Good laptop?

Not yet, no. And since it seems to run well in emulation, I would guess that a native binary is very low on Zwift’s priority list.

Any clue how this MSI Katana compares to an Intel-based MacBook or even an M1?

I guess I’m wondering if I should replace either of my MacBooks with a Windows machine - am I missing out on any graphic details?

M1 is arguably worse than a GT 1030 at present; it gets High profile but the rider shadows aren’t working, which makes it looks like Basic.

Sorry, I missed your question. It is probably too late to answer, but still… I got a Dell G3 15, which was on sale for $1050 at the time when I was looking for a computer. It comes with RTX 2060 GPU (6 GB mobile version), i7-10750H, and 16 GB RAM. I was open to both, gaming laptops and desktops, my main criterion was to get a fast GPU. Mobile RTX 2060 is slower than desktop version, and I found that Zwift, Rouvy, and BigRingVR load my GPU pretty much all the way (like, to 90%).

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Dave, excuse my ignorance, but why is buying a laptop just for zwift a bad idea? my existing zwift laptop died and I need a new device. I like watching videos occasionaly when I’m just spinning so the laptop method has worked fine for me in the past.

They’re just really poor value for money, for any gaming but especially Zwift. Virtually everyone is better off building a cheap Zwift desktop system (doesn’t have to be from scratch) and then buying a normal laptop if they also need one. Zwift is a 3D game, you’d need a gaming laptop with dedicated graphics card:

Pros
Self-contained
Portable
No building required
Theoretically convenient

Cons*
Very expensive for what you’re getting
Not upgradable in any meaningful way
Compromised performance (thermal/power limits)
Waste of a screen (assuming you plug it into a bigger one)
Pointless battery [which is dying]
Proprietary parts throughout
Difficult/impossible to repair
Confusing model variants
Constantly setting it up isn’t actually convenient at all

*Some exceptions do exist

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As an example, the mobile 2060 mentioned in the post above is about the same raw performance as a desktop GTX 980. I recently put one of those into a system with a 12th gen i3 which performs massively better in Zwift than the 10th gen mobile i7 referred to. It cost less than half the amount of that laptop, which was ‘on sale’… It’s just throwing money away and tying yourself into a product with limited lifespan by design.

@Dave_ZPCMR I need to build a new machine to run zwift, since my potato machine finally bit the dust. I’ve researched the CPU, GPU that you have recommended, but I was wondering if you had a suggestion for the MB? Also, what retailer do you recommend? I’m looking at amazon and I’m also looking at NewEgg.

For an i3-12100F (which is what you should be looking at, for a brand new build), then just buy the cheapest H610 or B660 chipset motherboard you can find with the features you want. The very low end Asrock boards don’t have an M.2 slot so I’d probably avoid those, but that’s only because SATA cables are a bit messy and old hat. A B660 board with four RAM slots will hold its value a bit better, but it’s not needed for Zwift since 8GB of RAM is all you need anyway.

For retailers I’m in the UK so can’t really help there, but Amazon/NewEgg etc will be fine. Have a look here: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#s=40&sort=price&page=1

Thx Dave, I’ll check it out.

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Sorry to dig up an old topic. Will these specs on a gaming PC work well for Zwift and record with no issues on OBS?

  • Cpu: Intel Core i5 2400 3.10Ghz Renewed
  • Ram: 16GB DDR3
  • Hard-Drive- 1TB HDD
  • Gpu: NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti 4GB
  • Board: Veno Scorp 1155 Socket & USB 3.0
  • Windows 10 64 Bit Pre Installed

The CPU is far too old for what you’re trying to do. Also, do not use a mechanical HDD for Zwift. If you join the ZPCMR group on Facebook and look at the Files tab you will find guides for building and configuring Zwift PCs. Read the files before asking questions.

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Thanks, Paul. This PC in question is £425. I don’t want to spend a ton of money but I don’t want to end up with a lemon. I’ve applied to that group. That price includes a 256GB SSD

way too expensive for cpu that old. and it is not very good for zwift

What are your goals? That gpu is pretty good for 1440p/60fps…well until the latest update. I am running that card with a i7-7700 and getting 45-60 fps (60 hz TV) @ 1440. I have not tried Makuri since the latest Zwift update (which slowed everything down).

If you want 4K you should go 12th gen i3, or better, and a stronger gpu … which you should easily be able to build for the cost of the old clunker you posted.

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Back to square one then. Thanks, Chris. I thought £425 for the computer was cheap :grin:

I have a HD 42" TV. I just want to run Zwift with a decent look and record my rides on OBS but not break the bank.

I was looking at gaming PC’s as a laptop would be most likely costly.

That is a shocking sum to ask for that PC. Your budget is fine, but that machine is not. Since you are in the UK you can probably also find someone on the ZPCMR group will sell you a better PC for less money, built by someone who understands the game requirements.

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I just read the title … you want a laptop?

I have a i7-10750/1660ti lenovo that is a bit stronger than the desktop. I do not know laptop prices in your area…but if it was me…Black friday coming up…look for a 13th Gen/4060 laptop…one at Costco now for $999 which is not too bad.

Sorry. The laptop topic was someone else’s. I just jumped in a year later :slight_smile:

Just going to throw these stats out as they have offered another PC (understand I can get cheaper)

  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4500
  • RAM: 16GB DDR4
  • SSD: 256/512/1TB NVME (Selection)
  • GPU: GTX 1650
  • Board: Asus A520MK
  • PSU: 500W 80+ Bronze
  • Windows 11 64 Bit Pre Installed

Which is £515 but are the specs good?