Best Laptop for Zwift

Do you want to incorporate some cardio into your daily routine? You probably detest outdoors biking or running, and definitely, are not the gym person, then you should try Zwift.

Zwift is a virtual game that allows you to link your turbo trainer to your computer, iPad, iPhone, or TV. It enables you to ride your bike with other cyclists in other cities, virtually, cities like Richmond, London, and a fantasy Watopia island.

It enables you to connect with other cyclists virtually, switching from the regular, boring outdoor cycling to that done in the comfort of your home. You can train by making use of some of the specially designed workouts, and you also have the option of racing against other people. If you frequently ride a bike, Zwift can function as your electronic trainer. The frequent training and careful monitoring of your performance will improve your fitness.

Best Cheap Laptop for Zwift Quick Answer

However, you cannot just use any laptop or iPad for Zwift. You have to make sure you pick the best laptop for Zwift. All gaming laptops have a good graphics card [GPU], large storage space, quality RAM, top performance, and are generally of high quality.

The least graphics card size for the display that you can use for Zwift is a 2GB Radeon R9 200 series or NVIDIA GTX 650. For a better display, it can even go up to  2GB Radeon R9 290 series or NVIDIA GTX 970.

Here is a list of the best laptops you can use for Zwift:

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What are the Basic Laptop Requirements for Zwift?

Laptops are mostly used when trying to use the Zwift application, and this is because of their versatility and their ease of use. But you may not be able to run the game on your old computer due to some technicalities of the software. The specs of your laptop affect the performance of Zwift.

If you want to enjoy Zwift or gaming generally, there are somethings your laptop must have to ensure smooth performance. Below is a list of things that you will need:

• OS Window 7 x 64 bit, OSX 10.8
• Memory: 4 GB
• Hard drive: 4 GB of free storage space
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo
• Graphics: 1 GB dedicated GPU or embedded Intel HD 400/AMD R5
• Graphics card [GPU] for better display: At least 2GB Radeon R9 200 series or NVIDIA GTX 650. Getting something up to 2GB Radeon R9 290 series or NVIDIA GTX 970 is great. This ensures a better display.

Those requirements listed above are just minor requirements, but they are enough to run the game smoothly and ensure good performance. If you do not get a laptop with these requirements, you will have to use a substandard one which will be dedicated to Zwift. However, choosing a good one will mean you can use it for a wide range of things. People generally choosing laptops that do not have to be dedicated to a single task. But, before you go ahead to choose one, make sure that you consider them all first. Laptops are kind of tricky to return, so you should carefully search for and think about which one would best suit you.

All laptops compiled in this post have great resolution and display, suitable battery life, suitable graphics thanks to their graphics card, enough space or SSD support, and of course, a large ram. As mentioned before, the least graphics card size you can use for Zwift is a 2GB Radeon R9 200 series or NVIDIA GTX 650. The better ones have specs of 2GB Radeon R9 290 series or NVIDIA GTX 970. All these ensure pretty good performance. This article covers good gaming laptops for Zwift that have a moderate price.

In this article, we will be giving you the best laptops for Zwift in 2024, and we will encourage you to read further if you would like to know about them, their features, software specifications, and their pros and cons.

10 Best Cheap Laptop for Zwift in 2024:

1. Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575G Laptop – Best Zwift Laptop

This laptop has a 15.6-inch full HD widescreen, and it is comfortable to look at from all angles. It is an LED-backlit and has the innovative Acer Color Blast Technology, which provides sharp images and well-balanced colors. It is also backed by the 7^th generation Intel Core i5-7200U processor that is up to 3.1 GHz.

This is a powerful laptop that will run the Zwift application smoothly, along with many other apps, games, videos, and photos. For graphics [GPU], it is fitted with NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics chip that has 2 GB of GDDR5 video memory.

This laptop’s battery ranks high among the most long-lasting batteries, as it gives up to 12 hours of battery life. This makes the laptop convenient to use because you wouldn’t need to plug it in before you begin your training.

It also comes fully packed with a 256 GB SSD drive, an SD card reader, Bluetooth 4.1, Gigabit Ethernet, HD webcam, USB 3.1 Gen 1, two USB 3.0 ports, a USB 2.0 port, and an HDMI port with HDCP support. The laptop’s maximum display resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels.

The laptop’s suitable resolution for better display, quality RAM, graphics display, and battery make it the perfect choice. It allows you to enjoy great graphics, awesome display quality, and resolution.

Pros

• Sharp image
• Quick startup time
• Versatile connectivity
• High quality graphics card
• Suitable space and storage
• Suitable battery life

Cons

• Its touchpad is quite sensitive

 

2. Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Zwift Laptop

The Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop is another product by Acer that will serve you for more than just the Zwift app. This laptop is dedicated to gaming, has a sleek and futuristic look and display due to its sharp lines and angles. Its bright red-backlit keyboard lends it a more powerful look. It comes with dual fans with Coolboost technology for higher sleep and cooling ability.

