Need help with CPU/GPU OC for streaming (Twitch)

[MeatHead Gaming]

Hi all,

I'm a bit out of the loop on overclocking the newer processors. Last system I put together is an i3 530 @ 2.93Ghz with stock cooler (32nm Clarkdale). Video card is a Gigabyte dual fan GTX460.

I can run D3 at 1080p when I'm playing just fine on decently high settings, but once I start streaming my CPU usage skyrockets. If it helps, I'm using XSplit Premium.

I don't realistically think I'll be able to play at 1080p with high settings AND stream 1080p at the same time with my current hardware, but I'd like to get some juice out of it - considering they're both stock - before making more purchases.

I don't think I can push the graphics cards much (maybe 10%?) because it already runs hot when I'm maxing it out in solo play, stabilizing somewhere around 63-66C.

The CPU is what I really want to try though, because in solo play my utilization is sub-50%, but when streaming it's around 90%. Solo it runs a cool 35C. Streaming it almost hits 50C (stock cooler).

Since it's not an unlocked chip, what would be a safe FSB to set and what ratio should I use for the RAM/GPU so they stay about where they're at?

TIA

 

[Techhog]

Streaming on an i3 with XSplit? You're screwed. You could maybe try streaming at 360p 30FPS with the game at mid-low settings, but that's about all you can do with that CPU. It's just not good enough, and no overclock will cause major changes.

If you use OBS, you could maybe bump up to 480p.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Could get a GTX 750 Ti, and use ShadowPlay. That uses the hardware encoder on the video card, which would free up CPU cycles. I think that you have to use their streaming app, and not XSplit though. Maybe check NV's forums about that.

Edit: Otherwise, you really want a 4770K or an FX-8320 to stream @ 1080P.

 

[zir_blazer]

Wasn't there some applications that could use the Intel IGP's QuickSync to encode the stream while the discrete GPU was rendering the game itself? nVidia had also a feature to use the GPU for that, but don't know if it shares the actual GPU or a fixed function unit that would be normally Idle when you're gaming.

 

[SPBHM]

Wasn't there some applications that could use the Intel IGP's QuickSync to encode the stream while the discrete GPU was rendering the game itself? nVidia had also a feature to use the GPU for that, but don't know if it shares the actual GPU or a fixed function unit that would be normally Idle when you're gaming.

yes but his i3 have no quicksync,

and his nvidia card is to old for shadowplay

I know openbroadcaster also support nvidia hardware encoding and quicksync, but again, his hardware is bellow the minimum (sandy bridge or higher for quicksync, and Kepler or higher for nvidia hardware encoding)

but most streamers on twitch use CPU encoding, because it gives you more flexibility, better quality, but you need a fast CPU, with the i3, even with some OC, you will have a some difficulty finding settings which can work, and probably your framerate is going to be low on the game, and the video quality low for the bitrate.

 

[MeatHead Gaming]

I'm streaming 720p at 1000k CBR. And yes quality is bad for the bitrate. I know I need new hardware, but I want to see what I can do with this in the interim until I figure out what to order and how much it'll run. So the questions I have are:

1) What CPU do I need and how much will it run? My motherboard is Asus P7H55D-M EVO, hopefully don't have to replace that too.

2) What kind of GPU do I need and how much will it run? PSU is a Corsair TX650 watt.

3) How can I try to OC now? What FSB ratio should I use? I'd like to at least get steady play from my current settings.

One of the issues I'm running into is 'lag' spikes every minute or so where EVERYTHING freezes for 2-4 seconds. My CPU utilization completely drops and the game resumes, but it's enough to get you killed and makes certain things unplayable. I'm betting it has to do with trying to stream the content.

 

[NTMBK]

Step one is to buy a better CPU cooler- get one that is forward compatible with LGA1150, so you can reuse it on your next build.

 

[SPBHM]

your board would work OK with a core i5 750/760 or i7 860 for example, these are much better for streaming compared to your current CPU (specially the i7), but it would only be a good option if you can find used for a low price, because it an old platform, if your motherboard fails, it can be a little tricky to replace it and so on...

overclocking can help but, from your description higher clock is not going to really fix the performance, but you need to raise the bclk, and keep the other ratios in control, I think the QPI (?) and memory clock, I don't really have experience with 1156 OC.

as for the GPU, if you want hardware accelerated encoding, the GTX 600/700s are the best for that, but if you upgrade the CPU you might not need that,

 

[MeatHead Gaming]

You know, I wonder if I should just build a new system. It's a bit disappointing, since what I have works fine, but it is outdated. I got parts of it in 2010 or 2011 I think. My SSD is new (Samsung 840 Evo Pro), but that's about it.

By the way (not promoting, but so you can see quality), you can see recorded Twitch streams here: <redacted>
<redacted>

It's 720p and the recorded videos are better quality and less freezing than the stream, which is why I think some overclocking might help until I figure out which route I want to go. Maybe it is time for a rebuild?


No linking to your site.
Markfw900
Anandtech Moderator.

 

[Headfoot]

Unless you've got the upgrade itch it really wont be necessary to build a whole new system. If you want to upgrade for the sake of having a new PC anyways, go for it. But if you want -just- to stream better, I would follow VirtualLarry's advice and get a 750ti or other Kepler (600 or 700 series) nVidia card and use Shadowplay to stream simultaneously. This will get you a big increase in stream quality and will not require replacing the CPU, motherboard, memory or power supply. It will give your system life for a while longer yet since even on a dual core set up the video card will be your bottleneck more frequently than the CPU (except when streaming, which is your current issue).
I would still get a nice CPU cooler and overclock though if you went this route. CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo for $25 will be all you need to overclock that chip as far as it will go.

Another good option would be to buy a used i5 750/760 for cheap and get the quadcore so that you can encode on the other 2 cores. Only go this route if you can find a one for pretty cheap, otherwise it won't be worth it. EDIT: Found one on ebay for $68 buy it now. This is a good price, but I believe its against the rules to link to eBay. Search 'i5 750' to find it. The $25 cooler + $68 quad core overclocked to 3.8-4.0 + overclock on 460 will be quite an upgrade for a very reasonable price.

Before you buy anything though, look up a clarkdale overclocking guide and see how far you can get on the stock cooler. Same with your 460. 66C is not hot, you can go to 80 before you have to start worrying about temperatures. Similarly you can go to 70-72 before you should start worrying on your CPU. These are not mathematically precise estimates, just general rules of thumb

 

[MeatHead Gaming]

Thanks for the tips, going to look up CPU OC and start there. I haven't used ShadowPlay, but I know it's in beta and I already paid for a year of XSplit Premium. I'm sure at some point ShadowPlay will give it a run for its money (maybe already? Haven't tried it).

So my understanding is that streaming is CPU limited then? GPU-wise, if streaming doesn't tax the graphics cards too much I would be ok with what I have now, even with a minor (5-10%) OC, for the time being. For some reason I just didn't realize my hardware was THAT old.

 

[SPBHM]

if you are doing CPU encoding (I think Xsplit only supports that) the GPU shouldn't be your main concern right now... I mean, not more than the "average gamer"(non streamer) with a GTX 460.

 

[Headfoot]

If it is a software encoder then CPU is going to be most important. The more I think about the i5 750 and inexpensive cooler the more I like the sound of it for streaming on the cheap