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Guide to Streaming with 2 Computers (2PC Setup)
posted in Q/A Help
1
#1
0 Frags +

If you see this post and you have any questions, PM me on TFTV or on Twitch and I'll be happy to answer:
http://www.twitch.tv/message/compose?to=misterslin

I'm making this post because I know that Team Fortress 2 is one of the most CPU-intensive games to stream, and I want to describe one of the many ways that you could set up a 2 PC streaming setup. Hopefully you read this and find it to be helpful, and it might give you some ideas as to how you could make streaming more accessible for yourself.

Why do I need two computers to stream?
The short answer is, you don't. Streaming can quickly and easily be set up with one computer, and it will cost you less money to stream with one PC. The problem that many streamers face is that they get a lot of "mouse input lag" when playing video games. You'll find that while you're streaming, if your computer is not powerful enough, your game will lag and it will affect your performance. For some games, such as Hearthstone, this doesn't make a difference. Even though streaming is tough on your computer, it won't matter for this kind of turn-based game. For other games, such as TF2, it's extremely difficult to play well if you're getting less than optimal performance from your computer.

What is the problem that needs to be addressed?
Team Fortress 2 on its own is an extremely CPU intensive game. You don't need the world's best graphics card to run the game, but it's tough on your processor. To make matters worse, streaming is an extremely CPU intensive process. Combine these two together, and it's trouble. Then try to run an open browser to read chat, another program to play music, and a third program to keep track of donations and you'll find that your game will lag a lot.

The solution? Use two computers to split up the workload. One computer (called the "Gaming PC") will run the game and handle most of the processes, while a second computer (called the "Streaming PC") will handle the streaming. This isn't the most cost-effective setup, but if you have the money to spare and want to take streaming and your performance seriously, this is the best option for you. Other alternatives to a 2 PC setup would include continuing to use your 1 PC setup, upgrading your existing hardware, overclocking, using an FPS config for TF2, or closing your background programs.

How does a 2 PC setup work?

It's fairly simple to explain. The Gaming PC will run the game, while the streaming PC will run the streaming software (Xsplit, OBS, etc.). You can also use this kind of setup to stream console games, and in that setup the console would be the Gaming PC. The difficulty is getting the image from your Gaming PC to your Streaming PC. Most setups use a capture card, and this is what I would recommend. I've drawn this handy-dandy diagram in MS Paint to give you an idea what the setup would look like: http://i.imgur.com/nQxTte9.png

You can also do a local stream with a local server to stream an extremely high bitrate image to your Streaming PC, then have the streaming PC encode that image into something that Twitch can use. This method is not recommended.

My Personal Setup
Gaming Computer
GPU: GeForce GTX 770
CPU: Intel i7-3930K @ 4.3GHz
RAM: 8 GB DDR3-2133 RAM
Microphone: Blue Snowball

Streaming Computer:
GPU: GeForce GTX 580
CPU: Intel i7-4790K @ 4.0 GHz
RAM: 16 GB DDR3-1600 RAM
Capture Card: AVerMedia C985

IMGUR Album: http://imgur.com/a/AhejH#7

The actual hardware setup is relatively simple. I have four monitors. Monitor 1 and Monitor 2 plug into my Gaming PC's GPU via DVI Cable. Then I connect an HDMI Cable from the Gaming PC GPU to the C985 that is installed in the Streaming PC (plugs right into the motherboard). My microphone plugs into my Gaming PC via USB cable. That's it!

Now for the software. The HDMI cable actually moves both video AND sound from the Gaming PC to the Streaming PC. You just need to send the audio across the line. I start by setting my capture card on my streaming PC to "listen" to my microphone on my gaming PC. Open up your Recording Devices options (right click the speaker in your system tray and click on "Recording Devices") and find your microphone. Right click your microphone and click on "Properties". Go to the listen tab, and check the box that says "Listen to this device". Then select your capture card in the dropdown menu called "Playback through this device:". It should look like this: http://i.imgur.com/qYJ2QW7.png . I use a program called Audio Repeater on my Gaming PC to duplicate the sound from my Gaming PC onto my Streaming PC. I use the following settings: http://i.imgur.com/Tx2D8ma.png . Note that you might have to adjust the Total buffer in order to deal with sound sync issues (just experiment with different values). Here is a screenshot of the Sound Mixer settings that I use on my Gaming PC to adjust my microphone sound vs. the rest of the sounds that are outputted: http://i.imgur.com/1jm5nPm.png .

Lastly, I use Open Broadcaster Software on my Streaming PC to stream directly to Twitch. You can add the capture card as a video source, and for my capture card I can stream at 720p and 60FPS. Check the following screenshots to see all of my OBS settings with an explanation for each setting:

1. Capture Card
http://i.imgur.com/z10Oz8K.png

2. Encoding Settings
http://i.imgur.com/O8a5F1n.png
CBR is the only way to go. Try to stay under 3500 bitrate, and you should be able to get it even lower (see #5).

3. Video Settings
http://i.imgur.com/4znUXqK.png
You may experience screen tearing issues if this is set incorrectly. I actually use two monitors on my Streaming PC. The first is 1680x1050, and the second is 1280x1024. Regardless of your monitor size, you want to set your Base Resolution to 16:9 to match the Twitch player. If you were streaming in 1080p 30FPS instead of 720p 60FPS, set this to 1920x1080. I stream TF2 in 720p 60FPS, so I've set this to 1280x720. I do not use a resolution downscale, and if you decide to use one you may run into screen tearing issues (this was a huge problem for me back when I first set up my 2PC setup).

4. Audio Settings
http://i.imgur.com/yZZ0psl.png
Nothing fancy here. The audio actually comes from my Gaming PC, so you'll address any microphone audio sync issues using the Audio Repeater program. Also, since the microphone is plugged into the Gaming PC, you should have the microphone disabled on your Streaming PC.