This feature allows you to manually adjust the cooling process to suit your needs. This feature is also very convenient to use if you use the laptop for more than just the Zwift application, as the added cooling boost will come in handy to maintain its temperature.

The laptop is powered by the 7^th generation Intel Core i5 processor, the laptop will run and display the game smoothly and quickly without any interruptions. Its GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics display [GPU] with 4 GB of GDDR5 video memory helps everything run seamlessly. This laptop has a weight of 5.51 lbs and with a maximum display resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

Pros

• It has a sleek design
• Great display for various games
• It is easy to use
• It runs smoothly

Cons 

• Its frame is made of plastic

 

3. HP 255 G6 Business ZWIFT Laptop

Like the name suggests, this HP laptop has a 15.6-inch widescreen that is High Definition (HD), with a maximum resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. It is backed by 7^th generation AMD A6 Dual Core A6-9220 with 2.5 GHz, the laptop will run the Zwift application smoothly without any glitches. And it only takes just a few seconds to turn on, so there will be no frustrations experienced waiting for the system to boot.

It features an 8 GB of DDR4 video memory and a 256 GB SSD drive. Another thing users of this system like about this laptop is the fact that it has the Windows 10 pro-64-bit already pre-installed, making the laptop ready for use once it is delivered to your doorstep.

 

There is a DVD writer, 802.11 ac Wireless LAN, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1, Bluetooth 4.2, USB 2.0, VGA, Headphone/Mic combo jack, and an HDMI port. All in all, this laptop is relatively easy to use, and it weighs only 4.14lbs, making it easy to carry around.

Pros

• Quick startup
• It has a widescreen for display
• It is lightweight
• Suitable storage space

Cons

• It has a sensitive touchpad.

 

4. Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6-inch HD ZWIFT Laptop

This laptop is the newest addition to the Lenovo family, it is great for seamless multitasking, as you can use it for Zwift and many more apps. Its AMD 7^th generation A6-9225 dual-core accelerated processor gives a smooth performance with all your favorite apps and games.

Its 4 GB DDR4 RAM and 500 GB HDD hard drive enable you to run and display multiple things at the same time.

The laptop has a 15.6-inch HD display with a maximum display resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The laptop is also energy efficient and is LED-backlit for the best color payoff and contrast balance display wise.

The Lenovo IdeaPad has an HDMI, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, 10/100 Ethernet, and a headphone/mic combo jack.

It is delivered ready for use since it already has the Windows 10 64-bit pre-installed. It weighs 4.63 lbs. heavy and 0.9-inch thin, making it easy to carry around.

 

Pros

• It is great for multitasking
• This laptop has enough storage space
• It has a slim frame, and it is lightweight
• It has an energy-efficient display

Cons 

• It doesn’t have the best image from all angles.

 

5. HP Pavilion 17 High-Performance Laptop PC For Zwift

The HP Pavilion laptop PC is another very easy to use and versatile laptop. This is an everyday device you can use at work and at school when you do not have the need to do any virtual cycling. It has a 7.3-inch screen (HD) that features HP’s BrightView technology, and it is also backlit.

The maximum resolution is 1600 x 900 pixels. This laptop has a quality RAM and a powerful processor that allows for the smooth running of the system and for multitasking. It is the Intel Core i5 4210U with Intel HD graphics 4400. This is a 1.7 GHz with a boost of up to 2.7 GHz.

It also comes with 4 GB DDR3L SDRAM memory and 1 TB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive. One other great feature of this laptop that is lacking in many other laptops is the SuperMulti DVD burner. This is something that is hard to find nowadays since the advent of online storage.

 

This laptop also features an 802.11b/g/n WLAN, 10/1000 BASE-T Ethernet LAN, Multiformat digital media card reader, 2x SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports, HD webcam, USB 2.0, Headphone/mic jack, and an HDMI. It has a Windows 10 64-bit operating system already pre-installed.

Pros

• It has a DVD burner
• Suitable storage space
• Versatile connectivity
• BrightView technology

Cons  

• Its battery is not long-lasting

 

6. Acer Predator Helios 300 – Best Budget ZWIFT Laptop

This laptop’s latest 7^th generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor will run Zwift smoothly and seamlessly at any time. Its 2.8 GHz can climb up to 3.8 GHz with a TurboBoost technology. It has, pre-installed, Windows 10 64-bit. Another thing that gives this laptop the ability to multitask is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics chip. It has 6 GB GDDR5 VRAM.

It has a 15.6-inch HD screen with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Its widescreen display makes Zwift look much better due to its well-balanced contrasted and sharpness of the colors. This laptop comes with 16 GB DDR4 DRAM memory and 256 GB SSD. With this level of RAM and SSD space, Zwift will run easily. It has an expandable empty drive slot that is suitable for 2.5 inches hard drives.

Depending on the apps and games you use on the laptop, the battery can stay for as long as 7 hours. It has an iron-red backlit keyboard that lights up the keys and the edges of the touchpad.

