Hardware Notes

Thought I would start a list of low end tablets that have been tested to have a very low lag when running the high FPS Apps and Widgets.To compare, I looked at the Analog Gauges (specifically the Tach, shift lights, speed limit colors) side by side with the SIM. My goal is to recommend those that are responsive enough to react to when you can't see the SIM's gauges.

This information is not to be considered an endorsement for any particular vendor, but the actual experience by me and others while using these devices. Prices were at the time of testing and have probably changed.

Note, some of these have very limited storage, so the thought process is you would dedicate them to SIMRacingApps. Your experience could differ, so please experiment and send me you feedback.

USB to Ethernet adapter

How good the WiFi modules are on these devices and the signal strength of your own router, plays a big part on the ability of these devices to respond without significant lag. I also tested using a USB to Ethernet adapter instead of WiFi and got rid of almost all the lag on the slower devices. WiFi is the biggest culprit of lag. Not all devices supports an adapter, so check for compatibility first. The adapter I tested can be found here, http://plugable.com/products/usb2-otge100. The adapter uses the same port that charges the device. So, having a fully charged battery before each race is critical.

Short-Circuit VM70

It is not a tablet, but a 7 inch VGA display. http://short-circuit.com/product/VM70.html If you have an extra VGA port on your video card, this is the best option. Has no lag. Touch Screen doesn't work on Windows. Drivers were designed for custom applications in cars.

WinBook from Microcenter.com (7 inch starting at $69)

http://www.microcenter.com/product/439773/TW700_Tablet_-_Black

This is the low end 7 inch version, which I use (IE Edge) every day dedicated to SIMRacingApps only. IE Edge is actually more responsive than Chrome on this tablet. On Win8 Edge also goes full screen by default. I also have the TW801 8 inch version on Win10, which works well also except Edge doesn't have a full screen option.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Quad Core or better (7 inch starting at $150)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834131763

Reported by a BETA tester that primarily uses the CrewChief-Large and Dash-BarGauges Apps. He says it works well on the 10.1 inch version ($280). He uses the "Stay Alive" app to keep it from sleeping. Although, WiFi worked fine at my house with this device, my tester has significant lag. The USB to Ethernet adapter does work with this device.

AZPEN A700 (7 inch starting at $25)

Was very slow on all tests. WiFi eventually died. I do not recommend.

AZPEN A745 (7 inch starting at $39)

http://www.microcenter.com/product/448360/A745_Tablet

Stock browser will not display SVG tags used by the gauges, needed to download Chrome. This tablet has significant lag for the faster widgets like the Tach and PitRoad and ShiftLights. Worked a lot better using a USB to Ethernet Adapter and turning off WiFi. Seems to be fine for Crew Chief and other Apps that don't need the fast refresh rates. Loading time was 35 seconds over WiFi for the Dash-Small App, 10 seconds the second time I ran it.