Question / Help Is my 4790k not good enough for dedicated 1080p60fps encoding?

[TheNatural]

Howdy folks, I recently decided to use my previous gaming rig as my 2nd PC for my stream setup, and I have a few questions about 1080p60fps streaming to twitch.

Is my 4790k not beefy enough to perform the task? Today I did a few test streams to youtube gaming via a live event, and I noticed my CPU usage and overall stream quality weren't very nice with a 6000 bitrate and a faster preset.

I know that as the quality/fps of the stream increases, the hardware requirements also increase, but for some reason, I had no doubt in my mind that the 4790k could handle it.

I was hoping that a 2PC setup would make my worrying about stream quality a thing of the past, but it appears it's not the case so far.

Thanks.

EDIT: I can do a test stream first thing in the morning and post a log if need be.

 

[DeadOctopi]

Just sitting here to hear any results, I have that same processor, just curious.

 

[MrBayeasy]

Try doing a baseline reading to see if the problem is there across all levels of 1080p streaming.

Rate Control: CBR
Bitrate: 6000
CPU Preset: Very Fast
Profile: Main

See if that works, if not I would slowly decrease the CPU preset going to superfast, then ultrafast just as a test to see where the encoding error stops popping up. If those work then I'd recommend setting it back to veryfast and lowering the bitrate in increments of 1000 until it stops happening (this is less likely than CPU preset to make a difference but its worth a shot to help diagnose the problem).

I know that even though your processor is recent going any higher than very fast can cause problems even on the higher presets, this is true for even the latest gen i7 actually as its just that demanding. If your hoping on going any lower than very fast you'll need a CPU with more cores as that seems to be what OBS likes over IPC. When they give you the warning about CPU preset being extremely taxing on your system they aren't joking.

I haven't tested this yet on my personal rig, but I know that going any lower than "faster" on my ryzen 7 1700 produced an encoding error back when I was streaming and recording that stream at the same time with x264. I am currently using x264 to stream and h.264 to record the file at extreme quality. this effectively splits the workload up between the CPU and GPU producing a clean smooth stream and a high qualty smooth recording for post production.

If you are trying to record the game at the same time while streaming you might be having the same issue I was having back in the day, if you are you can try my solution. If not and you're just streaming then just worry about messing around with your CPU Preset and Bitrate.

Hope that helps! +)

 

[TheNatural]

Just sitting here to hear any results, I have that same processor, just curious.

After doing some more research this morning, it appears that on a preset slower than veryfast, this processor will not be ideal for 1080p60fps encoding. The requirements are just that high.

 

[TheNatural]

Try doing a baseline reading to see if the problem is there across all levels of 1080p streaming.

Rate Control: CBR
Bitrate: 6000
CPU Preset: Very Fast
Profile: Main

See if that works, if not I would slowly decrease the CPU preset going to superfast, then ultrafast just as a test to see where the encoding error stops popping up. If those work then I'd recommend setting it back to veryfast and lowering the bitrate in increments of 1000 until it stops happening (this is less likely than CPU preset to make a difference but its worth a shot to help diagnose the problem).

I know that even though your processor is recent going any higher than very fast can cause problems even on the higher presets, this is true for even the latest gen i7 actually as its just that demanding. If your hoping on going any lower than very fast you'll need a CPU with more cores as that seems to be what OBS likes over IPC. When they give you the warning about CPU preset being extremely taxing on your system they aren't joking.

I haven't tested this yet on my personal rig, but I know that going any lower than "faster" on my ryzen 7 1700 produced an encoding error back when I was streaming and recording that stream at the same time with x264. I am currently using x264 to stream and h.264 to record the file at extreme quality. this effectively splits the workload up between the CPU and GPU producing a clean smooth stream and a high qualty smooth recording for post production.

If you are trying to record the game at the same time while streaming you might be having the same issue I was having back in the day, if you are you can try my solution. If not and you're just streaming then just worry about messing around with your CPU Preset and Bitrate.

Hope that helps! +)

I'm not planning to locally record at the same time, just to get as clear of a stream as possible, at the highest quality possible. I have tried 1080p60fps but the results weren't fantastic iirc. I did a few tests with Divinity Original Sin 2, but that game isn't high motion enough to really test properly.

It's just unfortunate. I was hoping to future-proof myself a little bit by going to a 2 PC setup, but I was truly unaware of the height of the bar for 1080p60fps streaming.

 

[FerretBomb]

Your most powerful CPU should be in your encoding machine, in a 2PC setup. Just throwing in an old system you happen to have laying around will do you no favors, and is a ridiculously common mistake.
No, that CPU isn't going to be able to handle 1080@60 VF with any appreciable motion.

My recommendation would be to swap GPUs between PCs, and use your new machine as the encoder and the 4790 as the gaming system. Very few games will have needs that will overrun what a 4790k can deliver, and the updated CPU will very likely be able to handle the load that encoding incurs much more efficiently.

Doing local recordings using the stream encoder is a good way to test performance without going live, and to see what kind of quality you will be providing.

 

[MrBayeasy]

While Ferret is right I feel like that CPU would do you just fine at 1080p 60 with the veryfast preset. At that quality it is already really good, naturally if you really want to go higher than very fast just do what ferret says as the 4790k is more than enough for gaming especially with an overclock. Good luck!

 

[Mistah_Lonely]

Hello! I know this seem like an old post but I was just searching through to see if there’s any improvement I could do for my streaming pc with my 4790k but there isn’t, but I would like to put some information that I experience myself. As in 4 core and 8 threads cpu could do so much, at the very best I could do is 720p 60fps with medium preset, now that will run smoothly for me. Now I’m at a happy point using 1600x900 60fps with fast preset with my 4790k that is oc to 4.7ghz and it runs pretty damn good on stream, but you’ll barely see some blockage when your looking around pretty fast but the encoding will catch up quickly to make the stream quality better. Hope some of this information helps. If you want to see what kind of specs I have for my gaming and streaming rig, go to twitch.tv/mistah_lonely all the information is there.