Although this feature isn’t necessary for virtual cycling, it does come in handy when you play other games. One other great feature of this laptop is the large keys that make typing faster and more comfortable than ever.

Of course, it has a long battery life and a Zwift-compatible performance. The GPU and display make it a pretty great buy for its price. And lastly, it has enough power to support gaming needs.

Pros

• It has a wide screen
• It is compact
• It is easy to use
• It has a great cooling system
• Suitable price

Con  

• Its metal exterior shows all fingerprint.

 

7. Dell Laptop i5-7300 – Affordable Zwift Laptop PC

If you want to replace an old laptop, this is a great option to consider. Because of its features, this laptop is versatile and great for multitasking. The laptop’s 7^th generation Intel Core i5-7300 HQ Quad Core processor will smoothly run your virtual cycling with ease and no glitches.

And this laptop supports many programs, games, apps, etc. it comes with 8 GB 2400 MHz DDR4 up to 32 GB RAM with an additional memory being sold separately.

It has a 15.6-inch screen with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It is an anti-glare display that is LED backlit for maximum comfort on the eyes. You can view the screen from all angles. Although this laptop is portable, it weighs 5.82 pounds which may seem too heavy for some people.

The laptop has a Windows 10 64-bit already installed, all you need to do is install the Zwift application, and you can get on with your virtual cardio.

Pros

• It is great for school and work
• Features suitable storage space
• It is versatile
• It has an anti-glare display

Cons 

• Its screen does not bend far out

 

8. Acer C910-54M1 15.6-Inch Zwift Laptop – Cheapest

This one weighs 4.85 pounds, and it isn’t as tricky as other laptops when it comes to carrying it about unless you want to dedicate it to the Zwift app. The laptop’s Intel Core i5-5200U Dual Core 2.20 GHz processor helps to run the game with ease, also making the device suitable for multitasking.

If you are someone who likes to open multiple tabs at the same time, you will love just how seamless it runs.

Its 4 GB DDR3L SDRAM and the 32 GB solid-state drive back up the processor allowing for smooth performance and, also a quick start-up. The Intel HD Graphics 5500 helps to enhance the experience.

This laptop also features a 16-inch screen with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Its battery can hold up to 7 or 9 hours, although this is depending on how you use it. It also comes with chrome OS already installed so you can use it once you get it delivered to you; you can also install your favorite apps and programs.

This laptop is handy, with a crisp image and an anti-glare display. With its user-friendly specifications, you will find it easy to run Zwift at any time.

Pros

• It is versatile
• It is easy to work with
• It probably is the fastest Chromebook.

 

9. Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Series Gaming Edition Laptop – Most Recommended

This laptop runs virtual cycling smoothly and it is suitable for a wide range of other operations. This is among the easiest of laptops to use in the market, and for this reason, many Zwift users would recommend you buy it.

The 7^th generation Intel Quad-Core i5-7300 HQ has 2.50 GHz and can go up to 3.50 GHz with the Turbo Boost Technology. It has a nice GPU, an 8 GB DDR4 2400MHz memory and 1 TB 5400 RPM hard drive, with an 8 GB cache.

GPU wise, it is backed up with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics chip with 4 GB GDDR5. The laptop’s screen is 15.6 inches full-screen HD, with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It has anti-glare and LED-backlit features. In addition, the performance and graphics are suitable for other games.

This laptop already has the Windows 10 64-bit pre-installed, with a 2-in-1 card reader, 802.11 ac wireless LAN, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.2, and dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz. It has the same power as all other Dell gaming laptops, but it doesn’t have a look that will stand out in public places.

Must Read: Best GTX 1050 Ti

Pros 

• It has a quick startup
• It is easy to operate
• Windows 10 64-bit comes pre-installed.
• Affordable price

Cons  

• It does not have many viewing angles.

 

10. Lenovo 320-15ABR Laptop

This laptop has a Quad Core processor of 2.7 GHz and can climb up to 3.6 GHz, which is among the best choices for virtual cycling. Its AMD Radeon R7 graphics makes everything run smoothly, with a better look at all times.

Windows 10 64-bit comes pre-installed on the laptop, all you need to do is install the Zwift app. Its 15.6-inch screen supports a maximum resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, and it is LED backlit for energy efficiency.

This laptop has the ability to multitask, and this is due to its 8 GB system memory and a high bandwidth RAM. This helps to run all apps and programs smoothly if you are someone who opens multiple tabs at the same time.

It has an integrated graphics chipset that has a shared memory so that you will have a crisp image quality for movies, photos, internet browsing, gaming, etc. It has a Bluetooth 4.1 interface, a USB Type-C, and 2x USB 3.0 ports. It also supports MultiMedia card, SD, SDXC, SDHC card formats.

Pros  

• It has sharp images
• It is easy to use
• Great for multitasking

Cons   

•    The battery lasts only up to 2 hours.