Author Topic: Please help me spec a Zwift PC  (Read 4222 times)

Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« on: 28 October, 2016, 08:41:01 am »
I think I'm going to be doing lots of Zwift, and fancy a higher frame rate than the integrated graphics on my laptop can manage. Lots of people go the alienware alpha route. the new R2 can play 1080p at 60fps. However, it's £849 and everyone says it can be done cheaper. Form factor isn't an issue (my turbo lives in my office).

ALIENWARE ALPHA
£849.00
6th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor
Windows 10 Home
8GB Memory
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960 graphics with 4GB GDDR5

When I tot this sort of thing up on places like PC specialist, it comes out the same or more. Could someone lend me a clue.

Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #1 on: 29 October, 2016, 10:41:29 am »
Well, poor impulse control means I've gone for...

Chassis      Corsair Carbide 100R w/ side Window
Motherboard      Asus H110M-A
Processor      Intel Core i5 6400 "Skylake" 2.7GHz Quad Core
Memory      8GB Corsair Vengeance 2133MHz DDR4
Graphics Card      3GB EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 SC
Power Supply      Corsair 450W VS - 80PLUS
System Drive      250GB Samsung 750EVO SDD
System Drive      1TB Seagate Barracuda HDD

Compromise is the 3gb GTX - 1060. Still, should be plenty for Zwift. Hoping for a solid 60fps at 1080p.

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #2 on: 29 October, 2016, 10:47:46 am »
Should work fine. I use a very similar setup with a 4GB 960 GTX graphic board (and another with a 4GB R9-380) and get frame rates and detail levels I can't be arsed to quantify, but it's way better than on my 2011 27" iMac.

Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #3 on: 29 October, 2016, 11:35:35 am »
Cheers. I'm sick of choppy frame rates on the lowest setting when the Neo feels so good.

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #4 on: 29 October, 2016, 07:04:48 pm »
I'm using mine with an old BKool classic turbo, or Elite Arione Digital rollers - both FE/C compatible. Neither is brilliant, but they're good enough. I still haven't learned to absorb a 100w-500w surge on the rollers without falling off, and I find riding a TT bike impossible on rollers, so it's all good fun! I do fancy a Neo though...

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #5 on: 29 October, 2016, 08:06:15 pm »
I'm using mine with an old BKool classic turbo, or Elite Arione Digital rollers - both FE/C compatible. Neither is brilliant, but they're good enough. I still haven't learned to absorb a 100w-500w surge on the rollers without falling off, and I find riding a TT bike impossible on rollers, so it's all good fun! I do fancy a Neo though...

you may need to reduce the distance between the front and rear rollers, as often tt bikes have shorter wheel base. it then becomes more stable and easier to handle.

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #6 on: 29 October, 2016, 08:59:20 pm »
My TT bike (a PX Exocet 2) has an almost identical wheelbase to the road bike I usually use on the rollers. It's my lack of talent, not the equipment!

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #7 on: 29 October, 2016, 09:26:04 pm »
ok, mine are different by 3cm and rollers require resetting (otherwise tt bike handles like an unbroken horse)

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #8 on: 29 October, 2016, 10:58:45 pm »
The real issue for me is the different and forward c of g, which makes the front very, very sensitive. Getting down on aero bars without falling off is damn near impossible - for me. Never mind, it's not important - the turbo is fine.

Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #9 on: 30 October, 2016, 02:56:51 pm »
Well, I've never mastered rollers, but I can confirm the Neo is a lovely thing. The flywheel magic with the road feel has grown on me, and it generally feels great. The three I've tried are.

1. Tacx Smart Vortex
2. Tacx Neo
3. Elite Drivo

1. Is great if the noise it makes doesn't result in discord. It's so cheap

2. Is really quiet, feels amazing, and does the road feel thing which is cool if you are doing unstructured riding in zwift. It's also got flex built in to protect carbon frames - this may not be too all tastes.

3. This is louder than the Neo, but still pretty quiet. It looks epic. It is completely rigid. This makes it feel ace for sprinting. If you think this places too much stress on carbon frames, then it's not for you. It feels very rigid. No road feel.

Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #10 on: 30 October, 2016, 08:23:41 pm »
I love my Neo.  That plus trainerroad workout creator so that i can model everything the coach sends me lets me do pretty much everything I need.

Only thing I would like is to be able to automatically change to resistance from e.g. mode for out of the saddle sprints.





zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #11 on: 31 October, 2016, 12:15:22 am »
bought a neo today, did a short session and decided that without the interactive software like zwift i prefer rollers, mainly because it's more fun and realistic. there is a bit of rumbling sound at lower rpm's normal (it goes away above ~80rpm)?

Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #12 on: 31 October, 2016, 08:05:38 am »
Yes, on my Neo and on my Vortex, it rumbles a bit at lower rpm. However, I have mine on noisy tiles, and putting a gym mat underneath helped.

Have you played with the Zwift workout tools?

Re: Please help me spec a Zwift PC
« Reply #13 on: 01 November, 2016, 04:29:00 pm »


Wow - the combination of my first IPS panel monitor and my first decent graphics card is enough to make me coo at the lighting effects.

I don't know if that'll show it in that it was grabbed by the mobile link.

It runs so smooth.