Old Laptop vs. Zwift

General Discussion
#1

Hello everyone,

first post here - nevertheless I am very exited about Zwift and I would like to give it a try because indoor training is more than boring for me.

At the moment I only have an old Laptop with an Intel Core i3-370M Processor with 3072 MB DDR3 RAM. For more specs please visit the following site: http://www.is-ok.de/ASUS/ASUS_PRO5IF-EX675V.htm . Unfortunately I don’t know much about computers in general, probably because I am much to old :-D.

Anyway, I know that my Laptop is to slow for Zwift, but will it work at least for a “test”? I don’t want to buy a new computer for the free trail only to see that Zwift is not the right thing for me.

I am sorry for my bad english!

Sincerely
Jack

#2

I don’t think it will even start, let alone run. Here are the minimum specs for Zwift: https://support.zwift.com/en_us/what-are-the-minimum-device-requirements-for-zwift--S1C6I6OB7

Seems the laptop only has 3GB of Memory and the minimum for Zwift is 4GB. I don’t see much in terms of the graphics card, but that also might be below minimum specs to run Zwift.

It could start, but the experience could be very poor.

Zwift will run on a lot of newer Android and iPhones, so if you have one you could use one of those to test it.

#3

Hello,

thank you very much for your quick answer.

I see your point, but unfortunately I don’t have an iphone or a smartphone.

I could get a HP Compaq 6300 Pro cheaply. It has an Intel Core i5-3470 (4x 3,2 GHz) and 4 GB Memory. The graphics card seems to be pretty poor, Intel HD Graphics 2500, but if the PC would work fine for the free trail(???) and I like Zwift (what I strongly believe), I could upgrade it and buy something like the GeForce GTX 1050.

Is the HP Compaq 6300 Pro any good for zwift together with the GeForce GTX 1050?

Sincerely
Jack

#4

The HP Compaq with the GTX 1050 would work fine.
The HP Compaq with the Intel HD Graphics 2500 will not work.

An AMD R7 250 2GB would work just fine and you can get those for less than a 3rd of the price.

#5

And a 37 days Zwift trial will cost you 15 dollars …
Try. You’ll buy a new computer once, if any.
Paolo.

#6

my advice:
try it, and set the graphics settings way down. if it runs at all, you’ll be able to judge whether you can keep using it after a few mins of riding.

if that doesn’t work, or isn’t tolerable, consider buying a desktop. they can be much cheaper than laptops for what you get. this one is listed at 499 at costco, but my local costco had it for 399:
https://www.costco.com/HP-Pavilion-Desktop---Intel-Core-i5---Radeon-RX-550.product.100418313.html

radeon rx 550 graphics card and a core i5 will run zwift for many more years!

#7

I too use an old computer.
Mine is Intel Core i3 7100 U CPU 2.4 GHz with 12 GB Ram.

I think mine is below recommended standard but above the minimum.

As stated, your RAM is too low but you can buy 2 GB RAM memory for $18 and 4 GB RAM for $32.

But as pointed out, your graphics card may be the limiting factor.
Zwift can easily run on inexpensive computers but top notch graphics seem to get rave reviews.
I do not have top notch graphics and still it looks good to me but it is not “life-like” the way I have seen others describe it.

#8

Hi, im on my way ordering a computer just for Zwift. Can anyone tell me if this is good enough? Price is 550 EUR/USD. Thanks for your help :slight_smile:

  • 17,3" HD-skjerm (1600 x 900)
  • AMD A12-9720P prosessor (2,7 GHz, 4 kjerner)
  • Minne: 8 GB DDR4 RAM
  • Lagring: 1 TB HDD
  • 1 x USB 3.1, 1 x USB type-C, 2 x USB 2.0, HDMI, Ethernet
  • 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1
  • AMD Radeon R7 Graphics
  • Windows 10
#9

Another potential option, and cheaper than a laptop, is Apple TV. Of course you have to be able to then plug it into a TV/Monitor in an area where you can also set up your bike and trainer, but it may still be an option.