I need help to record crashing PC for warranty RMA.

[MarkJohnson]

I stupidly bought an Alienware (R10) PC from Dell and it has so many random issues every time I send it in for RMA repair, They send it back unrepaired and they say it is fine.

So I want to use OBS to record from my Alienware PC to my i3-12100 Intel system that I also use for a FreeNAS backup server.

I have added 2 SSDs to the Intel plus an Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2 capture card and I installed Windows 11 Pro. I have a 256GB SSD for only windows 11 pro, and a 2TB SSD for recording OBS videos.

Everything seemed fine at first, but there is no sound on my recordings.

Is there a simple way to enable me to record audio from my Dell to my Intel system?

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Uh... 3.5mm TRRS to 3.5mm TRRS cable... plug one end into Speaker output on Alienware, and other end into mic input on OBS recording system? but really depends on audio input options on OBS recording system (or whether you plan to get USB adapter)... or if Alienware can output audio over HDMI cable, and capture that on capture card...

 

[AaronD]

Uh... 3.5mm TRRS to 3.5mm TRRS cable... plug one end into Speaker output on Alienware, and other end into mic input on OBS recording system?

Gross level mismatch there. The speaker out is on the order of volts, and the mic input expects millivolts. Line-out to line-in would work, if they both exist. (just under 1 volt for both) Headphones often have the same voltage as line-out, only "stiffer" and less likely to shut down with a heavy load...and *sometimes* higher distortion too, if you *really* listen for it. A speaker out is usually higher voltage than line-out, so it's *only* suitable for literal speakers, that don't have their own amplifiers.

Of course it doesn't help that *all* of these signals use the exact same connector, and they're not always labelled well.

but really depends on audio input options on OBS recording system (or whether you plan to get USB adapter)... or if Alienware can output audio over HDMI cable, and capture that on capture card...

HDMI audio into a capture card that supports it, is probably the best bet. Skip the analog confusion altogether.

It'll probably appear as separate video and audio devices, so you'll need to bring them into OBS separately as well. OBS doesn't know that they're the same device.