Is 4k TV with > 60Hz refresh rate and/or adaptive sync worth it for Zwift?

General Discussion
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I’m trying to decide between a 65" TV running @4k@60Hz or one running 4k@120Hz with G-SYNC (LG BX/CX series) - which is 3X the price. I luckily have one of the new RTX 3080’s arriving soon so frame rates should be very high and certainly never below 60fps. If that is the case then is G-SYNC worth anything? And does Zwift have fast enough moving scenes to actually notice the difference between 60Hz and 120Hz? I’ve watched some youtube demo’s of 60 vs 120 and can barely notice the difference unless they show fast scenes in slow motion.

Any experience would be greatly appreciated.

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You will always drop below 60fps in a group event or busy area even with an RTX 3090, unless you also have a heavily overclocked i7 or i9. The bottleneck in Zwift for any mid-tier GPU or higher is the CPU. I hate to say it but your new 3080 will perform no better than a 1650 Super in Zwift.

And for that reason, adaptive sync is absolutely perfect. I use a 30-95Hz monitor and it makes a massive difference to the experience. I really hope you haven’t bought the 3080 just for Zwift but if you’ve got the money to spend, get an adaptive sync TV.

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Thanks @Dave_ZPCMR No I definitely didn’t get the 3080 for Zwift! I’ve read your very helpful PDF’s and I’m aware that the 1650 super can do ultra detail at 2160. My CPU is an i9 10850K but again not for Zwift. Ok so I’ll definitely opt for the LG BX/CX series. Cheers!

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Ah good stuff. :+1:

I’ll be honest, anything over about 50fps feels smooth ‘enough’ in Zwift. More is nice of course, but I can’t say I notice a huge difference between say 60fps and 95fps (rubber-banding problem at 60fps aside…). But obviously on a fixed refresh rate display at 50fps you’re forced to choose between tearing or the stutter of repeated frames. Some people don’t notice either all that much, to me they’re very obvious so I love how adaptive sync eliminates both. If you’re going all out with a new GPU and have the budget, I’d recommend a display to match its features which for you means HDMI 2.1 and adaptive sync. It’s brilliant.

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I have a new laptop with a i7-10750, 1660ti and 144 hz 15.6” screen and I think it looks fabulous. Frame rate is usually 90-110 but I free ride and do not do group rides. I have not ridden in a heavily populated course so do not know if it drops. I have yet to hook it up to either of my large OLED TVs; one of which is a 4K.