Streaming from 4K is making my pc struggle

[Myles Rowlands]

Hi everyone, I started streaming on twitch in early January and I’ve noticed that while I stream my pc really struggles to the extent I can no longer play games because of the performance decrease.
I think it’s something to do with me playing games in native 4k then downscaling it to 1080p and then streaming it.
I know the simple answer is to play the games in 1080p but I’ve had 4k as my default resolution for over a year and a half and my main games are Rainbow sic and PUBG and after over 1000 hours between those games I can’t swap back to 1080p as every pixel matters. For example of what happens is ill start streaming and I’ll be getting the same 70-90fps I always get but maybe an hour in maybe less I’ll start to get spikes to 40fps and then the longer I stream the worse it gets sometimes even dropping to 20fps

I am planning on upgrading to a i7 8800k but don’t have the money to upgrade my cpu and mobo and ram given price markets and I’m still recovering from buying a car.
So the question is, is there anything I can do to fix this problem so I can stream smoothly in the time before I upgrade my cpu as I might not be able to do that till end of March maybe April?

Specs if it helps
As rock mobo
I5 4690k
16gb ram
500gb ssd
2tb hdd
1080ti
750w PSu

 

[rontonomo]

main problem is cores or more specifically lack there of. what cpu cooler are you using? how hot is the cpu after the hour?

 

[codygriffy]

Hi everyone, I started streaming on twitch in early January and I’ve noticed that while I stream my pc really struggles to the extent I can no longer play games because of the performance decrease.
I think it’s something to do with me playing games in native 4k then downscaling it to 1080p and then streaming it.
I know the simple answer is to play the games in 1080p but I’ve had 4k as my default resolution for over a year and a half and my main games are Rainbow sic and PUBG and after over 1000 hours between those games I can’t swap back to 1080p as every pixel matters. For example of what happens is ill start streaming and I’ll be getting the same 70-90fps I always get but maybe an hour in maybe less I’ll start to get spikes to 40fps and then the longer I stream the worse it gets sometimes even dropping to 20fps

I am planning on upgrading to a i7 8800k but don’t have the money to upgrade my cpu and mobo and ram given price markets and I’m still recovering from buying a car.
So the question is, is there anything I can do to fix this problem so I can stream smoothly in the time before I upgrade my cpu as I might not be able to do that till end of March maybe April?

Specs if it helps
As rock mobo
I5 4690k
16gb ram
500gb ssd
2tb hdd
1080ti
750w PSu

I can confidently say that streaming from the same computer is not as viable any more and especially if you're doing anything 4k related. If you're really serious about streaming. Get a dedicated streaming PC with a 60fps cap card on it. It's what all the pro streamers do. And streaming from the same rig you game on is a good way to reduce it's life time performance dramatically afaik.

 

[Myles Rowlands]

(Oops sorry I downvoted you I don’t know the website too well and was trying to reply to your message)
CPU cooler is the Corsair h100i 240mm liquid cooler, purchased in September

 

[Myles Rowlands]

@cody
Even with a 8700k?

 

[codygriffy]

@cody
Even with a 8700k?

No worries
It's entirely up to you though. You have to understand that when you're gaming and streaming at the same time you are making the CPU compete for application priority. Streaming is one of the heaviest tasks you can put your CPU through. I mention the dedicated streaming PC, because if you can afford it then there is really no reason not to get it.

Here is Shroud's stream PC for reference and it doesn't have to be this good, but just to give you an idea.

Mobo: ASUS TUF X299 Mark 2
CPU: Intel Core i9 7900x
GPU: GeForce GTX 1060
RAM: HyperX Predator 32GB
OS: Windows 10
SSD: HyperX 3K 480GB
Case: Corsair 760T
Capture Card: Avermedia Extreme Cap U3

I've seen many people get away with 6700k on cpu / Z370 mobo / and 128gb SSD / 16gb ram and do just fine.

