Is there a reason it has to be a laptop? You can build a decent machine in a desktop, but it's going to be tough to buy a machine that will do the work without some serious bargain hunting at that price point.

4gb ram, a decent processor and some form of video acceleration are necessary for zwift (along with solid internet) The cheapest route is probably an AMD APU processor (that way you can bypass the video card) but to each their own.

Do a lot of research before you buy whatever you choose.

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Zwift is a web-based application which to me that in this instance, unless you are planning to use a projector or Ultra HD external display, super-high end graphics card would seem to be overkill. In fact, since your computer is rendering a web page, anything more than a basic Core i-5 (i-7 will put the OP over budget) machine with Windows 8, 4 to 8 GB Ram, USB2/3, and a reliable network connection to the internet should do the job. I may be wrong having not used Zwift, but seems like for bare bones, I would think even a budget UltraBook or 10" tablet with ANT+ and HDMI capability could be used to drive an inexpensive LED monitor or television in this case.

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This is not accurate at all. Zwift is graphics heavy and requires a decent graphic card to avoid rubberbanding all over the place and having weird speed/power inconsistencies. You sound like you are think of Trainerroad, which is a completely different animal and does not need as much computing power.

Video performance is the biggest thing you need to look for. Something like the built-in video for intel or amd will not give great performance. I have found on my desktop that 4 gb or system ram is plenty and a I3 type process is fine also. There is not a huge burden on system memory or processor. I upgraded to a nvidia video card and it completely transformed the game. I think a minimum of 1gb dedicated video ram in a decent video card is a must if you are buying specifically for gaming.

If you can go desktop instead of laptop there are much better options for your price range. TigerDirect has some good refurb or off lease options. I have run zwift on a laptop with I5 - 8gb ram- intel video machine and it will function at 20fps on basic video settings. My desktop with i3 - 4gb ram and Nvidia 350TI will do 50FPS on ultra settings. In this scenario the laptop is the more expensive machine.

I'll bet you can score a used desktop with a strong GPU for that price range, probably even in your neighborhood by someone upgrading to a laptop or other. Check Craigslist or put a "I want such a computer" add in CL, and you'll be surprised

For a laptop, this system meets Zwift's "recommended" specs.

This desktop actually exceeds their recommended minimums a bit.

Edit: forgot the laptop link but now I lost it.... it was the cheapest MSI "gaming" laptop on Newegg

I would tend to avoid laptops that are that cheap and have a good graphics card.
they are likely to have other issues.

Its like getting a $100 wheel with a low spoke count, haha

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It's really not a "good" GPU by this year's standards. MSI is a decent brand these days. They do a lot of OEM manufacturing.

For everyone here, if you ever need to compare GPUs, this is a pretty good resource: GPU Boss. Swift's recommended system uses a GeForce GTX 650

I'm not knocking the brand.
But $400 laptops are often sketchy, regardless of brand.

Building up a small desktop might be a better solution here. Unless you need the laptop screen.

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In that vein, here are two pretty easy mode options: Shuttle Barebones

The good news is that nearly any brand new laptop will run Zwift - even a $400 one. The bad news is it won't look all that nice and the laptop will probably not be very high quality. For Zwift, it's all about the graphics.

If you have a TV nearby where you plan to use the software, you should pick up the cheap $450 Alienware Alpha instead of getting a laptop. It has HDMI out for any standard HD tv set. http://www.amazon.com/...cessor/dp/B00MA7AMKY It is built for games and Zwift looks great on it.

If you absolutely must have a laptop and $450 is the price cap, maybe an AMD A10 powered machine is best as it'll be graphically a bit better than the intel options at this price point. http://www.amazon.com/...-Touch/dp/B00NJNEA9C This laptop will run Zwift significantly worse than the Alienware Alpha, but it's a laptop so it meets that criteria.

Jon

Awesome....thank you all so much....that is a lot of very helpful info. I definitely get that maybe a desktop is a better way to go. I printed the thread and will go over a few times and figure out a plan. Thanks again....

Thank you for the info!

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pcpartpicker.com is a good resource. "Budget Gaming Build" is what you are looking for. Sub $400 will play the crap out of Zwift.

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Jon, I was going to ask about the Alienware Alpha but I see you have already brought it up. Any issues getting Zwift to work with it? Does it run well on max detail? Would the i3 be enough or should I go for the i5?

I currently have a newer MacBook Air plugged into a 27" TV/Monitor. Obviously the Mac is not a graphics powerhouse and Zwift doesn't look as crisp as it could so I'm looking at lower cost alternatives.

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I have a Dell Inpiron laptop i5, 16gb memory, with intell HD graphics. paid $479 plus tax and shipping.

I have no problems running Zwift. No lag, skipping, circles, very smooth frame rate.

The Alienware Alpha gets you graphics setting of "high", but not "ultra". It is still a laptop graphics chip, so it's not a full powered beast, but Zwift looks and runs great on it and most of the bells and whistles are turned on graphically.

Macbook air is probably on the 'basic' profile, which are the lowest settings we have. Macbooks are more about size and battery life rather than graphics performance.

Jon

I just bought an Alienware Alpha yesterday. I went with the i-3 with 8 gb of memory. I was torn between the i-3 and i-5 but seeing how this is really only going to be used for zwifting and running racermate one, I opted to save the money. Should be here tomorrow, I'll let you know how it works out.

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I found a used ASUS gaming laptop on Craigslist which runs Zwift on high graphics mode. Perhaps you can find one too.

Saving money and Alienware... never thought I'd hear that in a sentence together ;)

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I was thinking of buying exactly the same for zwift next week, so will be interested in hearing if it works ok :)

Awesome. All the alienware alpha's currently have the exact same GPU, so the cheapest one will run Zwift basically as fast as the nicer one. Almost no performance penalty for saving a little money.

Agreed. I'm running on an I3 desktop with 8 gb of ram and a nvidia 750 ti graphics card. This machine started with 4gb ram and the intel graphics. It would do ok like that. First I added the 8 gb of ram which did virtually nothing to help zwift. Then I added the 750 TI. Like a different game now. The game goes to High setting automatically with this card. I have manually altered the setting to the ultra settings and still get awesome performance.


Short story- don't need cpu horespower - need GPU.... I probably wouldn't pay for a gaming PC if this one needed replaced. This low cost/low power consumption GPU has transformed a $300 desktop into a top of the line Zwift experience.

Got the computer saturday and starting playing with it later that day. It took some time but I finally got Zwift up and running. I'm not sure what my problem was but I had the hardest time getting Zwift to update/download after the install (I think it was my wireless connection but I'm not positive). The download/update error'd out on me a few times. It finally started to download for me but it said it was going to take over 4 hours. I switched to a wired connection and 10 minutes later, it was done. I've only been on once but so far I'm impressed. Graphics look good to me (for what that's worth) and I didn't have any glitches. I like how compact the box is.

Still unsure on why my wireless was taking forever. It showed I had 4-5 bars on my wireless connection.

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