5. Advanced Settings
http://i.imgur.com/vegh8cV.png
This is where all of the magic happens. One of the benefits of a 2 PC setup is being able to take a larger load on your Streaming PC in order to reduce the necessary bitrate in your encoding settings. Changing your x264 CPU preset to a slower setting will increase the workload on your PC but it will increase the picture quality for the exact same bitrate. For example, a 3300 bitrate stream at "Very Fast" will not look as good as a 3300 bitrate stream at "Fast" provided you have enough computing power. This means that you can make your Source quality stream more accessible to more viewers by slowing down your x264 CPU Preset! With this secret you can easily keep your stream looking good while staying under 3500 or 4000 bitrate.

I've also adjusted the Global Audio Sync Offset to help deal with any audio sync issues. You may need to experiment with this setting on your own.

If you see this post and you have any questions, PM me on TFTV or on Twitch and I'll be happy to answer:
http://www.twitch.tv/message/compose?to=misterslin

I'm making this post because I know that Team Fortress 2 is one of the most CPU-intensive games to stream, and I want to describe one of the many ways that you could set up a 2 PC streaming setup. Hopefully you read this and find it to be helpful, and it might give you some ideas as to how you could make streaming more accessible for yourself.

[b]Why do I need two computers to stream?[/b]
The short answer is, you don't. Streaming can quickly and easily be set up with one computer, and it will cost you less money to stream with one PC. The problem that many streamers face is that they get a lot of "mouse input lag" when playing video games. You'll find that while you're streaming, if your computer is not powerful enough, your game will lag and it will affect your performance. For some games, such as Hearthstone, this doesn't make a difference. Even though streaming is tough on your computer, it won't matter for this kind of turn-based game. For other games, such as TF2, it's extremely difficult to play well if you're getting less than optimal performance from your computer.

[b]What is the problem that needs to be addressed?[/b]
Team Fortress 2 on its own is an extremely CPU intensive game. You don't need the world's best graphics card to run the game, but it's tough on your processor. To make matters worse, streaming is an extremely CPU intensive process. Combine these two together, and it's trouble. Then try to run an open browser to read chat, another program to play music, and a third program to keep track of donations and you'll find that your game will lag a lot.

The solution? Use two computers to split up the workload. One computer (called the "Gaming PC") will run the game and handle most of the processes, while a second computer (called the "Streaming PC") will handle the streaming. This isn't the most cost-effective setup, but if you have the money to spare and want to take streaming and your performance seriously, this is the best option for you. Other alternatives to a 2 PC setup would include continuing to use your 1 PC setup, upgrading your existing hardware, overclocking, using an FPS config for TF2, or closing your background programs.

[b]How does a 2 PC setup work?[/b]

It's fairly simple to explain. The Gaming PC will run the game, while the streaming PC will run the streaming software (Xsplit, OBS, etc.). You can also use this kind of setup to stream console games, and in that setup the console would be the Gaming PC. The difficulty is getting the image from your Gaming PC to your Streaming PC. Most setups use a capture card, and this is what I would recommend. I've drawn this handy-dandy diagram in MS Paint to give you an idea what the setup would look like: http://i.imgur.com/nQxTte9.png

You can also do a local stream with a local server to stream an extremely high bitrate image to your Streaming PC, then have the streaming PC encode that image into something that Twitch can use. This method is not recommended.

[b]My Personal Setup[/b]
Gaming Computer
GPU: GeForce GTX 770
CPU: Intel i7-3930K @ 4.3GHz
RAM: 8 GB DDR3-2133 RAM
Microphone: Blue Snowball

Streaming Computer:
GPU: GeForce GTX 580
CPU: Intel i7-4790K @ 4.0 GHz
RAM: 16 GB DDR3-1600 RAM
Capture Card: AVerMedia C985

IMGUR Album: http://imgur.com/a/AhejH#7

The actual hardware setup is relatively simple. I have four monitors. Monitor 1 and Monitor 2 plug into my Gaming PC's GPU via DVI Cable. Then I connect an HDMI Cable from the Gaming PC GPU to the C985 that is installed in the Streaming PC (plugs right into the motherboard). My microphone plugs into my Gaming PC via USB cable. That's it!

Now for the software. The HDMI cable actually moves both video AND sound from the Gaming PC to the Streaming PC. You just need to send the audio across the line. I start by setting my capture card on my streaming PC to "listen" to my microphone on my gaming PC. Open up your Recording Devices options (right click the speaker in your system tray and click on "Recording Devices") and find your microphone. Right click your microphone and click on "Properties". Go to the listen tab, and check the box that says "Listen to this device". Then select your capture card in the dropdown menu called "Playback through this device:". It should look like this: http://i.imgur.com/qYJ2QW7.png . I use a program called Audio Repeater on my Gaming PC to duplicate the sound from my Gaming PC onto my Streaming PC. I use the following settings: http://i.imgur.com/Tx2D8ma.png . Note that you might have to adjust the Total buffer in order to deal with sound sync issues (just experiment with different values). Here is a screenshot of the Sound Mixer settings that I use on my Gaming PC to adjust my microphone sound vs. the rest of the sounds that are outputted: http://i.imgur.com/1jm5nPm.png .

Lastly, I use Open Broadcaster Software on my Streaming PC to stream directly to Twitch. You can add the capture card as a video source, and for my capture card I can stream at 720p and 60FPS. Check the following screenshots to see all of my OBS settings with an explanation for each setting:

1. Capture Card
http://i.imgur.com/z10Oz8K.png

2. Encoding Settings
http://i.imgur.com/O8a5F1n.png
CBR is the only way to go. Try to stay under 3500 bitrate, and you should be able to get it even lower (see #5).

3. Video Settings
http://i.imgur.com/4znUXqK.png
You may experience screen tearing issues if this is set incorrectly. I actually use two monitors on my Streaming PC. The first is 1680x1050, and the second is 1280x1024. Regardless of your monitor size, you want to set your Base Resolution to 16:9 to match the Twitch player. If you were streaming in 1080p 30FPS instead of 720p 60FPS, set this to 1920x1080. I stream TF2 in 720p 60FPS, so I've set this to 1280x720. I do not use a resolution downscale, and if you decide to use one you may run into screen tearing issues (this was a huge problem for me back when I first set up my 2PC setup).

