New iMac 2020

General Discussion
#1

I know this is an ongoing question but I haven’t seen anything about the new iMac 2020. I was going to get a gaming PC but my husband wants a Mac since that is what we always have had. I see the 2020 27in iMac has these specs:

  • 3.8GHz 8-core 10th-generation Intel Core i7 processor
  • Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
  • 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory, configurable up to 128GB
  • 512GB SSD storage¹
  • Radeon Pro 5500 XT with 8GB of GDDR6 memory

I can’t find any solid information about whether it can support the Ultra setting for Zwift or not. I am using Apple TV right now but I want to go with the best graphics I can get. I am thinking PC is the better way to go (cheaper too), but if this will work he is dead set on the Mac :wink:

Thanks to anyone who might be able to help!

#2

I would hold off on buying an iMac until the “M Apple Silicon” model iMacs come out probably early next year.

#3

A 4K TV and ATV 4K is way cheaper than any iMac…just a thought.

#4

Thanks. From all I can find that seems to be true. I can get a gaming pc for less and know for sure it will work :slight_smile:

#5

Yep using an apple 4K now and it is okay on my super old tv. I would really like to up the fun factor and get the super graphics. I didn’t want to spend the money on something that won’t work for that and so little information on the Mac subject. Thanks!

#6

The December game update gave the M1 macs ultra graphics level.

Here is a thread from a few days ago.

#7

The M1 Mini is $699 and there allegedly is also a new Apple TV on the way as well. Then again, there have been rumors of a new TV for at least the last 9 months.

I would have build a gaming PC to run Zwift but various parts have been in short supply since last winter. Now the prices on graphics cards are ridiculous despite new generations of cards being released by both Nvidia and AMD. I have an M1 Mini due to be shipped in early January. Here is Tariq from Smart Bike trainers review of his M1 MacBook Pro.

#8

High graphics detail, not Ultra. Lower than a GTX 1050 Ti, for example:

image
image1668×761 254 KB

#9

Dave,

I went looking for this at Zwiftalizer and couldn’t find it. Thanks for straightening me out.

#10

zwiftalizer stopped storing log summaries in May 2019 because fps varies wildly from one ride to the next on the same hardware depending on course, how many riders nearby, which camera was used, and other factors. It didn’t average out in the way I hoped a large amount of data might. I could bring back a table of capabilities of each GPU, like what profile it gets, which I think might be what you were hoping to find, is that right?

4 Likes
#11

Mike,

I saw someone looking for data from the new M1 Macs they claimed for Zwiftalizer. Maybe it was at a youtube video about them or reddit or ??? I was surprised to see this because I knew you weren’t collecting data any longer.

A simple table would be useful for sure and would answer questions for many people, myself included. Thanks!

#12

The Zwiftalizer logfile analysis tool still works perfectly, it’s just the storage of results for looking later that has been stopped for reasons set out above.

#13

Dave,

Of course the Zwiftalizer logfile analysis tool still works, it is a wonderful service. I hope I never gave the impression otherwise. Again, thanks for the clarification.

2 Likes
#14

The biggest graphics improvement is from basic to medium.

I’ve run Zwift on basic, medium, and ultra and I wouldn’t spend a lot of effort or money to get ultra. Ultra is a little more “shiny” than medium, but basic looks horrid compared to medium.

#15

Tend to agree about the differences, but Medium is basically a GT 1030 (£60-70, fine for 1080p60) whereas Ultra is only a GTX 1050 (£90-110, fine for 1440p60) which is literally the same in terms of basic power requirement and install process. So it’s a no-brainer to just go for Ultra.