Question / Help 2nd PC setup for Streaming Spec Help

[Tyler Puryear]

Hi, I'm considering getting a second pc just as a streaming pc and I would like to know if anyone knows what OBS system requirements would technically be. Specifically looking at what kind of CPU or GPU would be good for streaming say 720 @ 60fps?

What I was looking at is either a small 14-15" laptop to have that way I can carry it around with me if I stream from a different room or at a friends place. (and yes I know that laptops aren't "ideal" but I play and stream on a MacBook Pro and I haven't had any issues whatsoever except the black screen issue, in the beginning, and occasionally a dropped frame or two here and there on certain games but overall it has done just fine!) So if I got a laptop I was curious as to what is a decent one, spec wise, specifically only to run OBS.

Now I am also considered building a desktop, instead, with a case I already have ready to house as big a motherboard as a mATX and I was considering the Intel Pentium G3258, and yes it is dual core but very very overclockable with some impressive readouts. And really it is just as good as some of the 4 core i5's.....and it is remarkably cheaper. I also didn't know what would be recommended as far as a graphics card or integrated graphics? My current gaming rig is a 750 and runs games and obs just fine, in most cases, so something like a 730 or 600 nvidia range? And couldn't a 5000+ series integrated graphics handle it too?

There isn't an official system requirements list as far as I could find so I was just curious as to what setup, both laptop or desktop would be recommended.....and not really subjectively but objectively.

Thanks! :)

 

[FerretBomb]

720@60? Assuming you're streaming to Twitch and are a Partnered caster (non-partners don't realistically have the bitrate available to run 60fps while minimizing viewer buffering) a high-end i5 or older i7 would work. My i7-920 can do 720@60 or 1080@30 on Veryfast for most games. Higher motion though = higher load.
If you're not a partner, 720p@30fps, 2000kbps is the recommended 'golden point' maximum.

If the second system is encoding-only, integrated graphics should work, so long as they're reasonably modern and fully support the DX10 spec (as required by OBS). A number of Intel ones say they do, but don't actually.

Ideal for a portable encoding/streaming machine would be something like a Shuttle or other mini-ATX motherboard with 3-4 PCIe slots. 2 for a dedicated GPU allowing on-system gaming, and an internal capture card for consoles. Possibly a second cap for a dedicated camera capture, depending on how serious you plan to have your setup be. At that point it could still nicely fit in a 'luggable' LAN-party-oriented case, to keep it portable.

The G3258 isn't going to work. Full stop. It's out-and-out a budget chip. While it's great value for price, and CAN keep up with an i5 in single or double threaded applications like standalone gaming, real-time video encoding will use EVERY core you can give it, and will crush tiny inexpensive chip like ant. No matter how much you turn the dial to 11, it just doesn't have the wubs. You get what you pay for, in this case, for this specific usage.


A modern i5 can pull off 720@60fps with some work before they generally run out of steam.
An i7 (a real one, none of this 2-core mobile/low-end nonsense) will really benefit though, allowing the use of slower presets. Slower the preset = better compression = more CPU is used = the better your stream will look at a given bitrate. It's not a magic bullet, but it's quite noticeable polish.

One reason there's no minimum-requirement list. There are lots of variables to consider, and how well your system is set up (hardware and software-wise) can make a major difference too. Closest you can really get is a rule of thumb ballpark, then put it together and test/tweak.

 

[Tyler Puryear]

Alright I gotcha, that's what I thought but I just wanted some confirmation. I'll figure out a setup, post some specs and see if you think that is good enough for 720 @ 30 as a baseline!

thanks pal.

 

[FaHu]

Get a i7 4790k with a graphicscard around nvidea 680gtx and 8-16gig ddr3 ram for a good streaming system probably windows 8.1 or windows 10 for best performance use

Streaming in good quality without gameplay problems cost a lot of money and a lot of time to fix problems. Which you will get with dual system so look to have +1000€ to get all you need.

