What do I need to record HD

[Computernoob100]

Processor: AMD FX(RN)-4350 quad core processor 4.20GHz (4CPUs)
RAM: 8.000GB
System: 64 bit windows 10
System manufacturer: MSI
System mod: MS-7693
No secondary memory disk

What do I need to record gameplay without lagg? Am no expert but my budget is 400$....please let me know what things I should buy to be able to do that.

 

[Frag Maniac]

For $400 you can easily get a decent GPU adequate for good game settings at 1080p for most games, but your CPU is not that strong and would bottleneck some games.


Before the bit mining craze made GPU prices go crazy, I would have suggested maybe a 1070, which commonly got down to $380 for aftermarket (dual fan) cooled ones on Newegg promo deals. So you could wait until 1070 prices go back down, or maybe get a 1060 6GB, which start at $270. I'm not really sure a CPU that can now be had for a mere $70 justifies spending $400 on a GPU anyway.

As far as power goes, the 1060 would require a 450w, 22 amp unit, and the 1070 500w, 26 amps. So in that sense if you need a better PSU, the 1060 also is more practical.

 

[photonboy]

You can record using GEFORCE EXPERIENCE using gtx600 or newer video cards from NVidia.

*If you need a card then a GTX1050Ti is a great card for medium/high gaming.

AMD has a solution as well.

Both of these can use the hardware video decoder so there can be minimal FPS impact. Usually about 5% or so but if you lock to 60FPS (VSYNC ON 60Hz monitor) you may remain at a solid 60FPS experience.

Need more information if this doesn't apply (also no mention of your graphics card).

What exactly was the $400 for?

 

[gondo]

For $400 you can easily get a decent GPU adequate for good game settings at 1080p for most games, but your CPU is not that strong and would bottleneck some games.

He was asking how to record, not play 1080p games.

There are several ways to record. You can use OBS software which is free but not user friendly. Alternatively you can use Fraps which is a bit better but paid. Nowadays there are 2 other very common methods. ReLive by AMD and Shadowplay from Nvidia. Depending on which brand of video card you own you can use those. Relive and Shadowplay are very popular now. There are also hardware based dedicated game recorders but we'll ignore those.

So to answer your question...depending on how you record depends on what you need. Software like OBS is CPU based and you need lots of it. A modern I7 or Ryzen CPU is best. The others are GPU based. So personally I'd get an AMD RX580 and use Relive.

The problem is the RX580 prices are high right now due to miners. An NVidia 1060 would be a better deal. Also your CPU would bottleneck the GPU but you could start with the GPU and power supply if you need one.

 

[Frag Maniac]

He mentioned spec that shows no GPU. That's why I thought it best he get one if he doesn't have a decent one. After all, to list gaming spec without even including the most important part to achieve decent game settings, which by extension also affects capture quality, seems odd. it's a matter of first things first.

Plus he said he has $400 budget, and even most beginners know capture tools don't cost anywhere near that. Until he chimes back in though, we won't know exactly what he's looking for.

 

[Computernoob100]

For $400 you can easily get a decent GPU adequate for good game settings at 1080p for most games, but your CPU is not that strong and would bottleneck some games.
Where can I buy this cheaper? If you could send me the links I'd appreciate it!

Before the bit mining craze made GPU prices go crazy, I would have suggested maybe a 1070, which commonly got down to $380 for aftermarket (dual fan) cooled ones on Newegg promo deals. So you could wait until 1070 prices go back down, or maybe get a 1060 6GB, which start at $270. I'm not really sure a CPU that can now be had for a mere $70 justifies spending $400 on a GPU anyway.

As far as power goes, the 1060 would require a 450w, 22 amp unit, and the 1070 500w, 26 amps. So in that sense if you need a better PSU, the 1060 also is more practical.

 

[Frag Maniac]

That doesn't really tell us if you're shopping for a GPU or not.

 

[Computernoob100]

I'm shopping for whatever I need to maintain my FPS locked at 120+ at least. Every time I use fraps or whatever capturing program my game lags, FPS drops and sometimes it even shuts down.

 

[Computernoob100]

If buying a GPU will help out to record/play without lagg. Yes. As I said before. Whatever I need to be able to record without lagg and actually play the game then put it on the list.

 

[Frag Maniac]

If you don't have a very good GPU, by all means buy one if you have $400 to spend. You also need to learn a bit about capture tools though. Fraps is one of the least efficient ones FPS wise. The ones that will yield best FPS work straight off the H264 architecture built into modern GPUs as already mentioned, like ShadowPlay. It's also free to use.

 

[photonboy]

I'm shopping for whatever I need to maintain my FPS locked at 120+ at least. Every time I use fraps or whatever capturing program my game lags, FPS drops and sometimes it even shuts down.

First, you STILL haven't told us what graphics card you have.

1) FRAPS uses the CPU to encode the video, which is especially bad since you don't have a great CPU to start with. You then have a lot less CPU cycles for the game and thus the FPS can plummet.

2) NVidia's recording in Geforce Experience uses the NVENC hardware encoder on the card not the CPU to encode video so it may drop the FPS as said by about 5% or so but it will vary a little.

OBS is another solution and you can tell it to use the NVENC hardware encoder. I think OBS can use AMD cards too but I haven't looked into it. There are alternative solutions for AMD though such as AMD RELIVE which uses the VCE hardware encoder the same way NVidia does (so not stressful on the CPU like FRAPS).

*HERE is some more info on recording solutions: http://www.pcworld.com/article/3040695/software/the-best-pc-game-video-capture-software-5-top-recording-tools-compared.html

3) 120FPS?
That's not going to happen in many games as your CPU isn't that great. Plus, even if your CPU could manage it you would need a very good graphics card or else drop the graphics settings a LOT.

A few games like CSGO can hit higher FPS numbers easily, but you haven't told us if it's a specific game or just games in general.

*If you have a 120Hz monitor I would suggest you concentrate mostly on 60FPS gaming. One way is to enable Adaptive VSYNC (with "HALF REFRESH" option) which will then synch the GPU output to 60FPS max (VSYNC ON so no screen tearing) and disable VSYNC if you can't output 60FPS (which causes screen tear but doesn't add stuttering that you get when you can't meet the VSYNC target).

4) Adaptive VSYNC:
NVidia Control Panel-> manage 3d settings-> ... add game-> (change setting)-> SAVE

(the "half refresh" FPS is half the Hz rate. So 60FPS if 120Hz monitor)

5) There are separate CAPTURE DEVICES that tap off for example the HDMI output but NVidia's solution works great so unless you're really picky I wouldn't bother.

Plus, I'd be saving my money to rebuild the core system (with better CPU).

6) The QUALITY of recording also matters. Most people should look at 1080p/30FPS and experiment with the BITRATE. It depends on the purpose of what you are doing.

7) UPLOADING video?
Very few people can upload quality video in real-time so keep that in mind. Your ISP will tell you how much upload bandwidth you have and it must be greater than the bitrate of the video.

*I think my bitrate for UPLOAD through my ISP is about 500MB per hour so reliably maybe I can upload at 400MB per hour max.

UPDATE: You can get the "Speedtest" app for Windows and it tells you both your download and upload. I just checked and I have 1.6Mbps UPLOAD. (Mega bits per second) which is 200KBps (Kilo Bytes per second).