Zwift Performance Issues on Intel Desktop – Any Tips for Improvement?

General Discussion
1

Hi Zwift Community,

I’ve been having some performance issues while using Zwift on my current setup and wanted to reach out to see if anyone here has faced similar problems or has any suggestions for improvement.

I’m using an Intel Desktop (i7-9700K, 16GB RAM, GTX 1660 Ti) and while Zwift runs fine for the most part, I’ve noticed some lag and frame drops, especially during high-traffic events or when there’s a lot of on-screen activity (like during group rides or races). I’ve checked all my system specs, and everything seems to be within the recommended range for Zwift, but these occasional performance dips are really starting to affect my experience.

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

  1. Lowering graphic settings in Zwift (turning down visual effects and shadows).
  2. Updating my graphics drivers to the latest version.
  3. Ensuring my system isn’t running unnecessary background processes while Zwift is active.
  4. Running Zwift in Windowed mode to see if fullscreen was causing issues.

Even with these steps, the problem persists. I’m beginning to wonder if it might be a CPU bottleneck with my Intel Desktop, although my CPU usage doesn’t seem to spike too much during rides.

Has anyone with a similar setup faced performance issues? I’m open to any advice, whether it’s adjusting settings in Zwift, optimizing my desktop, or even upgrading components like the GPU or CPU. I’ve seen some people mention that older or mid-range systems may struggle during busy events, but I’m hoping there’s a solution that can help smooth out the experience without needing a complete overhaul.

Also, for those with powerful systems, do you have any tips on settings to get the best performance from Zwift without compromising visual quality too much?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Thanks,

2

How fast is your internet connection?** I have a wired 1Gig connection with very low ping and a super clean OS -only two apps running on this desktop and little background programs: these two variables make a huge difference…
In the Power Options settings, you may prefer selecting ‘High Performance’ over the power-saving options, although you’re likely already aware of that. :slight_smile: My CPU consistently runs at full speed, 4.3GHz, and never idles, but temperature is not a concern due to water cooling.

3

Core i7 9th gen gets video screenshots enabled in Zwift by default so shut that off for a small boost.

Since Zwift only really works one CPU core it’s normal for your CPU to look like it’s not very busy but if a single core is maxed out then you’ll see worse performance of the game.

There’s no benefit in Zwift to running latest Nvidia drivers but you should enable triple buffering in the Nvidia settings. There is a guide for Nvidia settings in the ZPCMR Facebook group you can read. It’s in the Files tab for the group.

4

You could give ‘disable video screenshots’ a try (Zwift settings).
It could be, on intel graphics, it drops the frame rate tremendoulsly.

5

Check out the ‘Zwift on PC: The Ultimate Guide’ on Zwift Insider.

6

I’m running a similar setup and have no issues.I don’t use video screenshots, so I’d say that’s probably the first thing to disable.

Step 1 - take your log files to Zwiftalizer.com and see what’s happening. Should tell you whether it’s ANT+ / Bluetooth / Internet / internal.

Step 2 - solve those issues.