CPU + GPU recommendation please. (I know this has been asked a 1000 times, sorry)

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Witty4ever

Member
Dear OBS enthusiasts,

I am putting money where my mouth is today, and intend on ordering a used R7 3700X to replace my R5 3600, and to replace my RX 580, I am bouncing between a new RX 6600 (or there abouts) and an RTX 3060 (or there abouts). I am using a B550 Aorus Pro AC mobo (AM4).
I am looking for a used CPU, and new GPU, and my total budget is £300 (UK).

Now... I only want to record two FHD/4K cameras with OBS in high quality, so only encoding, no streaming/gaming. So far with my setup, I've been forced to use a beta version of OBS 28, as anything else later than that appeared to cause camera display stutter after a few minutes. I want to be able to use an up-to-date OBS, and record two cameras (using the source-record filter) without any issues.

I have always owned AMD cards, so I don't feel a need to jump to Nivida if an AMD card will perfectly suit my usage requiements. However, if I am likely to experience less in the way of bugs and video glitches using an Nvida card, then that is something I need to consider.

The CPUs are going for around £65 at the moment, which is a low price for a big gain.

What can you advise me based on my usage?

Much grateful.
 
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rockbottom

Active Member
If your CPU isn't being stressed now, better to leave it. The 3700X is only going to be roughly 20% uplift over the 3600 with no gain on single thread workloads. Swapping out the 580 for the 3060 will give you the most bang for the buck.
 
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Witty4ever

Member
I wanted to play "Pools" and it's asking for a Ryzen 7. I see a lot of games now asking for higher than an R5. Maybe I should do GPU first and see how it goes. Is an AMD card not worth it then? Thanks.
 
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rockbottom

Active Member
"Now... I only want to record two FHD/4K cameras with OBS in high quality, so only encoding, no streaming/gaming. So far with my setup, I've been forced to use a beta version of OBS 28, as anything else later than that appeared to cause camera display stutter after a few minutes. I want to be able to use an up-to-date OBS, and record two cameras (using the source-record filter) without any issues."

The requirement has changed since this morning? Anyway, I would test it now, if the CPU isn't stressed, don't bother.

They're OK but when it comes to the encoding side of things, it's a slam dunk.
 
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Witty4ever

Member
Chewed Up
rockbottom said:
The requirement has changed since this morning?
Click to expand...
I never said I wasn't a gamer, I'm just not a game-streamer. It would be "nice" to sort out the CPU at the same time, so it stays a bit closer to recommended requirements on Steam games for the coming years. Pools and Alan Wake 2 are a couple of games asking for a Ryzen 7 series, and I assume it's for good reason. I am just unsure whether to stick with AMD or not, as I will not be gaming + streaming with OBS. Just want to record my two cameras with it.

Hope you get me now.

Thanks for your input.
 
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rockbottom

Active Member
I based my recommendation on what was written in post 1. Gaming changes the requirement but like I said there's not much difference between the 2 CPU's. Those games may only run on a single thread or they may be multi-threaded. If they are single threaded, there will be basically no performance difference as far as the games are concerned & if you already have enough headroom to run OBS without lag the upgrade may not be needed.
 
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rockbottom

Active Member
How about a 5700X? Prices seem to be reasonable ($150.00 on this side on the pond) but not sure what they are in the UK. It offers a nice bump on singled threaded performance over the 3600/3700x & will be a great match for a 3060.
 
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Witty4ever

Member
rockbottom said:
How about a 5700X? Prices seem to be reasonable ($150.00 on this side on the pond) but not sure what they are in the UK. It offers a nice bump on singled threaded performance over the 3600/3700x & will be a great match for a 3060.
Click to expand...
Just cost really. I was planning on staying on the R5 originally and upgrading to the 5600, so an R7 3700x feels like a significant jump. I can get a Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 WINDFORCE OC V2 for £254 right now on Amazon. It has 12 gb vram, but there is a "gaming" version for £50 more. Should I go for the windforce? It's shorter in length and less power hungry than the RX 580, so better that than going the other way. I read the gaming version is a "large card" and my case is medium size. So much info to take in! https://amzn.eu/d/0nZkL06
 
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Witty4ever

Member
Forget that, the gaming version has 3 fans which is too long. Hmm, I can get the Windforce 8gb version for £249 from Amazon direct, or get the 12gb version for £254 from their 3rd party sellter - it has "Amazon's choice". 12 gb good over 8 gb?
 