 

[13thmonkey]

And streaming from the same rig you game on is a good way to reduce it's life time performance dramatically afaik.

Any evidence of this, as basically you are saying using your PC limits it's lifespan? Which whilst true in that an unused PC would probably take longer to fail, the difference between gaming and gaming + plus streaming is negligible on total load, given that performance will be reduced when streaming.

 

[Myles Rowlands]

@cody
See if they can get away with it I may as well upgrade my pc which would cost half as much as building a streaming pc? It doesn’t make sense economically? Or am I missing something lol

 

[codygriffy]

And streaming from the same rig you game on is a good way to reduce it's life time performance dramatically afaik.

Any evidence of this, as basically you are saying using your PC limits it's lifespan? Which whilst true in that an unused PC would probably take longer to fail, the difference between gaming and gaming + plus streaming is negligible on total load, given that performance will be reduced when streaming.

Author quote "For example of what happens is ill start streaming and I’ll be getting the same 70-90fps I always get but maybe an hour in maybe less I’ll start to get spikes to 40fps and then the longer I stream the worse it gets sometimes even dropping to 20fps"

This happened to me and a friend as well when playing more recent 3D games and streaming them at the same time. That's why I mentioned to him in the long run that a PC dedicated to streaming is obviously going to take all that stress off of the gaming rig CPU. That's why I said it's not as viable streaming from the same pc as it used to be unless you're playing very low quality or isometric games. In the end it's all what you can stand. Do you mind your streaming quality at only 30 fps vs 60? Can you handle your games running at possibly only 60 fps max while streaming vs 90+ ? And I can't think of anyone who is playing in 4k and then down scaling that to 1080p in stream software. That's extremely CPU intensive. And as I said in my other post, it is entirely up to him what he decides to do.

Sounds like he wants to stay within a budget for now which is fine. I would highly recommend biting the bullet and playing at 1080p and set the streaming quality to 1080p or 720p resolution. Your performance should jump up dramatically.

 

[13thmonkey]

And streaming from the same rig you game on is a good way to reduce it's life time performance dramatically afaik.

Any evidence of this, as basically you are saying using your PC limits it's lifespan? Which whilst true in that an unused PC would probably take longer to fail, the difference between gaming and gaming + plus streaming is negligible on total load, given that performance will be reduced when streaming.

Author quote "For example of what happens is ill start streaming and I’ll be getting the same 70-90fps I always get but maybe an hour in maybe less I’ll start to get spikes to 40fps and then the longer I stream the worse it gets sometimes even dropping to 20fps"

This happened to me and a friend as well when playing more recent 3D games and streaming them at the same time. That's why I mentioned to him in the long run that a PC dedicated to streaming is obviously going to take all that stress off of the gaming rig CPU. That's why I said it's not as viable streaming from the same pc as it used to be unless you're playing very low quality or isometric games. In the end it's all what you can stand. Do you mind your streaming quality at only 30 fps vs 60? Can you handle your games running at possibly only 60 fps max while streaming vs 90+ ? And I can't think of anyone who is playing in 4k and then down scaling that to 1080p in stream software. That's extremely CPU intensive. And as I said in my other post, it is entirely up to him what he decides to do.

Sounds like he wants to stay within a budget for now which is fine. I would highly recommend biting the bullet and playing at 1080p and set the streaming quality to 1080p or 720p resolution. Your performance should jump up dramatically.

The specific concern I have with your point is quoted above, 'Will reduce the lifespan', this kind of fear generating statement requires evidence.

 

[Myles Rowlands]

The thing is Cody biting the bullet and playing 1080p is a very big bullet as playing in 4k has been the norm for me for the last 2 years and the downgrade to 1080p is astronomical I’m so used to playing pubg(my main game) in 4k that when I play it in 1080p I play a lot worse as I see a lot less and it’s just not the same fun experience. Also I’ve tried playing in 1080p and still get FPS drops so yeah there’s that as well