4. Audio Settings
http://i.imgur.com/yZZ0psl.png
Nothing fancy here. The audio actually comes from my Gaming PC, so you'll address any microphone audio sync issues using the Audio Repeater program. Also, since the microphone is plugged into the Gaming PC, you should have the microphone disabled on your Streaming PC.

5. Advanced Settings
http://i.imgur.com/vegh8cV.png
This is where all of the magic happens. One of the benefits of a 2 PC setup is being able to take a larger load on your Streaming PC in order to reduce the necessary bitrate in your encoding settings. Changing your x264 CPU preset to a slower setting will increase the workload on your PC but it will increase the picture quality for the exact same bitrate. For example, a 3300 bitrate stream at "Very Fast" will not look as good as a 3300 bitrate stream at "Fast" provided you have enough computing power. This means that you can make your Source quality stream more accessible to more viewers by slowing down your x264 CPU Preset! With this secret you can easily keep your stream looking good while staying under 3500 or 4000 bitrate.

I've also adjusted the Global Audio Sync Offset to help deal with any audio sync issues. You may need to experiment with this setting on your own.
2
#2
3 Frags +

How did you pay for this?
When I first started streaming, I already had the Gaming PC setup built, and I used a 1PC setup for a couple years. Once I became a Twitch Partner, I started saving the money from the stream and put it towards a second computer. Once I had saved up enough money, I cut a deal with my stream. I said that I would pay for half of the Streaming PC and would use their money to pay for the other half. After the streaming PC was built, I continued using revenues from the stream to "break even" and pay my half off.

Final Thoughts
Hope this helps. The biggest issue that people run into is screen tearing. Capture cards are notorious for screen tearing issues, and I'd encourage you to do some proper research into this topic to figure out which cards are good and which cards aren't good. Note that if your Streaming PC is not strong enough, you may run into screen tearing issues (this is why my x264 CPU Preset is at "Faster" and not at "Slow"; if I overclocked my PC further, I think that I could achieve a slower preset).

I want to thank the people from the Open Broadcaster Software community for their help and education. I wouldn't have been able to figure this out on my own. I'd specifically like to thank Dodgepong, Mrasmus, R1CH, Sapiens, and ths|jack0r.

If you need any help at all, go to those guys. Seriously. They're the best.

https://obsproject.com/forum/
#Obsproject on QuakeNet IRC

[b]How did you pay for this?[/b]
When I first started streaming, I already had the Gaming PC setup built, and I used a 1PC setup for a couple years. Once I became a Twitch Partner, I started saving the money from the stream and put it towards a second computer. Once I had saved up enough money, I cut a deal with my stream. I said that I would pay for half of the Streaming PC and would use their money to pay for the other half. After the streaming PC was built, I continued using revenues from the stream to "break even" and pay my half off.

[b]Final Thoughts[/b]
Hope this helps. The biggest issue that people run into is screen tearing. Capture cards are notorious for screen tearing issues, and I'd encourage you to do some proper research into this topic to figure out which cards are good and which cards aren't good. Note that if your Streaming PC is not strong enough, you may run into screen tearing issues (this is why my x264 CPU Preset is at "Faster" and not at "Slow"; if I overclocked my PC further, I think that I could achieve a slower preset).

I want to thank the people from the Open Broadcaster Software community for their help and education. I wouldn't have been able to figure this out on my own. I'd specifically like to thank Dodgepong, Mrasmus, R1CH, Sapiens, and ths|jack0r.

If you need any help at all, go to those guys. Seriously. They're the best.

https://obsproject.com/forum/
#Obsproject on QuakeNet IRC
3
#3
0 Frags +

Slin, if you have a capture card around, if you could make a video or something describing this and showing how to set it up rather than just explaining why its good and not showing how to really utilize it besides settings. Thanks man! c:

Slin, if you have a capture card around, if you could make a video or something describing this and showing how to set it up rather than just explaining why its good and not showing how to really utilize it besides settings. Thanks man! c:
4
#4
7 Frags +

when will slin be getting his twitch badge?

when will slin be getting his twitch badge?
5
#5
0 Frags +

i remember reading a similar guide by sp00ky, but this is a lot easier to read

thanks slin!

i remember reading a similar guide by sp00ky, but this is a lot easier to read

thanks slin!
6
#6
4 Frags +
kounterpartsSlin, if you have a capture card around, if you could make a video or something describing this and showing how to set it up rather than just explaining why its good and not showing how to really utilize it besides settings. Thanks man! c:

I'm not sure what you're asking for here, but I did my best to make a video talking about my setup:

http://youtu.be/jRy71pjGv_0?list=PLQ-oNjz9WriOEslp-QzLIJRHmbF2ma6iY

Please let me know if you have additional questions.

[quote=kounterparts]Slin, if you have a capture card around, if you could make a video or something describing this and showing how to set it up rather than just explaining why its good and not showing how to really utilize it besides settings. Thanks man! c:[/quote]
I'm not sure what you're asking for here, but I did my best to make a video talking about my setup:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/jRy71pjGv_0?list=PLQ-oNjz9WriOEslp-QzLIJRHmbF2ma6iY[/youtube]

Please let me know if you have additional questions.
7
#7
1 Frags +

I've been thinking about streaming and this really does help out on how to set everything up.

I've been thinking about streaming and this really does help out on how to set everything up.
8
#8
1 Frags +

I'd never even considered this as a possiblity, thanks for this guide, it looks like it'd help quite a lot of people!

Also, would I be right to assume the specs from the Streaming computer wouldn't need to be *too* high, as it doesn't need to render things? I have a laptop that would run TF2 at 10-30 fps, but now I'm wondering if it could work for this purpose.

