Will a separate video card make a big difference?

[JDWood]

I'm not terribly happen with the quality of our live stream. (Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AioGCJrbBAM); it just doesn't seem crisp except for the PowerPoint slides which is just the feed from the second monitor.

Hardware: Dell Optiplex 5070 I5-9600 SSD 16GB, built in Intel UHD graphics, Pengo HDMI to USB-C adapters. CPU is running ~50%. If I splurge for a new computer (I can't add a 'real' video card to the Optiplex 5070 because of both space and way too small power supply) will an i7 and NVIDIA 1650 Super make a big difference in quality? It looks like I can get a iBuyPower i7 with a 1650 for $999.

Any opinions and ideas most appreciated.

latest log: https://obsproject.com/logs/Vl-gpv_S6VzwA9I3

 

[koala]

If the full screen view is from a webcam, this webcam doesn't seem to output real 1920x1080 material - it seems upscaled and in the proccess not as sharp as the "how to wear a mask" part of the screenshot. As long as your sources don't output sharp material, no GPU in the world is able to make it more crisp.

 

[JDWood]

Thanks for the reply. I agree, garbage in = garbage out.

In this case the wide shot is from a Canon Vivixa 700, the podium shot is a from a Canon Vivixa 400 and the piano shot is from a Canon Vivixa 100, all using the HDMI output built into the camcorders. From the beginning of COVID (~March) we videoed 2 services a week using these same cameras and uploaded the videos each Sunday. From about July on we went to live streaming as editing the videos was a significant amount of work.

My initial though was that I had two options: get better camcorders or tweak something to increase the quality of the live stream.

 

[TheChadMoore]

I'm in a similar situation as you.

With my YouTube and Google research, i'll need to get a new computer to ensure no lagging or blurryness in the livestreams. The lagging is more off-putting than the blurryness.

Either I have to meticulously look for a "workstation" from the common computer brands, look into the more higher end "gamer PC" brands, or look into getting a custom one built. There's many online sites that do it. I went to powergpu.com and emailed them for a quote for a system that would not lag and the video would be clear. The system they quoted me was a little under $1300.

That looks steep, but it's the only way to ensure crisp video and it not by ruined by the extreme lagging stream due to the GPU/graphics card. As you can see, I clearly have PTSD over the lagging.

It probably won't be until Jan or Feb until I can get one, but I feel like It's worth the investment.

 

[JDWood]

I am (thankfully) not seeing lag issues, but clarity is my issue.

My youngest daughter is getting married today (a 'micro' wedding) so I used this as an excuse to buy a Sony XA-45 (a 4K camera), currently about $750 USD. I replaced the Canon Vixia 700 with the Sony and live streamed a practice Thursday night; the difference is remarkable.

http://silvertrumpetfilms.com/SBC-Misc/CameraCompare.mp4

If I wasn't using three Vixia cameras I'd say the 700 is just defective, perhaps dropped on a concrete floor which caused the fuzzy picture. I don't know why all three Vixia produce a fuzzy picture. Note: CPU usage was ~30% with just one camera as opposed to ~50% with 3 Vixia camera, so I think I'm limited to one 'good' camera on my i5 system that does not have a high-end video card.

We are going to try a single camera setup on Sunday with gradual zoom in/zoom out for the two shots we need, perhaps putting up a slide or something in OBS for the two times we need to change.

Bottom line: in my case, a decent camera made all the difference; OBS is doing just fine.