So, if one needs a mobile/compact solution for a dedicated Zwift station with a high refresh rate monitor, even the most expensive Mac will not give max specs (fps and some graphics like light beams - will be still better on Nvidia).
For someone that doesn’t need mobile/compact solutions, a used office pc + some bare minimum RTX for Ultra might cost even under 500 cad. For those with the TVs of 60Hz it doesn’t play a big role in searching for a higher refresh rate.
Can anyone tell their subjective experience and personal subjective “feeling” if running on high refresh monitors above 140-160Hz with Active Sync option, will the Mac M4, M4 pro be able to keep up with the refresh rate, or the image will be corrupted? How does it feels on the new gaming monitors riding Zwift with M4 or M4 pro?
p.s. I’ll open a separate topic for the correlation between FPS and FTP or vice versa…
I’ll be happy to test on M4 Pro Mac Mini if you’ll provide a screen for testing purposes.
I’ve had that machine for a while now and it has been flawless, but it only has to drive a 55” 4K TV screen that is wall mounted and connected via HDMI. The Mac stays pegged at 60fps no matter what. My limitation is that I don’t have room for a gaming monitor.
my only other comparisons with Mac are 28 core Xeons with either W6800X 32GB GPU or dual W6800X Duos (4x32GB and 4xW6800 GPUs with a fabric link between the two cards).
For Zwift, not really any need for them. I did see in the old days on that single W6800X machine (when it was a 16 core Xeon W3245, before I upgraded it) 130-150fps in the France world.
But the work stuff I do - they are brilliant, you just load them up with more and more and they just eat through it.
They don’t even make a noise, no loud fan noise, they are just real workhorses. Amazing machines. I just wish I’d moved to increase the RAM on them before the AI boom went silly and pushed storage and RAM prices through the roof. They are beautifully engineered too, working on them is so easy. Replacing the CPU was the easiest I’ve ever done on any computer. I also have an afterburner card on one of them but Apple never let people use that device to the best effect. They had a great idea then hobbled it by not letting anyone program it as they wished.
The hardest was replacing the CPU on a 2013 Mac Pro 6,1! When you have taken the CPU out, you no longer have a computer, just a desk full of various parts. Then you carefully put everything back together again.
The “trashcan” was a very beautiful thing (and still is), but a stupidly complex design and really limited the upgrade options. You could use a special adaptor to put 3 SSDs in it, but 64GB or 128GB was the maximum RAM and the maximum CPU was a 12 core 2.7ghz, and GPUs were 2x AMD Firepro D700. The adapter for the 3 SSDs taxed the limited cooling in that machine as well.
That’s where the Silicon powered macs (the M chips) are strong, they have really good single core performance. But unfortunately no gaming screens here to see what the FPS would be. The big TV screen gives a better experience anyway.
Yes, I tried couple of times with a big TV, but low rate one with 60Hz - and the experience was immersive.
At the moment, trying to see if its worth it to invest in Apple products with a high refresh rate monitor, or just go with the compact gaming Nvidia RTX laptop.
But the answer is already clear here: if one wants the best experience, especially with the new high refresh monitors - the answer is Nvidia RTX.
My present personal verdict is:
for basic dedicated Zwift station vs big 60 Hz TV/monitor - probably mac mini m4 is the most practical solution (Ultra graphics, but not the top graphic experience as with Nvidia, but very,very close to it + not the best FPS in mass events - but good enough for most of the rides).
for something more mobile with the battery involved (laptop) + new high refresh rate gaming monitors / TVs - probably the best to go with the gaming PC laptops and Nvidia cards
That’s quite true - Apple really doesn’t care about that market, they actively went away from it. The Mac Pro these days is neutered compared to what it could be. We can put RTX GPUs in the old one if we use Windows 11 (which one of mine does have), they work well - it’s just a matter of measuring the GPU length, if it fits and is within the power requirements, then it’s fine in Windows.
MacOS, well forget it. Apple and Nvidia had their cold war and that’s how it is. Even AMD has been shoved out. Last supported GPUs 6800/6900 class (or earlier), despite the fact that 7800 and 7900 (or W7900 48GB) would have worked fine if Apple would have done drivers for them.
For the laptop, run it plugged into power and not on battery. Battery use reduces cpu power. Also note that laptop gpus are not equivalent to desktop gpus.
I have a 10th gen i7 with 1660ti and it is ok at 1440. My desktop 7th gen i7 with 4060 is noticeably better and runs 4K on a 4K tv. I am cpu-bound in crowds and Makuri but never below 45 fps.
Then you carefully put everything back together again.
Even AMD has been shoved out. Last supported GPUs 6800/6900 class (or earlier), despite the fact that 7800 and 7900 (or W7900 48GB) would have worked fine if Apple would have done drivers for them.