CPU vs GPU Streaming Investment

[GregMcCloud]

I'm building a single PC streaming setup and wanting to have a reliable stream at 1080p 60fps 6000kbps with this one PC. I'm wondering if my current build is more than enough or if I should seriously consider upgrading the CPU or GPU and if so which one? Currently, I have a 3800X and a 2060 Super in my part list and I'm wondering, would a 3900X upgrade or a 2070 Super upgrade be worth the extra money? I was thinking the 3900X but then read that a lot of people choose to have their GPU do the encoding and if that's a better idea then maybe a GPU upgrade would be better. I'm not sure and I need some help. Thanks!

 

Here is my current part list:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 3800X 3.9 GHz 8-Core Processor	$354.90 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler	$88.99 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard	$199.00 @ B&H
Memory	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory	$72.98 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$89.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card	$398.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case	NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case	$69.98 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Thermaltake Smart Pro RGB 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$74.99 @ Newegg
Monitor	Sceptre E275W-1920 27.0" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor	$109.99 @ Amazon
Monitor	LG 27GL83A-B 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor	$379.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1854.80
	Mail-in rebates	-$15.00
	Total	$1839.80
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 02:30 EST-0500

 

[Meganter]

Hello,

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$326.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler	be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler	$88.99 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard	MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard	$114.99 @ B&H
Memory	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory	$72.98 @ Amazon
Storage	HP EX920 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$62.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB GAMING OC 3X Video Card	$503.98 @ Newegg
Case	NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case	$69.98 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$74.99 @ Newegg
Monitor	Sceptre E275W-1920 27.0" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor	$109.99 @ Amazon
Monitor	LG 27GL83A-B 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor	$379.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1845.87
	Mail-in rebates	-$40.00
	Total	$1805.87
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 03:08 EST-0500

 

The 3700x with a b450 (Zen 2 ready) is enough for streaming.

I could add a 2070S instead.

Replace the SSD for something as good for less.

Better PSU too.

[Jurrunio]

GPU encoder is better with limited budget. In fact CPU encoder doesnt catch up until you start using some really taxing settings like x264 slow (with a 1950X dedicated for encoding for example).

 

This setup is more than enough for streaming, but for 1440p gaming the graphics card won't have a very good time in AAA games, you either dont benefit from the high refresh rate monitor or you have to use reduced graphical quality.

 

Also I wonder if having two equally sized but different resolution (and of course, panel quality) monitors side by side will make the worse one an eye-sore.

 

Anyway some adjustments to the list

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 3800X 3.9 GHz 8-Core Processor	$354.90 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler	$88.99 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard	Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero ATX AM4 Motherboard	$219.99 @ Amazon
Memory	Patriot Viper Steel 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3733 Memory	$74.98 @ Amazon
Storage	Team MP34 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$104.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card	$379.99 @ Newegg
Case	Cooler Master MasterBox NR600 (w/o ODD) ATX Mid Tower Case	$61.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$74.99 @ Newegg
Case Fan	ARCTIC Arctic F12 74 CFM 120 mm Fan	$6.89 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan	ARCTIC Arctic F12 74 CFM 120 mm Fan	$6.89 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan	ARCTIC Arctic F12 74 CFM 120 mm Fan	$6.89 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan	ARCTIC Arctic F12 74 CFM 120 mm Fan	$6.89 @ SuperBiiz
Monitor	Sceptre E275W-1920 27.0" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor	$109.99 @ Amazon
Monitor	LG 27GL83A-B 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor	$379.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1928.35
	Mail-in rebates	-$50.00
	Total	$1878.35
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 03:13 EST-0500

Changed the board for better feature set (i.e. connectivity) and overclocking support at the cost of PCIe 4.0. I'd rather go for the TUF board if you want to stay with X570 or MSI B450 ATX boards if you dont mind less features, but still sufficient power delivery

 

The memory kit you picked has somewhat bad timings, imo it's either this 3733 CL17 kit or 3600 16-19-19-39 kits (similar price)

 

Samsung SSD got ditched for its high price. More capacity also gives better durability, + flexibility to hold more stuff

 

Changed card because EVGA has better customer support, card performance should be similar

 

Changed case because the H500 series from NZXT don't do well in airflow, especially for setups with air cooled CPUs.

 

Changed PSU for higher efficiency rating and quality, it's not like this system will pull more than 400w at its current config from the PSU

 

Added case fans for maximum airflow