PCIe Capture Cards, CPU load etc.

[stuckstuck]

I hope I'm posting this in the right place.
So I've been thinking of buying a capture card (PCIe), but before I actually go buy one I want to just make sure that what I'm thinking is actually the case.
So.. I want to live stream gameplay, the CPU load gets hefty because it's juggling resources with the stream as well as the actual game I'm playing.
My question to you guys is, will a PCIe capture card take up the CPU load off my computer (The streaming live encoding stuff), giving my computer (CPU) the freedom to concentrate on the game?
This is the capture card I'm interested in, will this do exactly what I'm hoping it will do?

 

[Lava King]

I gather that you are playing a PC-based game and live streaming on the same PC? If so, then the capture card will not help in any way.

The function of a capture card is to capture the video/audio feed from a console, or a separate PC. It will have no effect if the game is played on the same PC that the capture card is installed in.

No matter the source, the gameplay will have to be encoded by the streaming PC. Your encoding settings can be tweaked to find the right balance between stream quality and CPU load.

 

[stuckstuck]

The function of a capture card is to capture the video/audio feed from a console, or a separate PC. It will have no effect if the game is played on the same PC that the capture card is installed in.

Could you explain to me why me having the PCIe capture card installed in my gaming rig wouldn't make the difference I thought it was going to make?
Why does it have to be used from another source (in my case another PC) in order for it to go do it's thing?

 

[Lava King]

The sole purpose of a capture card is to bring an external Audio/Video signal into a PC. If the signal is already digital (such as from an HDMI connection) then it mostly passes the signal through with very little processing.

When you are playing a game on your PC, the game's Audio/Video ALREADY exists in your PC as a digital signal. Your broadcast software (OBS, X-Split, etc) intercepts that digital signal and processes it to meet the requirements of the Streaming Site. In this case, the Capture Card may present an ADDITIONAL load to your CPU.

However, if you intend to use the "Direct Streaming" function of the Capture Card, you may reduce your CPU load very slightly. Additionally, if you have a recent generation Nvidia GPU, it can directly stream to many Streaming Sites using Shadowplay without the need for a Capture Card.

Be aware, however, that the Direct Streaming methods will not allow such niceties as overlays, face-cam, voice-over and the like. Only the content generated by the game will be streamed.

Which game do you wish to stream and what Streaming Site are you planning on using?

 

[stuckstuck]

Which game do you wish to stream and what Streaming Site are you planning on using?

Just twitch. I guess what I want would just require me to get a really powerful CPU so I can game seemlessly along with a quality looking stream, all in one computer.

 

[Lava King]

Your i7-920 should be more than up to the challenge of streaming to Twitch.

I streamed Borderlands 2 at 720p 30fps using a Core 2 Quad X9650 with 4 GB RAM. On that same PC, the game was being played at 1920x1200 on a GTX 780. The CPU utilization never dropped below 90%, but the stream quality was good and there were no dropped frames.

As I mentioned before, tweaking your stream settings will give you a good balance between stream quality and CPU use.

Targets to aim for: 720p, 30fps, 2.5Kbps or lower. Exceeding those parameters will make your stream very pretty, but may exclude viewers with low-bandwidth connections or with data caps (and those on mobile).

I'm at work right now, so I can't elaborate any further. If you have any specific questions, ask away!

My Twitch channel: twitch.tv/dimensiondude

Not very active at the moment (as far a broadcasting goes) but I plan to remedy that soon.

Let me know your Twitch name and I'll check out your channel.

 

[stuckstuck]

Targets to aim for: 720p, 30fps, 2.5Kbps or lower. Exceeding those parameters will make your stream very pretty, but may exclude viewers with low-bandwidth connections or with data caps (and those on mobile).

wh-, I just looked at your twitch page and saw on your specs that you're rocking a fat hefty i7-5960X.
Don't talk to me.
Yeah Im going for an easy 720p 60fps, 'easy'. Without having to sacrifice gameplay graphics etc. AT. ALL.
Whilst streaming I wouldn't want to turn everything down so that the stream looks okay, I want everything to look great, for the viewers as well as myself.

 

[Lava King]

My hardware isn't a secret, it's in "My System Specs" here on SF

I understand your goals, and they are good goals. I have seen game streams with such poor quality video that I wondered why they even bothered. Getting your broadcast software settings JUST RIGHT can give you a good result without compromising your integrity.

Don't overlook the importance of good audio if you intend to talk on-stream. I mean GOOD AUDIO. The bandwidth limited microphones on most headsets sound like crap. Excessive background noise (TV, radio, screaming family members) will put people off your stream just as fast as poor video quality. I will leave a stream (without comment) if there are excessive "thumps" because the mic stand is not isolated from the table/desk (I always use a sub-woofer) or if there are "pops" and "crackles" from poor connections.

An alternative streaming method: Use 2 PCs. Get a cheap, used PC and install a capture card. Play the game on your good PC, the second PC will capture and stream. It should be cheaper than building a "monster" PC. I'm unsure what the lowest spec PC would be for streaming.

 

[stuckstuck]

Way ahead of you with the audio.
And here's the thing with the 2-PC setup, the room.
That's the reason why I'm going for the "All-in-one" solution, the only thing really is my CPU, in fact that's the ONLY thing.
The irony is that if I go ahead with the new CPU I would need to change the motherboard because of the different CPU socket, and also the RAM aswell because the CPU only accept DDR4 memory.

P.S. The specs shown in my SF acc is out-dated.