Got a Direto XR yesterday and installed Zwift on my laptop (Microsoft surface book), iPhone and iPad.
Apps on iPhone and iPad work perfectly. Windows on the other hand is an absolute horror show. Takes an age load and any time you have an “ok” to select I get a not responding message. Eventually I get in to a ride screen but then it runs for a few seconds and then freezes, this cycle just repeats so cannot use it.
No issue with pairing etc
App is using 40% of cpu and and 20% ram so it’s not a hardware issue and have no issues running more intensive games.
Anyone have any tips for things to try as I’m not likely to even activate my 30 day trial if I cannot get it working on laptop
Literally nothing wrong with the Windows version of the game versus any other, but it’s reliant on adequate hardware for reasonable performance. The way it’s coded exacerbates this far more than people expect.
Yes it seems that the specs are not to be trusted
It works fine on my desktop with a gtx 980 so it must not be optimized at all.
The spec of my laptop is better than my iPad.
Either need to cast to my laptop from desktop or ask my son nicely to borrow his laptop which has a 1650 in it
That recommended specs page is outdated and lacking in important information, unfortunately. Not your fault.
I have a suspicion that they’re allowing higher end PC support to die. The company’s focus is on ease of access, which means phones, tablets and Apple TV. Performance at the top end is nosediving over time (nothing at all is improving, bugs are ignored), but the majority are only on Basic detail at 30fps or less anyway so they don’t care.
Seems a shame, I’m trying out most options over the next few days but Zwift is the only one that won’t work the way I want it to in relation to kit setup
Thanks all for the help and comments
It needs very little resource by modern standards to run really well, and simultaneously taxes components in some very odd ways. In terms of maxing out Zwift’s graphical detail, and at 4K resolution, a GTX 980 is actually about spot on for 60fps. The modern/current equivalent would be a 1650 Super. Anything more powerful is unnecessary. Any old CPU is fine for solo rides, but the way it’s coded can bring a £500 i7 to its knees in a group ride.
I was messing about overclocking a CPU a while back and could pass every single stress testing tool out there, testing over several hours. Then load up Zwift and have it crash in minutes.
@Steve_Rogers - I have a lower spec’ed Surfacebook (i5-7300 with 8gb) and it runs Zwift fine (1080P only though). It’s not my daily Zwift device but I’ve used it for troubleshooting, in between Zwift PC builds and watch races often. It goes for a few hours at a time, and often have Zwift running in the background and I am not aware.
The FPS for memory isnt exactly 60+ but its perfectly workable. Not the quickest to load compared to my dedicated pc, but it is quicker to start than I could put my HRM and shoes and socks on etc.
I have only ever installed Filezilla and Chrome on it (and win patches) which helps keep it clean. FYI
Works fine on my low spec HP laptop with onboard graphics.
It certainly isn’t running at maximum quality graphics, but no issues at all, particularly since I upgraded to an SSD, occasional Not Responding messages, but for the most part they coincide with notifications from other software coming through, always clears itself within a few seconds.
Also runs fine (if setup is a lot slower) on my wife’s even older Toshiba laptop, also with onboard graphics, and traditional HDD.
Zwift ran fine on an HP laptop with i5-4300 and integrated graphics…but it has been a couple/few years. Ran great on a mobile i7 workstation with pro graphics from 2012. Also ran fine on a first gen Ryzen 5 and level 8 graphics (Radeon 8?) laptop.
Currently running a Lenovo i7-10750H with 1660ti graphics (144hz screen) and it is gorgeous. I am tempted to run HDMI out to one of my LG OLED big screens just to see how it would look.
I seem to have improved performance in terms of freezing by updating my Bluetooth driver (it was two year old)
Ran it for about 10 minutes last night to test and it didn’t freeze
Here is my Windows 10 setup that works very well for me in 4K / Full Screen with all the high end graphics that Zwift has to offer. I would recommend if you want a high end Zwift experience, are on on a budget and are looking for a dedicated setup:
Amazon Parts:
Dell OptiPlex 9020-SFF, Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHZ, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD (Renewed) - $250
Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti OC Low Profile 4GB GDDR5 128 Bit PCI-E Graphic Card - $160
TP-Link USB Bluetooth Adapter for PC(UB400), 4.0 Bluetooth Dongle - $10
USB ANT+ Stick Dongle Adapter Wireless Receiver for Zwift - $20
Coospo Heart Rate Monitor with Chest Strap Bluetooth & ANT+ - $30
moofit Cycling Cadence Sensor with Bluetooth & ANT+ IP67 Waterproof - $23
Mobile TV Cart with Wheels for 23-55 Inch LCD LED 4K Flat Curved Screen - $70
HDMI Cable 4K 10ft, iVANKY 18Gbps High Speed HDMI 2.0 Cable, 4K HDR - $13
Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Home Trainer Fold Tire - $31
Best Buy:
TCL - 50" Class 4 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Android TV - $250
Some of the items above I picked up while on sale so I may actually paid less for them. Keep in mind I utilize the above with a Kickr SNAP Wheel-On Smart Indoor bike trainer and all the computer components I keep on the TV stand that has wheels so that I can easily move it out of the way when not in use.
Also I am not running any other applications on the PC to avoid any popups and/or distractions while Zwifting.