I'd never even considered this as a possiblity, thanks for this guide, it looks like it'd help quite a lot of people!

Also, would I be right to assume the specs from the Streaming computer wouldn't need to be *too* high, as it doesn't need to render things? I have a laptop that would run TF2 at 10-30 fps, but now I'm wondering if it could work for this purpose.
9
#9
5 Frags +

Just a few questions.
Are you playing TF2 on 1280*720?
Are you sure using the 3930K for playing and the 4790K for streaming is the best setup? I'd say the 4790K should be able to handle TF2 just fine, depending on how well TF2 deals with 12 threads maybe even better than the 3930K. I'm not sure how well x264/OBS can take advantage of AVX2 either. Basically assuming perfect optimization and utilization your setup would be the correct way, but afaik there's a lot of limitations for 256-bit integer usage in x264 and TF2 doesn't even know what perfect means.
Is the 4790K running at 4.0GHz ignoring turbo boost or "fixed"? Either way you should be using 4.4GHz "fixed", it's so easy I wouldn't even count it as overclocking and should get you a few percent more power.

Just a few questions.
Are you playing TF2 on 1280*720?
Are you sure using the 3930K for playing and the 4790K for streaming is the best setup? I'd say the 4790K should be able to handle TF2 just fine, depending on how well TF2 deals with 12 threads maybe even better than the 3930K. I'm not sure how well x264/OBS can take advantage of AVX2 either. Basically assuming perfect optimization and utilization your setup would be the correct way, but afaik there's a lot of limitations for 256-bit integer usage in x264 and TF2 doesn't even know what perfect means.
Is the 4790K running at 4.0GHz ignoring turbo boost or "fixed"? Either way you should be using 4.4GHz "fixed", it's so easy I wouldn't even count it as overclocking and should get you a few percent more power.
10
#10
0 Frags +

Do you use a 120/144hz screen for your primary monitor?

Is the monitor showing TF2 cloned with the HDMI output that connects to the capture card?

If so, can you run the screen at 120/144hz and the HDMI out at 60hz?

Do you use a 120/144hz screen for your primary monitor?

Is the monitor showing TF2 cloned with the HDMI output that connects to the capture card?

If so, can you run the screen at 120/144hz and the HDMI out at 60hz?
11
#11
1 Frags +
dashner3930k

NvENC makes it waaaaaay easier to stream as well.
I can stream with the blu ray preset at 45fps 720p (3570k gtx770) with tf2 at1920x1080 120hz dx9 on my gaming monitor, foobar, browser, mumble, irc, on my 2nd monitor @1440p 85hz.

http://youtu.be/UF4_u-Jhptg?t=3m13s

this video shows what the presets look like.

TechDudecloned

I had so much trouble with that same capture card. Audio was very quiet and buzzy. The monitor clone method only works (single pc) if both monitors are the same refresh rate. Tricking it into outputting 120hz to a 60hz monitor is difficult, and would lead to it switching back to 60hz at seemingly random. I had tried it with a 2nd pc and had similar odd audio issues. nvenc saved the day and took away that "my 120hz feels like 60hz when i stream" issue.

I like the idea of having two pc's for streaming, not having to alt tab when you want to change music etc is very convenient, and thinks like http://synergy-project.org/ keep you from having to have 2 mice/2 keyboards.

Kudos to you for learning how to set it up, and putting together the post. It's a lot of trial and error, and can be very frustrating.

[quote=dashner]3930k[/quote]

NvENC makes it waaaaaay easier to stream as well.
I can stream with the blu ray preset at 45fps 720p (3570k gtx770) with tf2 at1920x1080 120hz dx9 on my gaming monitor, foobar, browser, mumble, irc, on my 2nd monitor @1440p 85hz.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/UF4_u-Jhptg?t=3m13s[/youtube]

this video shows what the presets look like.
[quote=TechDude]cloned[/quote]


I had so much trouble with that same capture card. Audio was very quiet and buzzy. The monitor clone method only works (single pc) if both monitors are the same refresh rate. Tricking it into outputting 120hz to a 60hz monitor is difficult, and would lead to it switching back to 60hz at seemingly random. I had tried it with a 2nd pc and had similar odd audio issues. nvenc saved the day and took away that "my 120hz feels like 60hz when i stream" issue.

I like the idea of having two pc's for streaming, not having to alt tab when you want to change music etc is very convenient, and thinks like http://synergy-project.org/ keep you from having to have 2 mice/2 keyboards.

Kudos to you for learning how to set it up, and putting together the post. It's a lot of trial and error, and can be very frustrating.
12
#12
2 Frags +

I'm glad to see that people are at least a little interested in this topic.

Forty-TwoAlso, would I be right to assume the specs from the Streaming computer wouldn't need to be *too* high, as it doesn't need to render things? I have a laptop that would run TF2 at 10-30 fps, but now I'm wondering if it could work for this purpose.

You really don't want to be doing this with a laptop. In my opinion, go big or go home -- you're better off buying an i7 and doing a 1 PC setup until you can get a second.

SetsulAre you playing TF2 on 1280*720?
Are you sure using the 3930K for playing and the 4790K for streaming is the best setup? I'd say the 4790K should be able to handle TF2 just fine, depending on how well TF2 deals with 12 threads maybe even better than the 3930K. I'm not sure how well x264/OBS can take advantage of AVX2 either. Basically assuming perfect optimization and utilization your setup would be the correct way, but afaik there's a lot of limitations for 256-bit integer usage in x264 and TF2 doesn't even know what perfect means.
Is the 4790K running at 4.0GHz ignoring turbo boost or "fixed"? Either way you should be using 4.4GHz "fixed", it's so easy I wouldn't even count it as overclocking and should get you a few percent more power.

