So I came to the disheartning conclusion that my PC just wont cut it anymore without some sort of a make over. I'm looking to be able to stream my gameplay while playing Black Ops2, COD4, League of Legends, and as I said above I realised yesterday when I tried to stream a game of black ops 2 that my pc is just not able to handle the strain of streaming and gaming.
My current specs are:
CPU: i3 2120 (stock cooler as can't do Sweet F'#k ALL OC with this cpu)
mobo: socket 1155
RAM: 8GB 1333 DDR3
GFX: GTX560 OC (not ti)
SSD: 120 Samsung
HD: 500 gb standard sata 2
PSU: 750 crosair
Monitor: Asus 120Hz 3d Monitor
Net Connection (relevant for streaming I suppose): 100MB down and 6-7 Upload
I'm thinking I have at least a decent basis here that I can work on, the motherboard isn't too bad and I think if I replace the cpu with a i5 of some sort I will see considerable difference. Usually I'm not uncertain in what to by as I keep up to date on the new shindig but in this case I would like advice from someone with experience with streaming as to what is most important for a streaming system. aka CPU / GPU etc. For the upgrade I will be buying myself the suggested parts for crimbo (christmas :D).
It's probably worth a mention that I can sell my PC (without SSD) for 550 Euro to a friend , and then add on maybe 300 - 400 extra to build an entirely new system.
Anyway, input advice or free slippers would be welcome and much appriciated!
That rig should be able to stream @ 480p, anything higher you will need to upgrade that cpu. If you plan on streaming 720p to 1080p you will need atleast a i5 with some mild overclocking. Streaming is very cpu intensive due to software not being opimised to render and not using the gpu. You can get better proformance out of streaming if you use programs like dxtory with the streaming program like xslipt or ffsplit or Open Broadcasting software. If you would like furture help with setting up dxtory and a streaming program shoot me a email or just say so and ill post here.
So its as I expected the CPU is the main bottleneck in all this. I think I'll go ahead and purchase an i5 as soon as possible, what would you rate above the other the i5 2500k / i5 3570? I have already setup dxtory and used xslipt, ffsplit and obs, but maybe I could use some help in terms of setting bitrates and such. I'll definitely be on to you once i get my cpu!
If you can get the 2500K cheaper then the 3570K get that, it also overclocks better since it runs cooler. But if you cant get a hold of that you will be fine with the 3570K its good for render to so will help with the streaming. 2500K = better overclocker 3570K = better render tech out of the box overclocks mild.
I just spoke to some streamer guys and they seem to be of strong opinion that I must go with an i7 rather than an i5 as it isnt sufficient enough to stream. They suggest If i go with an i5 I will need a Capture Card aswell in order to get decent streaming capabilties. Is this your opinion also? I don't really want to splash out an extra 100 euro just for the sake of some hyperthreading. Now I'm split between i7 2600k or i5 3570k, my motherboard is h77 chipset so I'm pretty sure I am limited either way to the overclocking capabailtiies, I think I can just change the multiplier and get each to around 3.9 Ghz.
Hell a i7 will be better. But you will be able to do it with a a i5. Not to get into im right there right discussion but im on the dev team for Open Broadcasting Software and we made it so it would work being on medium strength systems, we bench test the program on i5's as well as midrange AMD chips. If you have the money by all means get the i7 but its runs today on a slightly over clocked i5 and the software is in Alpha so there is alot more improvements and optimizations to come.
Im all about getting the most out of your hardware. I think a 2500K i5 as a base anything above that is extra head room.
Great thats good news and I appriciate the input! I'll go with the i5 then as I would naturally prefer to get better bang for buck than paying out my nose for some extra head room :D