Video graphic card

I know this is probably been addressed here. Buying my stuff for a new pc build. Looking for a video graphics card that will do the job with some to spare. But won’t break the bank. Thanks for any input. Buck

Check out this Facebook group. Lots of resources that’ll help you.

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I’m not on Facebook so I am not sure what is being recommended there. But I would go with something like an AMD Radeon RX 550 (4GB) which is more than enough for Zwift, but still beefy enough that you could do some light gaming or video rendering.

Since Bitcoin value shot through the roof, it is very hard to find video cards these days, but the RX 550 series still seems to be in good supply. You should be able to grab one for around $200.

I just checked for a couple of cards…HOLY MOLY :scream:…you might be better off buying a whole system with the card supplied instead of building your own. A couple of these systems are cheaper than just buying a card: t.ly/f4gr

I have a recent laptop with a 1660ti and it looks pretty darn good (Lenovo Legion 5i)

Thanks for getting back to me

RX 550 would be a really bad choice I’m afraid. For a start it only gets Basic profile, which means detail is no better than integrated graphics and 1080p is the maximum resolution. Secondly all AMD GPUs are poor performers in Zwift by comparision to Nvidia because Zwift uses OpenGL and their respective drivers for this on Windows are vastly different. Google ‘AMD OpenGL performance’ if you don’t believe me. But thirdly it’s just a really weak graphics card, roughly half as powerful as even a GTX 1050 Ti which is an entry level card by any measure and gets Ultra profile at 60fps in 1440p resolution.

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Would an AppleTV be an option?

I guess it would be helpful if you could suggest a decent card instead, Dave. Your criticisms are well taken, however. It is just really hard to get Nvidia cards these days, and I just suggested something that has worked well for me.

Yes, definitely. Just note that Apple TV is limited to two bluetooth connections (in addition to the Apple remote). But you can add more BLE connections using the Companion app.

I did. :wink: The 1050 Ti is a fantastic budget choice for anything other than 4K in Zwift and notwithstanding the current pricing nonsense they’re extremely common on local selling groups etc and will work in anything because almost all models don’t require external power. For 4K you would need a 980/1060/1650 Super to acheive 60fps, anything more is overkill and pretty much unnecessary.

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Yes unfortunately I’ve done brought most of the system. Only need the card and power supply

All depends on the display. If it’s a 1080p monitor or TV then a 1050 Ti or similar is absolutely fine (PS: run the game on the 1440p setting, it looks better). If it’s 4K and you want to get the most from it the cards mentioned above are strong enough for 60fps in most solo rides on the 4K setting. Remember though that the frame rate will tank in group events or following a popular Pace Partner on anything other than a very fast Intel or AMD 5000 series CPU. A better GPU doesn’t help at all in those situations, so there’s no point spending silly money. As mentioned I’d be scouring the local selling groups and Facebook Marketplace etc, because new supply is awful right now and eBay is full of scalpers.