1. I'm playing at 1920x1080 on my Gaming PC.
2. You want the stronger computer to run the game up until the point where you don't notice a difference. At that point, it switches and you want the stronger computer to run the stream. So it really doesn't matter to me which setup I use to play TF2; an i7 is more than enough to play the game without noticing any performance issues. So as long as I'm using the more powerful setup to stream, then I'm doing it in the most effective way possible.

dashnerThis seems like a waste of money and resources. Any quality boost you get out of being able to run a slower x264 encoding preset will be offset by the capture card (screen tearing, soft image, colour accuracy issues, etc.). We run this set up for on-site events only because our streaming PC is also typically running vMix to handle scene composition and instant replay. This is why the i52 and GXL broadcasts had issues with colour accuracy and image quality. By far the biggest drawback of doing those two on-site casts for me was the reduced clarity from our in-game feeds. Particularly at i52, people were frequently noticing that TFTV2 (using game capture) was far easier on the eyes and smoother compared to TFTV1 which was running the vmix set up with an aver media. By now we've managed to resolve a lot of these issues with some tweaks to the Avermedia C985's contrast/color settings, but there's definitely still some softness from it's output compared to GameCapture. We consider it a fair trade off to have lesser image quality in order to have the control over composition that vMix gives us. However, it really makes no sense for someone just streaming their own gameplay to invest in something like this. In terms of overall image quality, nothing can beat GameCapture.

Also if you have an over clocked 3930k you should be having zero issues with in-game performance unless you're trying to run the game on a movie making config. I've been streaming for years on my 3930k at 4.1 GhZ with absolutely zero issues on dx9frames.

Hey, if you can get away with doing a 1 PC setup and you don't notice or don't care about any performance hit, then more power to you. Personally, I've always encountered issues with a 1 PC setup on certain games such as TF2, DayZ, Battlefield 4, and more; it really depends on your preference. It might not be a necessity for a game like TF2 for everyone, but almost every single major streamer in the BF4 community uses 2 PCs. People who play TF2 might want something like this as well; I know that it's helped me out a lot. I used to hate streaming ESEA matches for this very reason, and once I set up a second PC I was able to comfortably stream my matches in both 6v6 and highlander.

You also made a reference to production streams for major events, and I still feel that this kind of setup still helps out in that arena as well. Nothing beats the quality of game capture (I heard there was a capture card that could match it but it's way too expensive for our needs) and that's fine. When you're in production, you're not playing the game so even if TF2 is running at 100 FPS, you probably don't care.

TechDudeDo you use a 120/144hz screen for your primary monitor?

Is the monitor showing TF2 cloned with the HDMI output that connects to the capture card?

If so, can you run the screen at 120/144hz and the HDMI out at 60hz?

1. My main monitor on my gaming PC for TF2 is a 144hz. The monitors on either side are 120hz, and the one on the far left is 75hz.

2. It is cloned, and I should have explained that in the guide. http://i.imgur.com/du9OGGd.png
The capture card will show up as a 3rd monitor on your Gaming PC (so you have Monitor #1 144hz, "Monitor #2" Capture Card, and Monitor #3 120hz). Duplicate the display on 1 and 2 as shown in the screenshot, and this will get the image from your Gaming PC GPU to your capture card.

3. I can't run the screen at 144hz and the HDMI out at 60. I heard that there was a way to mess with the Nvidia control panel to get that to happen, but I wasn't able to figure it out. I know that you likely want to get it to 60hz to reduce tearing, am I correct?

I'm glad to see that people are at least a little interested in this topic.

[quote=Forty-Two]Also, would I be right to assume the specs from the Streaming computer wouldn't need to be *too* high, as it doesn't need to render things? I have a laptop that would run TF2 at 10-30 fps, but now I'm wondering if it could work for this purpose.[/quote]

You really don't want to be doing this with a laptop. In my opinion, go big or go home -- you're better off buying an i7 and doing a 1 PC setup until you can get a second.

[quote=Setsul]
Are you playing TF2 on 1280*720?
Are you sure using the 3930K for playing and the 4790K for streaming is the best setup? I'd say the 4790K should be able to handle TF2 just fine, depending on how well TF2 deals with 12 threads maybe even better than the 3930K. I'm not sure how well x264/OBS can take advantage of AVX2 either. Basically assuming perfect optimization and utilization your setup would be the correct way, but afaik there's a lot of limitations for 256-bit integer usage in x264 and TF2 doesn't even know what perfect means.
Is the 4790K running at 4.0GHz ignoring turbo boost or "fixed"? Either way you should be using 4.4GHz "fixed", it's so easy I wouldn't even count it as overclocking and should get you a few percent more power.[/quote]

1. I'm playing at 1920x1080 on my Gaming PC.
2. You want the stronger computer to run the game up until the point where you don't notice a difference. At that point, it switches and you want the stronger computer to run the stream. So it really doesn't matter to me which setup I use to play TF2; an i7 is more than enough to play the game without noticing any performance issues. So as long as I'm using the more powerful setup to stream, then I'm doing it in the most effective way possible.

[quote=dashner]This seems like a waste of money and resources. Any quality boost you get out of being able to run a slower x264 encoding preset will be offset by the capture card (screen tearing, soft image, colour accuracy issues, etc.). We run this set up for on-site events only because our streaming PC is also typically running vMix to handle scene composition and instant replay. This is why the i52 and GXL broadcasts had issues with colour accuracy and image quality. By far the biggest drawback of doing those two on-site casts for me was the reduced clarity from our in-game feeds. Particularly at i52, people were frequently noticing that TFTV2 (using game capture) was far easier on the eyes and smoother compared to TFTV1 which was running the vmix set up with an aver media. By now we've managed to resolve a lot of these issues with some tweaks to the Avermedia C985's contrast/color settings, but there's definitely still some softness from it's output compared to GameCapture. We consider it a fair trade off to have lesser image quality in order to have the control over composition that vMix gives us. However, it really makes no sense for someone just streaming their own gameplay to invest in something like this. In terms of overall image quality, nothing can beat GameCapture.