 

[Jack0r]

For a dedicated streaming box the i7 is not generally needed unless you want to do some crazy presets or high resolutions. GPU wise you can often work with the onboard graphics card and dont need a dedicated one, again unless you want to do crazy stuff. RAM wise you need at max the usual 4GB I would recommend anyone to get nowadays (2x2GB for dual channel if you use the onboard graphic). Streaming and OBS especially does not need much ram.
If you get a laptop, as Ferret already mentioned, make sure to NOT get the most power saving one you can :)

 

[Tyler Puryear]

I agree Jack0r....FaHu, for that cpu I could easily stream and game on that same system... an i5 will do just fine for a stream only PC.

 

[GillyMoMo]

Or if you really want budget, go with an AMD 8xxx series. These bode well for encoding as well. I run Linux on and use NVENC from my gaming so that it can transcode to Twitch and Youtube (if I so desire). I also have an i5 4670K rig that is also capable of doing the same. So you have many many options about here. Feel free to check out my distro preconfigured for a second box to do the transcoding for you.

 

[FaHu]

Nvenc has less quality and the graphicscard arent really able to stream and playing in the most of the time

 

[FaHu]

I agree Jack0r....FaHu, for that cpu I could easily stream and game on that same system... an i5 will do just fine for a stream only PC.

No i5 isnt enough. I know what im talking. Even the i7 2600k overclocked cant stream higher than 720@60fps very fast preset as a streaming pc with nvidea 680gtx and 16gig ram on windows 8.1

 

[Harold]

That assessment of the i5 is based on what?

 

[Cryonic]

For the second PC even the i5 would be a bit overkill, but thats the good midrange if you stick with Intel.
i7 is needed if you want to play and stream on the same rig, not with a 2 PC setup...

 

[FaHu]

Cryonic i test it. Ylu get problems

 

[Cryonic]

Cryonic i test it. Ylu get problems

Do it. You will be suprised how well that stuff works on pretty low end CPUs.

If you dont go balls to the wall with the settings, you will not need an i5 or higher. Sure you can build a dual socket server system with 24 cores and then have fun with the encoding on the highest possible settings, but nobody needs that >.<

 

[FaHu]

I did it still i upgrade my streaming system from i7 2600 k oc (4,1) too i7 4790k, because i get problems if i set anything higher than 720p60fps with very fast preset. And as a streaming pc it is for sure not strong enough. If you want reach a better quality ;)

 

[FaHu]

You forgot something to think about. If you streaming live you have also in the most time a webcam running too. Which cost also more cpu usage. Every other stuff need too more cpu usage

 

[Cryonic]

You forgot something to think about. If you streaming live you have also in the most time a webcam running too. Which cost also more cpu usage. Every other stuff need too more cpu usage

You forget about the SECOND PC - this system will recieve a videofeed, per LAN or with a capture card and then encode it. In the first case, no webcam or anything else will eat up the performance, this is just a pure linux system running Nginx with transcoding settings and multiple paths if needed (to split the videofeed and use multiple rtmp servers).
There is NOTHING that causes extra load next to the encoder. And believe me, even old quadcores like my old Phenom II X4 965BE would do the job good enough.

 

[FaHu]

The capturecard doesnt decrease the cpu usage. Obs still have to decode the input

 

[FaHu]

I still used a streaming pc and single pc for streaming with different hardware and tests. I stream since 3 years and see a huge different between the cpu usage in the past and today. Older cpu work less good now adays

 

[Cryonic]

I still used a streaming pc and single pc for streaming with different hardware and tests. I stream since 3 years and see a huge different between the cpu usage in the past and today. Older cpu work less good now adays

Yeah sure. But i can tell you that encoding on a second PC doesnt need that much power. Even a pretty old setup can do that.
I use the i7 5820K @ 4,5Ghz to get the best quality out of a single PC setup, just because i wanted it and the power bill here in Germany is pretty high - so in the long term its cheaper to run a single powerful system than 2 smaller rigs doing the same job.

 

[GillyMoMo]

Nvenc has less quality and the graphicscard arent really able to stream and playing in the most of the time

You must not have read what I said then. You can use NVENC at a high bit rate to the 2nd PC. The 2nd PC (as stated above) To do all the hard work of getting your stream to Twitch. But you have a 4790K with Quick sync I might add, you really don't need a 2nd PC at all.