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Witty4ever

Member
So I purchased the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 WINDFORCE OC dual fan 12gb for £258. Weird there are hardly any reviews for it. Hope it works out OK with the lastest OBS, Regarding the CPU, I think I should get one with iGPU in case the card packs up.
 
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rockbottom

Active Member
Cool. I have a Windforce GTX-1650 in my NAS, no complaints.

I can confirm that Intel iGPU's work great with OBS but no idea if AMD stuff is working correctly yet. I know it was buggy some time back but I try to avoid threads with just AMD stuff as much as possible since I have no way of testing.
 
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Witty4ever

Member
Yeah, I heard that too about the intel cpu. "The grass is always greener" as they say. Not sure I can use an intel on my board anyway.

A lot of their cards are coming with three fans, but I didn't want to pull out my pc and take measurements, so stuck with the two-fan setup. Also, while three fans are supposed to be quieter, the more fans, the more chances of one going bad/noisy. I strapped two Noctua fans to my RX580 because of the unbearable fan noise. However, since discovering Bose noise-cancelling headphones, it's made (or shoud make) the issue almost non-existent, at least for gaming. My pc case is lacking in exhaust fans, so the Noctua fans will get a new job.

The new card is only 200cm long, and it's going to double the framerate of the RX 580. Wow! I believe I made the right choice as I want to have a better experience with Blender and OBS. Blender won't use the RX 580 at all. Still a good card though, buy only for gaming.
Cheers for the interation and chewing of ideas.
 
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rockbottom

Active Member
Nope, AMD only.

Not a good idea, should have confirmed clearance before ordering. Measure twice, order once. Hopefully it doesn't need to go back to a 3rd party seller.

It will be a huge improvement.
 
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Witty4ever

Member
Got it direct from Amazon. I believe I can register with Gigabyte to get the full 3 year warranty.

The new card will be smaller than the current XFX RX580. I am not interested in the triple fans (gaming version I think), so no need to disturb all my cables to check length. I built a little wooden shelter for the PC case, so it's all a bit tight and access not so easy.
 
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rockbottom

Active Member
Gotcha, smaller than the existing, that works. Amazon has a good return policy but sometimes the 3rd party sellers don't that's all. Gigabyte registration is easy & will confirm the GPU is the real deal. Do it before installing.

Agreed, just more noise & another fan that can fail. Most of the time the fans on my 3090 don't run at all, there's enough air circulating through my case to keep it well below 60c when they automatically kick on.
 
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Witty4ever

Member
I almost fell for their extended warranty for an extra £20. Did some more reading, and realised I still get 3 years if I register with Gigabyte. I can understand why people get that 3 year cover to save them from dealing with the manufacturer. I like to save pennies, so I'll deal with Gigabyte if I need to. Amazon only offer 1 year I believe at base price. Glad you agree about the triple fans.

One last question: Who should I get the driver from: Gigabyte or Nvidia?
 
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rockbottom

Active Member
Electronics will arrive DOA more often then fail during the warranty period. The only time I'll even think about getting an extended warranty is when it's offered directly from the manufacturer. Anyway, the extended warranty would not have kicked in until the manufacturers warranty expired (year 4), at least that's the way it works where I live.

Nvidia
 
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rockbottom

Active Member
Some steps to help make life easier.

Download your Nvidia driver & DDU before you even open the case.
Disconnect the PC from the internet
DDU old driver while RX580 is still installed, ***follow DDU directions***
Shutdown & disconnect PC from power outlet
After replacement, install new Nvidia driver before connecting PC to the internet.

Good luck!

 
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Witty4ever

Member
Will do. Should arrive Thursday, but Amazon often deliver a day earlier. Can you refresh my memory as to how I make sure OBS uses the new card fully? Is it in the recording tab, or will it be automatic if I run the configuration wizard?
I could not find any video reviews for this card. Is it because it's new? I don't know what the "eagle" was, but it looked the same.
 
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