Also if you have an over clocked 3930k you should be having zero issues with in-game performance unless you're trying to run the game on a movie making config. I've been streaming for years on my 3930k at 4.1 GhZ with absolutely zero issues on dx9frames.[/quote]

Hey, if you can get away with doing a 1 PC setup and you don't notice or don't care about any performance hit, then more power to you. Personally, I've always encountered issues with a 1 PC setup on certain games such as TF2, DayZ, Battlefield 4, and more; it really depends on your preference. It might not be a necessity for a game like TF2 for everyone, but almost every single major streamer in the BF4 community uses 2 PCs. People who play TF2 might want something like this as well; I know that it's helped me out a lot. I used to hate streaming ESEA matches for this very reason, and once I set up a second PC I was able to comfortably stream my matches in both 6v6 and highlander.

You also made a reference to production streams for major events, and I still feel that this kind of setup still helps out in that arena as well. Nothing beats the quality of game capture (I heard there was a capture card that could match it but it's way too expensive for our needs) and that's fine. When you're in production, you're not playing the game so even if TF2 is running at 100 FPS, you probably don't care.

[quote=TechDude]Do you use a 120/144hz screen for your primary monitor?

Is the monitor showing TF2 cloned with the HDMI output that connects to the capture card?

If so, can you run the screen at 120/144hz and the HDMI out at 60hz?[/quote]

1. My main monitor on my gaming PC for TF2 is a 144hz. The monitors on either side are 120hz, and the one on the far left is 75hz.

2. It is cloned, and I should have explained that in the guide. http://i.imgur.com/du9OGGd.png
The capture card will show up as a 3rd monitor on your Gaming PC (so you have Monitor #1 144hz, "Monitor #2" Capture Card, and Monitor #3 120hz). Duplicate the display on 1 and 2 as shown in the screenshot, and this will get the image from your Gaming PC GPU to your capture card.

3. I can't run the screen at 144hz and the HDMI out at 60. I heard that there was a way to mess with the Nvidia control panel to get that to happen, but I wasn't able to figure it out. I know that you likely want to get it to 60hz to reduce tearing, am I correct?
13
#13
0 Frags +

I dunno, so what refresh rate is that primary monitor setup as? It sounds like it's running at 60hz.

I dunno, so what refresh rate is that primary monitor setup as? It sounds like it's running at 60hz.
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#14
0 Frags +

I really like the concept of using a second PC to stream because it does fix the problem of input lag and it does improve your framerate (your CPU can scale to higher clock speeds if less cores are in use).

So, my overall question is, does this set up allow you to play tf2 on your 144hz screen at 144hz?

I really like the concept of using a second PC to stream because it does fix the problem of input lag and it does improve your framerate (your CPU can scale to higher clock speeds [url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/8679/intel-haswellep-xeon-12-core-review-e5-2650l-v3-and-e5-2690-v3]if less cores[/url] are in use).

So, my overall question is, does this set up allow you to play tf2 on your 144hz screen at 144hz?
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#15
0 Frags +

Yes. I play at 144hz. All of my monitors are at the refresh rates that I mentioned above (144, 120, 120, 75).

Yes. I play at 144hz. All of my monitors are at the refresh rates that I mentioned above (144, 120, 120, 75).
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#16
0 Frags +

Cool, well it sounds like your cloned screen is running 144hz through dvi and 60hz through HDMI.

Cool, well it sounds like your cloned screen is running 144hz through dvi and 60hz through HDMI.
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#17
1 Frags +
MR_SLINkounterpartsSlin, if you have a capture card around, if you could make a video or something describing this and showing how to set it up rather than just explaining why its good and not showing how to really utilize it besides settings. Thanks man! c:I'm not sure what you're asking for here, but I did my best to make a video talking about my setup:

http://youtu.be/jRy71pjGv_0?list=PLQ-oNjz9WriOEslp-QzLIJRHmbF2ma6iY

Please let me know if you have additional questions.

I was more looking like, how to set it up, but its cool I found a guide online

Quick question, I use a USB Mic, would I use a splitter to have my microphone go into both OBS and Ingame, also, would this work with like a Happauge,

[quote=MR_SLIN][quote=kounterparts]Slin, if you have a capture card around, if you could make a video or something describing this and showing how to set it up rather than just explaining why its good and not showing how to really utilize it besides settings. Thanks man! c:[/quote]
I'm not sure what you're asking for here, but I did my best to make a video talking about my setup:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/jRy71pjGv_0?list=PLQ-oNjz9WriOEslp-QzLIJRHmbF2ma6iY[/youtube]

Please let me know if you have additional questions.[/quote]

I was more looking like, how to set it up, but its cool I found a guide online

Quick question, I use a USB Mic, would I use a splitter to have my microphone go into both OBS and Ingame, also, would this work with like a Happauge,
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#18
1 Frags +

1. Software vs hardware downsampling (OBS vs capture card)? I'm always assuming that capture cards are shit so downsampling in OBS with a good filter might look better.
2. You either didn't read the whole paragraph or missed the point. That's exactly what I said. Except that I think the 3930K would be more powerful for streaming. On top of that the 4790K might run TF2 better. So you'd be doing it the least effective way right now if I'm right.

I didn't want to be as blunt as dashner before knowing all the facts, but it really seems you just got carried away.
It's a colossal waste of money. I have streamed 1080p 60fps. On an i7-4770K. I just tested it again on an 4790K. 720p 60fps on faster no problem, only for 1080p 60fps I have to use veryfast.

1. Software vs hardware downsampling (OBS vs capture card)? I'm always assuming that capture cards are shit so downsampling in OBS with a good filter might look better.
2. You either didn't read the whole paragraph or missed the point. That's exactly what I said. Except that I think the 3930K would be more powerful for streaming. On top of that the 4790K might run TF2 better. So you'd be doing it the least effective way right now if I'm right.

