[SOLVED] Would buying a capture card help improve the quality of my stream?

[ethanwood2324]

I'm really interested in starting streaming and have done lots of research on the topic already, trying out lots of methods too (Simply using OBS on my computer and also using a two computer setup with my macbook pro, using the NDI plugin for OBS) but haven't been too successful. Streaming with OBS alone on my computer is great, however what i output onto twitch is limited with the bitrate that i can put out (at the moment the max i can go is around 4000) which causes the stream to look slightly pixelated, and often lag heavily.

Im not sure if getting a capture card would fix any of this or not, but the particular motherboard i have (gigabyte b450m ds3h microatx) has no spare pcie, with the only one being underneath where the graphics card is sitting - unable for usage. As a result i would be limited to getting a USB 3.0 capture card and i have no idea whether this would be worth it.

Im looking to stream at 1080p 60fps, but honestly not sure where the problems lie, and if getting a capture card would even benefit the situation. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[GangstaSlime]

I have literally no experience with streaming, but I have lots with physical hardware.

What I can tell you about streaming is that it is rooted in 2 things: your computer's core parts (processor, ram, and gpu) and your internet provider.
When transmitting your stream from OBS to Twitch, there is a fidelity loss based on the content that is being recorded (ie: if you're streaming a game that has a lot of small or rapid particles, it will make the stream automatically decrease in quality to accommodate the intense visuals).

In terms of lag or stream delay, that is completely dependant on your internet provider (the company that gives you internet). Basically, your internet provider puts a limit on how much data can be uploaded online at once. There are ways to adjust this limit, but I'm not sure how exactly.

Regarding capture cards, getting one will be a waste because if you're doing something on your main computer, than your macbook (or whichever is your secondary computer) would need to have the capture card. Using a card with only one computer won't do much of anything. (capture cards for computers are REALLY hard to explain when talking about efficiency).

I hope my advice was helpful!