Best Budget Graphics Card for recording in 4k

S

Scouser

New Member
Hi,

I am currently running some tests to see if I can get away without upgrading my graphics card which is very basic ( GT1030 ) no good for anything really !

My pc spec is pretty reasonable i7-10700 2.90Ghz 64Gb RAM 4TB ssd's I was hoping that 1080p recordings would suffice, but they don't hold up to my previous workflow which was recording direct to camera at 4k and then editing and downscaling on iPad to 1080. However using the pc would have some advantages over the previous method, but I don't want to drop a fortune to get something similar.

It seems Nvenc is essential for what I want to do and on this basis I have researched reasonable possibilities and wanted to get some feedback/ ideas from you, so far the best thing that matches my budget is GeForce RTX 3060 Windforce OC 12GB but I certainly want to be sure that something like this can do what I need it to before committing.

I also need to be sure that recording in 1080, (which I can currently do) with the best obs settings definitely wont match my previous recordings. So if anyone can tell me what those obs settings would look like I would be very grateful

Thanks
 
Thanks so much for your reply, as much as I would like the 5060 it's probably out of budget there is a 8Gb version that I might be able to stretch to, but I thought the one I mentioned being 16Gb would handle things ok. It's just for recording guitar lessons so nothing that demanding...
 
Also wanted to check that whatever I decide to go with, is it rare for the cards mentioned to become redundant when updates come along, I want something that would be futureproofed, if that makes sense...
 
Your not doing all that much so go with the 3060. Just make sure you have at least a couple of weeks to return it so you can install it/test & make sure it does what you want.
 
Was thinking of buying a used one with 4 year warranty but don't know how returns will work ? Will have to check...
 
Scouser said:
I am currently running some tests to see if I can get away without upgrading my graphics card which is very basic ( GT1030 ) no good for anything really !
Click to expand...
I believe a key issue in your scenario is that 1030 does NOT have NVENC (ie dedicated Encode circuits), which is what you want to avoid CPU overload (use GPU encode offload) as I suspect you already figured out.
As you noted, working in 4K, and doing GPU offload means NVENC, and more VRAM is needed. I often use DaVinci Resolve recommendations as a good starting point for GPU VRAM recommendations. You'll see 8GB VRAM listed as bare minimum for 4K real-time video editing with 12-16GB being recommended (though Resolve, I'd assume, will use more VRAM than OBS Studio). FWIW

A thought occurs to me... OBS Studio is great for real-time compositing... but for Recording, then later editing, other tools offer far more features (and associated complexity). You usually don't need OBS Studio to simply capture incoming video... though you can. Sort of like taking picture in JPEG for later editing... where shooting in RAW provides great dynamic range and other benefits. BUT, requires more 'horsepower' for editing. Similar applies to video, depending on what your workflow looks like. Beware that multi-step lossy video re-encoding has similar effect to VHS multi generational tape copies (ie copy of a copy) from decades ago. IF you are going to be editing recorded video, you usually want to work with highest quality to start, make all edits off original footage, then encode the output only once. At first blush, capturing in OBS Studio (usually in a lossy format) then editing (re-encoding) later, means a generational loss of image quality... just food for thought.

For multi 1080p30 NDI cameras, we use i7-10700k and 1660 Super. No 4K inputs. I also have a separate OS vs Data SSDs. and other OS optimizations.

Other key considerations, when you say future-proofing
- That CPU/system is 5+ years old... and real-time video work is computationally demanding... so, as much as now is a bad time due to memory prices, I wouldn't expect the PC to be 'future-proof' in any sense for this type of work as that CPU/PC is approaching its end-of-life. Mind you, I just got a new workstation, replacing a 15yr old system... so the PC is fine for lots of other stuff... and with OS and workflow optimizations, I'm sure could last for years... There can be a trade-off in buying faster gear vs spending time to figure out optimizations and workarounds... up to you in terms of the value of your time, and available budget...
- Beware codec support for future looking purchase. Many streaming delivery networks use H.264 due to licensing mess of H.265. But with AV1 now in place, and I'd expect to be more common, and AV1 encoding requirements are MUCH more demanding.. so if you want a GPU to move to next PC, and it be capable of AV1 encoding, that will be a specific requirement which will exclude many non-current generations GPUs (and beware 1st gen models (RTX 40xx) that supported AV1... until you've done your research to know the details and whether drivers resolved issues, or if next gen GPU hardware recommended for AV1.. I don't know specifically, just a general IT industry caution)

considering market conditions, sometimes it makes sense to get what you need now (and only that) with an expectation to buy a replacement sooner than later (as I did with my recent workstation a couple of months ago ... it is NOT what I wanted to get... but it will be much less costly in long run to get what I did, and wait 2 years and then get what I really want due to huge price premiums for what I want)
 
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