I didn't want to be as blunt as dashner before knowing all the facts, but it really seems you just got carried away.
It's a colossal waste of money. I have streamed 1080p 60fps. On an i7-4770K. I just tested it again on an 4790K. 720p 60fps on faster no problem, only for 1080p 60fps I have to use veryfast.
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#19
1 Frags +
kounterpartsQuick question, I use a USB Mic, would I use a splitter to have my microphone go into both OBS and Ingame, also, would this work with like a Happauge,

I use a USB mic as well. I plug my mic into the Gaming PC. I then set the microphone as my default recording device in my volume mixer. I then select the device (the capture card, i.e. AVERMEDIA HD-4 as shown here: http://puu.sh/f0zJP/3e3c89af61.png ) and then I can use the microphone slider to adjust the output volume to my Streaming PC (shown here: http://puu.sh/f0zPb/7b19fc8fd2.png ). By doing it this way, I can control my stream microphone volume independently from my Mumble or game microphone volume.

Setsul1. Software vs hardware downsampling (OBS vs capture card)? I'm always assuming that capture cards are shit so downsampling in OBS with a good filter might look better.
2. You either didn't read the whole paragraph or missed the point. That's exactly what I said. Except that I think the 3930K would be more powerful for streaming. On top of that the 4790K might run TF2 better. So you'd be doing it the least effective way right now if I'm right.

I didn't want to be as blunt as dashner before knowing all the facts, but it really seems you just got carried away.
It's a colossal waste of money. I have streamed 1080p 60fps. On an i7-4770K. I just tested it again on an 4790K. 720p 60fps on faster no problem, only for 1080p 60fps I have to use veryfast.

1. I tried doing it that way and ran into major screen tearing issues. It might work better to downscale using OBS for some users.

2. To be totally honest, it seems to me that I do not understand computers as well as you do, and I was simply trying to come up with an answer to what I thought was a question in layman's terms. I only made the processor selection that I currently have because of the motherboards that I'm using. You may be right that there is a more efficient way to do it, but I built these computers 12 months apart and I wasn't going to swap a bunch of parts out.

3. There's just certain games that you can't stream without taking a hit. Like I said, if you're able or willing to do a 1 PC setup and stream happily, then more power to you. If you're considering using 2 PCs, you can read this guide and learn more about a way that another broadcaster did it.

[quote=kounterparts]Quick question, I use a USB Mic, would I use a splitter to have my microphone go into both OBS and Ingame, also, would this work with like a Happauge,[/quote]

I use a USB mic as well. I plug my mic into the Gaming PC. I then set the microphone as my default recording device in my volume mixer. I then select the device (the capture card, i.e. AVERMEDIA HD-4 as shown here: http://puu.sh/f0zJP/3e3c89af61.png ) and then I can use the microphone slider to adjust the output volume to my Streaming PC (shown here: http://puu.sh/f0zPb/7b19fc8fd2.png ). By doing it this way, I can control my stream microphone volume independently from my Mumble or game microphone volume.

[quote=Setsul]1. Software vs hardware downsampling (OBS vs capture card)? I'm always assuming that capture cards are shit so downsampling in OBS with a good filter might look better.
2. You either didn't read the whole paragraph or missed the point. That's exactly what I said. Except that I think the 3930K would be more powerful for streaming. On top of that the 4790K might run TF2 better. So you'd be doing it the least effective way right now if I'm right.

I didn't want to be as blunt as dashner before knowing all the facts, but it really seems you just got carried away.
It's a colossal waste of money. I have streamed 1080p 60fps. On an i7-4770K. I just tested it again on an 4790K. 720p 60fps on faster no problem, only for 1080p 60fps I have to use veryfast.[/quote]

1. I tried doing it that way and ran into major screen tearing issues. It might work better to downscale using OBS for some users.

2. To be totally honest, it seems to me that I do not understand computers as well as you do, and I was simply trying to come up with an answer to what I thought was a question in layman's terms. I only made the processor selection that I currently have because of the motherboards that I'm using. You may be right that there is a more efficient way to do it, but I built these computers 12 months apart and I wasn't going to swap a bunch of parts out.

3. There's just certain games that you can't stream without taking a hit. Like I said, if you're able or willing to do a 1 PC setup and stream happily, then more power to you. If you're considering using 2 PCs, you can read this guide and learn more about a way that another broadcaster did it.
20
#20
1 Frags +
SetsulI didn't want to be as blunt as dashner before knowing all the facts, but it really seems you just got carried away.
It's a colossal waste of money. I have streamed 1080p 60fps. On an i7-4770K. I just tested it again on an 4790K. 720p 60fps on faster no problem, only for 1080p 60fps I have to use veryfast.

I thought about it some more and I know what you're saying. Many people out there will read this thread and ask themselves if they seriously need to invest in a second computer. For amateur broadcasters like myself (people who don't do this for a living), it's difficult to justify spending this kind of money. All of the money that I've spent on computers and internet quality has come from my Twitch Partnership, and I know that a lot of other broadcasters out there who are just starting out don't have that luxury.

Do what I did. Start out with 1 PC, and then later on you can figure out if you need a second one or not. For me, I felt like I wanted to do everything that I could to make my stream as good as possible for the people who support it. I did as much research as I could with my limited knowledge, and I came up with a solution to these performance issues that I was having.

Knowing what I know now, would I do it again? Heck yeah. Before, I could tell the difference between when I was streaming and when I wasn't, even if it was a relatively small difference compared to what many broadcasters who don't have an i7 feel when they stream. With this setup, I don't even notice that I'm streaming, and I actually play TF2 in windowed no-border these days to make alt tabbing and showings things on stream easier.

It all comes down to your finances and what you feel comfortable with. Don't go out there and blow a ton of money on expensive, beastly computers before you know whether or not you even like broadcasting. For me, I streamed for over 2 years as a partnered Twitch broadcaster before deciding to build my second computer, and I like to think that I was fairly consistent with streaming throughout that time. Others may decide to upgrade sooner, while some may never upgrade at all.

My recommendation to other broadcasters would be to do as much research as possible, talk to as many people as possible, and get as many opinions as possible. Then do what's best for you and use the information that you have to make the best decision that you can. That's all you can hope for.

