Hi all, I have decided to go from a iPad to a Laptop when Zwifting not sure which one would be the best to get would like to hear what other people are using ,Many thanks Barry T
I would recommend an AppleTV over a laptop if it is just going to be used for Zwift.
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For me, the graphics on my HP laptop did not handle Zwift very well but my IPad 6th generation was no problem.
When I tried a few rides on RGT the IPad could barely handle the resolution due to memory.
As Paul mentioned I recently sprung for the $179 Apple TV 4K box and everything is super clear and super responsive.
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If you still want the laptop I bought one with a 1660Ti (not Qmax) and it looks pretty good to me. I usually get 90 frames/second on fairly crowded rides…although I forgot to check while climbing the Austrian mountain tonight…
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One issue with the iPad is that it won’t show you the names of the riders behind you and the distance at the bottom of your screen. There are a few threads on here about this. Annoying if you’re in a race. So I’d choose the laptop if it’s capable enough. Apple TV is great (except for that horrible remote), but I notice you don’t get to see the shadow of your avatar on the road (just a nit pick). Not sure why, as I’m sure the Apple TV 4k’s chip can handle it. But I’m no programmer. Ride On!
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Get a lap top if you need one for other reasons but if it is just to Zwift, Get a a used i5 desk top computer with network card and a decent graphics card.
Try the graphics card that comes stock.
It will probably work but if you want better detail, than an improved graphics card is the route to go.
The desk top is expandable but the laptop is not.
I use a laptop to Zwift and my display is low resolution and my laptop runs so hot, I had to get a cooling pad for it.
Also, the desk top route costs less.
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You can but 3 ATV 4K boxes for the price of the graphics card alone.
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You don’t have to buy an expensive graphics card
Dave will be along in a minute to tell you more.
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I just bought a graphics card for £113/$150 that will max out Zwift in 4K resolution and Ultra detail at 60fps. So that assertion is completely incorrect.
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As it happens, to roughly match an Apple TV 4K you don’t even need a dedicated graphics card. The integrated graphics on a 2013 desktop i3 gives just about the same performance at the same level of detail.
It’s usually about now that the goalposts start moving.
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That’s good to know Dave. I have a Hp pavilion laptop with an Intel graphics card and it will not run Zwift correctly any longer. In large groups all the riders periodically disappear and only the bikes are visible. I switched to my IPad 6th gen and that works fine except that it won’t run RGT due to memory constraints. For me the Apple TV 4k fixed all my issues.
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Yeah laptops are almost universally rubbish for Zwift IMO. They’re either way too slow/weak (most instances) or way too expensive (gaming laptops, MBPs etc). And in all instances there’s no meaningful upgrade path whatsoever. What makes matters worse is when people just plug them into a TV anyway, so a dedicated device makes far more sense.
As a dedicated replacement for the average laptop with very little fuss in a small, self-contained unit, Apple TV 4K is a good solution. But a PC to absolutely wipe the floor with it in terms of the graphics experience (with all the other benefits such as input flexibility etc) costs far less than most people think. Really a GTX 1050 Ti is all you need, and that came out in 2016. Going up to 4K resolution is more expensive and complex of course but you’re still nowhere near needing the kind of graphics card that costs three times as much as an Apple TV. Notwithstanding the current supply issues, you could get a enthusiast-tier graphics card from the newly released RTX range for that much, which is a ridiculous waste on Zwift and completely unnecessary when a GTX 1060 is enough.
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I have been trying to follow Dave’s advice on this and feel his advice is sound.
Fortunately, my problems with my laptop are currently resolved but it is the computer I use to work from home so I have concerns that pushing it hard and making it get hot is not good.
My biggest issue so far has been when I see a computer for a good deal and I try to buy and 2 days later the seller cancels the order because it is sold out.
Once I get the computer, I will decide which graphics card will fit and decide how much I want to spend.
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Yep, laptop plugged right into the TV!!
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Somewhat related, I was catching up on some Zwift Podcasts last night and I think issue 94 or 93 stated Zwift had found a bug in the program that was causing the graphics issues that have been occurring recently.
The issues were affecting all systems at some point.
They were suggesting now that they had found a problem and if they can fix it, all our systems will run a little better.
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