Posted April 2, 2017 With my new AM4 motherboard in the mail and my new RAM I'm about to rebuild my current gaming PC with the R7 1700 sitting on my desk and not sure if I should switch up my Twitch streaming setup. Currently I have a 2 PC setup with a USB capture card (AVerMedia GC550) hooking up my gaming PC (AMD FX 6300) to my streaming laptop (Alienware m14x with a i7-2630QM). The laptop can handle x264 encoding on the "veryfast" preset with only about 30% CPU usage (setting it to "faster" will bump the CPU usage up to around 60-75% but causes stuttering). So now with that current background info, here's where I'm not sure how to proceed. Based on the video LTT just released about streaming, I'm considering switching to a single PC setup, I don't want to but I'm considering it. I really like having a 2nd PC with two displays and a second mouse and keyboard to managing the stream, audio, an other windows while I have the game up on another monitor with my gaming PC. My only real concern is power usage. Currently the laptop uses just under 100 watts at full load (Prime95) and my desktop uses around 171 watts at full load (Prime95). The AMD R7 1700 I'm going to use is showing around 132 watts at full load with similar specs (but with a more power hungry GPU). This is where the single PC setup makes more sense, the power usage would be about 139 watts less, not like it would have a huge impact on my $200-$300 electric bill each month, but it's a start. I have a 2nd AC unit just for my office so having to run that while streaming does bump up the power consumption significantly so dropping down to a single PC would eliminate a significant amount of heat since the laptop gets extremely hot during a 6+ hour stream even with the cooling pad under it. So now to my options... Dual PC setup with the AMD R7 1700 for gaming with the i7-2630QM for streaming - Keeping my stream exactly the same in terms of quality (which my viewers and I are happy with), the power consumption will still be lower than my current setup. Dual PC setup with the AMD R7 1700 for gaming with the FX 6300 for streaming - Bumping the x264 preset up for better quality in the stream, but more power consumption. Single PC setup with the AMD R7 1700 as the only PC - Bumping the x264 preset up for better quality in the stream and lowering power consumption, but loosing the ability to multitask while gaming which I really like having the ability to do and utilize regularly during a stream. So what are your thoughts? After typing all of this out and reading it, I feel a little better about the choice I was going to make but I want to present this question on here to get some outside feedback and look at this problem from another angle. No idea is too outlandish so even if you think your suggestion or recommendation is outlandish please post it. Thanks! -KuJoe Link to comment https://linustechtips.com/topic/760748-new-streaming-setup-help-needed/ Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 2, 2017 1 minute ago, KuJoe said: Single PC setup with the AMD R7 1700 as the only PC - Bumping the x264 preset up for better quality in the stream and lowering power consumption, but loosing the ability to multitask while gaming which I really like having the ability to do and utilize regularly during a stream. i would go with this but if you really do need another computer get a Chromebook Link to comment https://linustechtips.com/topic/760748-new-streaming-setup-help-needed/#findComment-9614252 Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 2, 2017 FX6300 for streaming, those 71 watts are seriously not gonna matter. Link to comment https://linustechtips.com/topic/760748-new-streaming-setup-help-needed/#findComment-9614257 Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 2, 2017 I think something you should really consider is using your old gaming PC parts (the FX-6300 and such) and use that as the encoding computer. If you're concerned about power usage, you can tweak voltages and clockspeeds on both computers to maximize efficiency. Single computer encoding would work well with the Ryzen, but you already have a working computer you can put to that task, so why not? We have a NEW and GLORIOUSER-ER-ER PSU Tier List Now. (dammit @LukeSavenije stop coming up with new ones) You can check out the old one that gave joy to so many across the land here Computer having a hard time powering on? Troubleshoot it with this guide. (Currently looking for suggestions to update it into the context of <current year> and make it its own thread) Computer Specs: Spoiler Mathresolvermajig: Intel Xeon E3 1240 (Sandy Bridge i7 equivalent) Chillinmachine: Noctua NH-C14S Framepainting-inator: EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2 Hybrid Attachcorethingy: Gigabyte H61M-S2V-B3 Infoholdstick: Corsair 2x4GB DDR3 1333 Computerarmor: Silverstone RL06 "Lookalike" Rememberdoogle: 1TB HDD + 120GB TR150 + 240 SSD Plus + 1TB MX500 AdditionalPylons: Phanteks AMP! 550W (based on Seasonic GX-550) Letterpad: Rosewill Apollo 9100 (Cherry MX Red) Buttonrodent: Razer Viper Mini + Huion H430P drawing Tablet Auralnterface: Sennheiser HD 6xx Liquidrectangles: LG 27UK850-W 4K HDR Link to comment https://linustechtips.com/topic/760748-new-streaming-setup-help-needed/#findComment-9614261 Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 2, 2017 Author 1 minute ago, nerdslayer1 said: i would go with this but if you really do need another computer get a Chromebook Not a bad idea, I have a nice netbook with a touchscreen that would be perfect for the job. Just now, manikyath said: FX6300 for streaming, those 71 watts are seriously not gonna matter. It would be an extra 171 watts plus the AC unit. I could move the FX6300 box into the garage though and cut out some holes in the wall to exhaust the heat outside... this might be an interesting project. -KuJoe Link to comment https://linustechtips.com/topic/760748-new-streaming-setup-help-needed/#findComment-9614266 Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 2, 2017 I thought the general consensus is that using a seperate system introduced other issues. I'd just go single system and sell the FX system for better equipment (mic, etc) Link to comment https://linustechtips.com/topic/760748-new-streaming-setup-help-needed/#findComment-9614273 Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 2, 2017 Author 26 minutes ago, Mothballs said: I thought the general consensus is that using a seperate system introduced other issues. I'd just go single system and sell the FX system for better equipment (mic, etc) Using a second PC is better for me because I like having better control over things, especially with a live stream. I tried the single PC streaming and it wasn't a good experience for me. 36 minutes ago, manikyath said: FX6300 for streaming, those 71 watts are seriously not gonna matter. I did the math and it would cost me about $23 a year to run the FX6300 (excluding the AC unit, monitors, and other peripherals). Definitely not a huge cost so I'm going to look into better options for exhaust or moving it to another room if the quality improvement is significantly better than the laptop. -KuJoe Link to comment https://linustechtips.com/topic/760748-new-streaming-setup-help-needed/#findComment-9614357 Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 2, 2017 43 minutes ago, KuJoe said: I did the math and it would cost me about $23 a year to run the FX6300 (excluding the AC unit, monitors, and other peripherals). Definitely not a huge cost so I'm going to look into better options for exhaust or moving it to another room if the quality improvement is significantly better than the laptop. now calculate how much the better experience of having a dual pc setup is worth Link to comment https://linustechtips.com/topic/760748-new-streaming-setup-help-needed/#findComment-9614470 Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 2, 2017 Author Just now, manikyath said: now calculate how much the better experience of having a dual pc setup is worth Oh definitely worth the $23. Now I'm deciding whether the PC will be in the same room as me or not and if so how to best exhaust the heat to the outside. -KuJoe Link to comment https://linustechtips.com/topic/760748-new-streaming-setup-help-needed/#findComment-9614483 Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 2, 2017 1 hour ago, KuJoe said: Dual PC setup with the AMD R7 1700 for gaming with the FX 6300 for streaming - Bumping the x264 preset up for better quality in the stream, but more power consumption. I prefer this options, unless you stream like 24/7. That additional power usage is only a few dollars(20+) more each year if stream ~2 hours per day. Magical Pineapples