[quote=Setsul]I didn't want to be as blunt as dashner before knowing all the facts, but it really seems you just got carried away.
It's a colossal waste of money. I have streamed 1080p 60fps. On an i7-4770K. I just tested it again on an 4790K. 720p 60fps on faster no problem, only for 1080p 60fps I have to use veryfast.[/quote]

I thought about it some more and I know what you're saying. Many people out there will read this thread and ask themselves if they seriously need to invest in a second computer. For amateur broadcasters like myself (people who don't do this for a living), it's difficult to justify spending this kind of money. All of the money that I've spent on computers and internet quality has come from my Twitch Partnership, and I know that a lot of other broadcasters out there who are just starting out don't have that luxury.

Do what I did. Start out with 1 PC, and then later on you can figure out if you need a second one or not. For me, I felt like I wanted to do everything that I could to make my stream as good as possible for the people who support it. I did as much research as I could with my limited knowledge, and I came up with a solution to these performance issues that I was having.

Knowing what I know now, would I do it again? Heck yeah. Before, I could tell the difference between when I was streaming and when I wasn't, even if it was a relatively small difference compared to what many broadcasters who don't have an i7 feel when they stream. With this setup, I don't even notice that I'm streaming, and I actually play TF2 in windowed no-border these days to make alt tabbing and showings things on stream easier.

It all comes down to your finances and what you feel comfortable with. Don't go out there and blow a ton of money on expensive, beastly computers before you know whether or not you even like broadcasting. For me, I streamed for over 2 years as a partnered Twitch broadcaster before deciding to build my second computer, and I like to think that I was fairly consistent with streaming throughout that time. Others may decide to upgrade sooner, while some may never upgrade at all.

My recommendation to other broadcasters would be to do as much research as possible, talk to as many people as possible, and get as many opinions as possible. Then do what's best for you and use the information that you have to make the best decision that you can. That's all you can hope for.
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#21
2 Frags +

You missed the point again. I'm trying to suggest swapping the streaming and gaming computer around.

The most effective setup would probably be

Gaming Computer
GPU: GeForce GTX 770
CPU: Intel i7-4790K @ 4.0 GHz
RAM: 8 GB DDR3-2133 RAM
Microphone: Blue Snowball

Streaming Computer:
GPU: GeForce GTX 580
CPU: Intel i7-3930K @ 4.3GHz
RAM: 16 GB DDR3-1600 RAM
Capture Card: AVerMedia C985

My point is you said

MR_SLINSo as long as I'm using the more powerful setup to stream, then I'm doing it in the most effective way possible.

but you're using the less powerful setup to stream.

You missed the point again. I'm trying to suggest swapping the streaming and gaming computer around.

The most effective setup would probably be
[quote]Gaming Computer
GPU: GeForce GTX 770
CPU: Intel i7-4790K @ 4.0 GHz
RAM: 8 GB DDR3-2133 RAM
Microphone: Blue Snowball

Streaming Computer:
GPU: GeForce GTX 580
CPU: Intel i7-3930K @ 4.3GHz
RAM: 16 GB DDR3-1600 RAM
Capture Card: AVerMedia C985[/quote]

My point is you said
[quote=MR_SLIN]So as long as I'm using the more powerful setup to stream, then I'm doing it in the most effective way possible.[/quote]
but you're using the less powerful setup to stream.
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#22
0 Frags +

oh! maybe I'll give that a shot then thanks. gotta do some file transferring but could be worth it. how much of a boost do you think I'd get?

oh! maybe I'll give that a shot then thanks. gotta do some file transferring but could be worth it. how much of a boost do you think I'd get?
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#23
2 Frags +
MR_SLINBefore, I could tell the difference between when I was streaming and when I wasn't

This really is the key. Lots of people want to stream, but are not willing to accept the lag that it entails.

There are methods that reduce the streaming lag, but I don't know of any that are completely effective in removing it.

A streaming computer with a capture card probably would work perfectly with a cheap AMD CPU and built in graphics.

[quote=MR_SLIN]Before, I could tell the difference between when I was streaming and when I wasn't[/quote]

This really is the key. Lots of people want to stream, but are not willing to accept the lag that it entails.

There are methods that reduce the streaming lag, but I don't know of any that are completely effective in removing it.

A streaming computer with a capture card probably would work perfectly with a cheap AMD CPU and built in graphics.
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#24
0 Frags +

You should see a slight boost by using the 4790k CPU system to play TF2, it should be in line with the single threaded performance improvements in haswell vs ivy bridge. Some benchmarks are here:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/552?vs=1260

You should see a slight boost by using the 4790k CPU system to play TF2, it should be in line with the single threaded performance improvements in haswell vs ivy bridge. Some benchmarks are here:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/552?vs=1260
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#25
0 Frags +

Best case around 50% more power for the stream, 20% for TF2.

Best case around 50% more power for the stream, 20% for TF2.
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#26
0 Frags +

Would it be possible to see an updated list of what are currently the best/good/low tier of streaming OBS specs? And for streaming or local recording?

Thanks!

Would it be possible to see an updated list of what are currently the best/good/low tier of streaming OBS specs? And for streaming or local recording?

Thanks!
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#27
2 Frags +

can someone help a noob streamer out how to help me set up with a laptop as the streaming pc (my laptop is pretty brand new). i just want to learn any possible capture cards i can use if this were to be done with a laptop

tbh im not looking to do a 720p stream. a ggglygy-tier stream is good enough for me

ill give a free $5 game from steam to whoever helps me out with this shit

pm me details

can someone help a noob streamer out how to help me set up with a laptop as the streaming pc (my laptop is pretty brand new). i just want to learn any possible capture cards i can use if this were to be done with a laptop

tbh im not looking to do a 720p stream. a ggglygy-tier stream is good enough for me

ill give a free $5 game from steam to whoever helps me out with this shit

pm me details
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