Hi, I’m planning to buy a new laptop or 2 in 1 laptop. Does anyone own one of the newest 11th intel gen laptops with integrated intel Iris Xe Graphics?? I’m curious to know what level of detail (running Zwift) it allows at 1080p and 2160p.
I know that a discrete card like Nvidia 1650 will work fine but I’m curious about how the new integrated cards will perform. I will appreciate your info, thanks!!
It’ll almost certainly run Basic profile, for now at least. I’m only aware of the Apple M1 (High) and some Ryzen APUs (Medium) getting anything else, when it comes to integrated graphics solutions.
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@Jorge_LC check out www.zwiftalizer.com, click on Benchmarks and look up the processor and GPU. If at least 3 people have run that platform through Zwiftalizer they will have aggregated performance from that and you’ll see how it has performed for others. If not, do some searching in each of the categories until you find something close. Simply snag the processor and GPU details from the specs of what you are going to buy and hopefully you can find it on Zwiftalizer.
I agree with Dave that most likely since it is an integrated GPU which usually default to Basic and you can’t change what Zwift does. If this is true, You may get great frame rate, but still just Basic level of detail and 1080 resolution.
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Thanks a lot for the info. Unfortunately, not a single Intel Core-i7 of 11th generation and thus nor either of the Iris Xe integrated card have been aggregated to the site. I guess it is a bit too early.
I also agree with both of you: most likely, even if possibly capable of much more, zwift might have it just default to Basic.
Update: Indeed, there’s nothing because of this: “Last Updated: May 27th, 2019”
So, obviously, not possible to have info from the newest systems.
Search the forum, there are many users experiencing serious problems with integrated Intel graphics (since Dec 2020 update).
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Thanks Milan I’ve searched but I am only interested in the new Iris Xe combined with Intel Core i7 11th generation. That, has nothing to do with previous ones performance (it is much better according to all online reviews) and I cannot find a thing regarding that. Even knowing already that its performance is much better, probably zwift won’t allow to select medium or higher detail at 1080p and I think it might be able to render enough fps if they would.
Any zwift users out there with any of these new laptops?: HP Spectre360 14 or Lenovo Yoga 7i or 9i 14, for example?? Thanks!!
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I did my first ride today with an Iris Xe, a Razer Book 13 i7-1165g7/16GB/4k, and was defaulted to (Basic)720p. I was able to select (Basic) 1080p with Zwiftalizer reporting min/avg/max frame rate of 32/69/92 for a quiet ride on the the Champ Elysees. I would expect the Spectre and Yoga’s will have a slightly more challenging time keeping cool than the Razer Book. in view mode the GPU was showing 80-90% utilization on 1080p. Ride On! PS: I’m impressed with the chipset.
Hi @tjacoby, awesome laptop you have, congrats!. Nice to know there are zwift users out there already using this chip set. Given you are getting 69fps average at 1080p basic, I think it is plausible to try medium or even high settings. It would be great if ZWIFT was ‘listening’ and eager to adjust the default config file for the chip set accordingly but, we all know how ‘quick’ they usually react.
I haven’t tried on my old current desktop but, thanks to a reddit zwifter, I know that there’s another option: if zwift defaults to basic you can adjust the graphics settings manually, if you feel comfortable editing a config file in notepad.
If you could give it a try, please, let us know!!
Not the same thing, as explained in the article:
None of the config file changes below will increase or decrease the polygon count or detail level in textures. The level of detail is set by the game engine based on your system’s graphics capabilities and can not be overridden.
I’ve been playing around a bit with the Basic Config file, and not a great deal of change. I do like the FPS indicator in the corner, but otherwise I couldn’t really tell you if anything was working or not (in ‘just watch’ mode). maybe more stuff on the screen, more foliage? The GPU’s running 80-100%. I’ll do a ride tonight and see what the log file says. It was an excuse to try out my just-arrived G915 tlk keyboard. Per Dave, the polygon sizing is still quite large; I’d prefer more detail and less frame rate with this gpu myself.
