right in your price range and performance is on par with many gaming PC’s.

Search for Alienware Alpha in this forum… there are numerous threads with a ton of info.

-Brandon

3

Here’s the link to a good discussion about the Alienware Alpha.

 

https://support.zwift.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/205775435-Alienware-Alpha- 

4

FYI: the SSD and additional RAM isn’t really necessary for Zwift. We use the base Alpha i3s in the office and they run the game perfectly well.

5

$450 is £292, that price would be ok. But the Alienware Alpha is £500 in the UK :( 

But given that it’s a specialised version of a PC you must be able to get those same specs in a more ‘ordinary’ case?

6

mark

  • you haven’t advised what your current pc spec is; does it not mean the minimum
  • is your internet connection good enough? the pc isn’t the only factor
  • did you reduce the resolution in settings to see if your frame rate improved?

Zwift can run on Intel HD graphics - see minimum specs which will get you reasonable resolution; enough to enjoy the experience.

7

It’s a 32bit OS so that rules it out before you even start. Even on my work PC which is 64bit it gets about 1fps on Low settings (not that my work pc is of any relevance really!). Hence the need for a decent cheap PC.

 

My internet connection generally runs at about 10mbps.

I’ve actually been looking at these http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-3847-desktop/pd?oc=cd84746&model_id=inspiron-3847-desktop which seem good value if you can drop in a better graphics card.

 

 

8

ok that eliminates a few variables - i was simply checking whether we could get you up and running before parting with your hard earned.

Zwift provide a link where you can compare graphic cards, depending on what spec you go for you may not need to upgrade.

If you are thinking of subsequently upgrading your graphic card be mindful of the limits of the provided power supply otherwise you may have to spend more to upgrade that. 

In my earlier post i mentioned my build meets recommended specs and then i added a graphic card. I woukd suggest that your chosen chipset had an integrated GPU that meets the minimum specs simply as a back up or to try Zwift before shelling out for a graphic card.

 

I am pretty sure Zwift has mentioned that they have many users running off the HD4000 

9

Thanks for all the advice here. Sorry to be a pain but this is the latest machine I’m looking at which would be for Zwift as well as home business purposes:

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-3847-desktop/pd?oc=cd84752&model_id=inspiron-3847-desktop
Intel i5, 8GB, NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 705 2GB

Basically would that run Zwift in an acceptable fashion - I realise that’s subjective, I’m not too concerned with ultra graphics levels, being able to run medium/low graphics detail with 30fps would be fine.

 

10

 Mark,

 

I’ve just had to replace my PC and bought a Modula 104 from RL Supplies.

AMD A10 with radeon R7, 1tb HD, 8gb of RAM cost me £335 (no screen, keyboard or mouse).

It runs Zwift really well (50mb Broadband from Virgin).

I believe the AMD chips are better due to the better GPU…I’m no computer expert TW.