Upgrading to Stream on Twitch

So, currently I have a 6600K @ 4.6 ghz 16GB RAM and a Titan X (Maxwell) while gaming at 1440p and it just isn't enough to stream at the quality I'd like to stream without turning down the resolution and ingame settings. Whenever I start OBS( not even when I stream, just having the program open), whether it be NVENC or x264, my games hitch and stutter even though they are showing a high framerate..so I'm guessing 4 threads is the cultprit. From my research, I have three options.

7820x, 7700K or 8700K, or Ryzen 1700.

My question is, could I get by with a 7700k with 8 threads, or would I be better of spending the 400+ on a 8700K(when available) or go the 7820x route. Also, is the 1700 really that good for the price? Any help would be appreciated.

If you want to play games while streaming on twitch, I would NOT recommend a 7700k, you will have the same problems considering they're both 4 cores. 8 threads will not make a difference in this scenario. OBS (which you'll probably use as the encoding application) uses CPU to encode. Most newer games will utilize the 4 cores, and OBS will have a hard time picking at the cores being utilized by games. This will cause stuttering in games. I know this because I had a friend who attempted the same thing, and no matter what his overclock was on a 4 core, it did not work out.

If what you're buying must be new, and must be an intel, then yeah you could go with the 8700k. With a 6 core you'll have no issues.

I'm an Intel fanboy at admittance, but it's almost impossible to pass up a Ryzen 7 8-core build, or even a Ryzen 5 6-core build. Those two Ryzen series for the prices are very good.

You may also be able to find a used mobo/cpu for Intel which is 6 core, but not sure it's even worth it with current Ryzen pricing.

Edit: If you live near a MicroCenter, you could try building a bundle there with the MOBO/CPU Discounts.

If not, you can check Amazon for some general pricing. Ryzen 7 - 1700 I see for $294 on Amazon, and Ryzen 5 1600x for $219 (prices may have been cheaper at some point, by a little)

I now understand why some streamers dedicate a second computer with capture card strictly to handle the streaming (as some have kindly provided the specs to their rigs in their channel description). I always figured there was a good reason.

Yea a dedicated streaming machine that doesn't get taxed by games gives the best quality. It doesn't have to be really beefy either as the capture card does much of the work and your not gaming on it. A R5 1600 be more than enough.

Hardware pron for when you get that dedicated streaming PC. Regular 1080p capture cards are much cheaper.
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-ultra-low-technology-recording-streaming/dp/B076ZQBN6R

I stream with 6700K clocked at 4.6Ghz using Nvidia NVENC and it streams fine. I game at 1440P and stream at 720P 60. What bitrate are you streaming at?

Im running it at 3500 bitrate. I've tried all different bitrates. What is weird is that when OBS is just open ( not streaming ) my games stutter. When I close OBS, the game runs smooth again. The framerate is still showing 100+ but the gameplay is choppy. I've tried 720p 30, 540p 30/60, NVENC and x264.
It is frustrating because I see all kinds of people say they can stream at 720p60 with a 6600k with no issues, but I can't. The choppiness does get better if I lower my resolution to 1080p in-game with low settings, but it still isn't smooth.

Aaron Tapp said:

Im running it at 3500 bitrate. I've tried all different bitrates. What is weird is that when OBS is just open ( not streaming ) my games stutter. When I close OBS, the game runs smooth again. The framerate is still showing 100+ but the gameplay is choppy. I've tried 720p 30, 540p 30/60, NVENC and x264.
It is frustrating because I see all kinds of people say they can stream at 720p60 with a 6600k with no issues, but I can't. The choppiness does get better if I lower my resolution to 1080p in-game with low settings, but it still isn't smooth.

Click to expand...

I am using 3000 bitrate. If you are rescaling your stream make sure to do it from the Video tab and not the Output tab. There is more info on the topic Here: https://obsproject.com/forum/thread...n-scaled-resolution-and-rescale-output.31028/

Aaron Tapp - any updates?

Aaron Tapp ?

If you're still having issues, I'd suggest trying out the 'process lasso' app, and setting the affinity for OBS to specific cores/threads on your cpu.