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effectively no change: min/avg/max of 41/71/94 out in the french countryside with many zwifters. I was using this config file
res 1920x1080(0x)
sres 2048x2048
set gSSAO=1
set gFXAA=1
set gSunRays=1
set gHeadlight=1
set gFoliagePercent=1
set gSimpleReflections=1
set gLODBias=1
set gShowFPS=1
I’ve switched frrom an older 1080p tv to a 4k tv today as another variable.
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Thank you Tom for all your tests. It really seems you’re enjoying your new laptop. 
I agree with you, 71fps average is a lot, it would be great to be able to decrease that a bit to increase detail.
you’re most welcomed; I learned some more geek stuff, which is always a positive. yesterday in the England route I clocked a min/avg/max of 54/86/122. I’d guess I’m seeing better graphics from the 4k upscaling on the TV and minimal graphical improvement with the Xe chipset. Ride On!
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Thanks @tjacoby. 86fps is indeed impressive. However, I don’t get when you say you are seeing minimal graphical improvement with the Xe chipset…in comparison to what previous system? I’m seeing that you are connecting your laptop to a big 4k display. My use case is different:
I’ve got a stages SB20 bike that has a tablet holder, and the way I have my bike setup I cannot use an external big monitor or TV, thus I’m thinking of the best way to enjoy Zwift.
Now, I have a Galaxy Tab S7+ (12.4") and the quality of its OLED display that close is awesome although I also think that it could have more detail given its ARM processor (865+).
As I have to buy a new laptop for my work, I was thinking of getting a good 2 in 1 laptop to be able to use a bigger screen and if possible to get a bit more graphic detail. Thus, I was thinking about the latest 2 in 1, 14" (although hp spectre is only 13.5") or even 15" (most are really 15.6"). These 15" bigger 2 in 1s have also the discrete graphics option: Nvidia 1650Ti (some Qmax and some not, but I really don’t know what that means spec-wise) but the biggest caveat is that they still come with the older 10th generation core i7.
What do you guys think? @Dave_ZPCMR from what I’ve been reading so far you’re really an expert and I will really appreciate your comments. Here it is a pair of photos of my pain ‘cave’ so you can understand why I cannot set up a TV or bigger display in there. Thanks!!
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I think I speak for everyone on the forums, with all due respect, we hate you.
Bro, where do you live!
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You are misconstrued…in no way fathomable is that a “Pain Cave”.
The question is how much of the time while riding that you look to the beach? If a lot go with your new laptop. If not much…get a big monitor/TV and put it on a cart (or similar) and wheel it away when done.
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he, he, I fully understand that hate Mike!
It is Gandia in Spain (East Mediterranean coast), I’m glad you like it.
It is beautiful! I’ve spent some time in Barcelona and Mallorca, and loved it!
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Hi Chris!, I agree it’s not a ‘cave’ but, on the other hand, it’s true that there’s some pain when I ride. 
I’ve never get tired of looking at that landscape but I also enjoy focusing on Zwift when I’m riding. Anyway, 
I’m not ‘oficially’ allowed to put another bulky device in there so, no way I can use a TV/monitor: a tablet or 2 in 1 laptop it has to be.
BTW Mike: you know where to travel: Barcelona is an awesome city and Mallorca is so, so beautiful, 100% recommended both.
in you situation I’d probably be tempted by an M1 MacBook, or wait and see if an M1 iPad comes out, over a gaming laptop tbh. Those things are absolute money pits. Obviously graphics will be pretty great on anything with a 1660Ti or higher (remembering that laptop GPUs and CPUs are weaker than their desktop counterparts) but I’m always wary of power/thermal throttling and they cannot be upgraded. They’re the worst value for money proposition for running Zwift in my opinion, by far.
PS: I hate you. 
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