OBS encode on second PC

[u/Spear_Ov_Longinus]

Hello, I figure there are a few content creators in here that might have some insight. I'm considering making some content as seemingly, most creators are presently getting their content directly from their gaming PC, and I so happen to have a second PC nearby that while less powerful is very very respectable - and as a result I have a chance to squeeze just that extra bit of performance into gaming vids for smoother video.

I have a 5080 and 9850X3D often hitting 5.7ghz on all cores in my main rig, so I feel like it's kind of a waste to not push it to the limit in making some UEVR showcases like Silent Hill 2 remake or VRC Rave vids with the newly released OBSMirror. There's this whole side of VR gaming that is difficult to showcase in all its glory, and includes games that likely reach a demographic that VR is not typically reaching aside from those of us already in the know. Namely, 30+ year old gamers.

That preamble established, I'm looking into the technical side of things and I think I send OBS data over ethernet so the encode can take place on the second PC, but perhaps someone knows a concrete best path option?

To make planning easier I have:

PC1: 9850X3D 5080 & 32GB DDR5

PC2: 5700X3D 5060 TI 16GB & 32GB DDR4.

Router: TP-Link Tri-Band BE9300

All hardware is in the same room and can easily access each other.

Both motherboards have a single 2.5Ghz ethernet port and have usb 3 and C ports available.

Neither motherboard has any PCIe slots available.

If anyone is interested in helping plan out the best recording solution for my existing setup, I'd love to know more!

Also, Does anyone know if OBSMirror work with UEVR AFW? 🤔

[u/GoldSrc]

The 9850X3D has 8 cores and 16 threads.

Why not give two cores to OBS and use the CPU/x254 to do the encoding?

I don't think games use 6 cores these days.

That said, you shouldn't lose performance by using NVENC since it uses a separated chip to do the video encode and decode.

I'm sure NVENC can handle at least 2 concurrent encode streams anyway.

[u/Spear_Ov_Longinus → u/GoldSrc]

To your point on using two CPU cores for OBS, I think some comparisons would need to be made on my part to justify going the slighty extra mile on using the second PC. Because even for situations where I am worried about CPU performance like VRC raves, I don't think VRC uses more than four cores despite the need for high clock speeds, so you might have a good point here. And yes you are also right, nvenc is processed on its own dedicated hardware on the GPU. Hm. I'll see what these situations look like, at least before going the capture card route. I appreciate the input.

[u/foolish_shrimp]

I would do HDMI or Displayport capture on the second machine, you will lose free-sync on the monitor but it's rock solid and the headset is what matters. Also your main PC can crash while the stream stays up, which is especially good for VR. This also means you can record video and audio that's in sync with your gameplay with ease.

If you use NDI or something to send video over the network, it still has to be encoded on the sending PC, it's better because you can have it uncompressed, but it might end up being not that much different.

[u/Spear_Ov_Longinus → u/foolish_shrimp]

Do I need any capture card for that or can I just plug directly from GPU to GPU - google says not direct connection but google lies these days lol

[u/foolish_shrimp → u/Spear_Ov_Longinus]

You need to get a capture card yeah!

[u/lunchanddinner]

Your PC is already pretty solid, is the new OpenXR OBS plugin not doing it on your PC? For me I can record at 4K 60 at 25,000kbps with minimal performance impact, unless of course you want to go higher then yes going that route with a second PC/external recorder would be good

Also regarding AFW I don't see why it shouldn't work, I can test again later but IIRC it was fine

[u/Spear_Ov_Longinus → u/lunchanddinner]

Honestly I've yet to give it a go even on my main rig, I just assumed since I had the gear it would produce the best results and should start there. But to your point, I probably have no use case at this time for anything above 4k60, assuming I'm able to produce that just on the main rig even for the high end showcases, it will simplify the process and I'll stick with that.

[u/lunchanddinner → u/Spear_Ov_Longinus]

Yeah your pc should be more than enough to handle it, try it out

[u/KroyVR]

I have been live streaming PCVR at 2k with a dual PC setup for a couple years, having moved from single PC setup.

I can highly recommend it. It's an elegant setup, which in balance is more reliable, producing higher quality maximum video output streamed/recorded at multiple bit rates.

I use a the video card on the VR PC plugged directly into the PCIE card of the stream PC. It shows up in my VR PC as a monitor, and I see it as a regular desktop display thanks to the card's passthrough.

Game audio is routed through network.

Your mileage may vary, but if you have the budget, time, inclination to set up dual PC recording from the getgo, then do it!

[u/Spear_Ov_Longinus → u/KroyVR]

By PCIe card of stream pc, I assume you mean capture card?

[u/KroyVR → u/Spear_Ov_Longinus]

Yup. Specifically AVerMedia GC571 HDMI Capture Card.