Question / Help hi, I have a question about streaming.

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electrolights

New Member
I've used the estimator and it says that my 1 mb/s upload will work for 720p streaming, yet everyone I've asked who streams says I require at least 5. Is it safe to trust the estimator?

My specs are (waiting for them to arrive, or I would test it myself):
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Enermax ETS-T40-BK 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($177.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($185.66 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.98 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Enermax UCTVT12P 67.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($32.04 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Enermax UCTVT12P 67.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($32.04 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Cougar Vortex PWM 70.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($10.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake SMART 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ TigerDirect)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1182.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-06 01:08 EST-0500)
 
dodgepong

dodgepong

Administrator
Community Helper
Resolution and bit rate operate independently. You can stream at whatever bit rate and whatever resolution you want and it will still "work". The question, instead, is will it look good?

That depends on the content (how fast of motion it is), and what your opinion of "good" quality is. In my opinion, 1000kbps is too low for a 720p stream, and I usually recommend 2000kbps for 720p. If you can't go above 1000kbps, then i recommend 480p instead.
 
FerretBomb

FerretBomb

Active Member
Seconded. 1000kbps is quite a bit too low for 720p... especially if that is an ISP-quoted rate, and not a real-world rate. Run a 6MB test at http://testmy.net/upload and plan to only use about 1/2 to 3/4 of the returned rate at most.
An ISP-quoted 1mbps rate generally will only get you about 800kbps, so 600kbps. Might be enough for a 360p-480p stream.

My own minimum for a decent-quality 720@30 stream is 1500kbps (so 2mbps tested rate), preferably 2000kbps.

I'd also recommend against the i5; if you're doing a new build and intend to use it for livestreaming, an i7 is really the way to go. An i5 is decent enough for gaming alone, but falls by the wayside when real-time video encoding is added on the top. When you're already spending out on a streaming rig, cheaping out on one of the most important parts for livestreaming... is unwise.
 
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