I am looking to buy a TV to run Zwift at high settings (ultra, preferably).
I have a current-gen MBP bought 2019 with a Radeon GPU so it runs Zwift Ultra (it’s active in the options, have used it.)
The main thing I am trying to avoid is the disappointment with the lack of buttery smoothness I experienced when I hooked up my MBP to my cheap 32" 720p TV. I’m actually unsure if it’s the 720p jaggies that made it look so not good, or if it was the lack of high screen refresh rate (compared to the MBP screen), but it looked significantly worse - from “I can tolerate this, cool” on the 720p TV, to “wow this looks amazing!” on the native MBP screen.
I know that dedicating computer gaming monitors with high refresh rates are very expensive, and not as big as my 43"-50" preferred TV size (fits in my space, hard for me to go bigger than that.)
If anyone has experience with a TV setup 43-50" that compares favorably to the way Zwift ultra runs on a MBP+GPU (or PC+good GPU), would greatly appreciate it. Thx
2019 MBP with Radeon looks good to do Zwift at high settings at 4K. Test what FPS you get at Ultra settings at increasing resolutions to see if it works ok.
If you run a USB-C to DP cable from the MBP to display you can output 4K 60Hz I think. The jaggies will reduce as resolution increases. Refresh rate of the display won’t affect the butter smooth as long as your getting 60 FPS.
My thought would be to run 4K high to a 4K TV. I’m pasting what I wrote in a recent thread with some edits about TV selection below.
rtings.com is a fantastic resource is you are searching for a new TV. The amount of info they provide for every TV is great and they have a handy comparison tool.
I’ve run Zwift at 1080p 120hz, but now I’m running at 4K 60hz with my graphics card V-sync enabled to run a steady 60fps. I think it looks better, though some prefer the 120hz experience.
Input lag isn’t really a big deal while running Zwift. The power input from your trainer is already at least a second delayed to the game so even a 50ms response time difference on your display isn’t going to make any difference in game.
I run Zwift thru a gaming PC and have it connected by HDMI to a LG OLED TV - 55in. I’m really happy with the picture. I tested at the online site. I’m getting 60Hz.
Thanks for the links. I ended up getting a 4k TCL 55" (the one recommended in the budget category by rtings.com) which is glorious!
I’ve never enjoyed indoor riding so much. Had a total blast riding the Tour of Watopia at 4AM this morning with 350 other riders, lots of hammering all the way. Really looking forward to lots more fun and fitness on Zwift!
I’d agree that the immersive Zwift experience is improved immensely on a large HQ display. The bigger and more HQ the display, the more I feel its worth the 20 bucks a month.
Congratulations. For anyone in the same boat, consider choosing a TV with AMD Freesync support( also known as adaptive sync, it varies the refresh rate of your screen to match your frame rate) and enjoy buttery smooth gameplay even when you experience a frame drop
