[FAQ]

I’ve been streaming for a while now on a single high-end PC, and for the most part, it works well. However, when I play newer, more resource-intensive games, I can definitely see my system struggle to juggle both the game and the stream encoding. I’m seeing some minor in-game stuttering and occasional dropped frames in my broadcast, and it’s starting to bother me.

I know the ultimate solution is a dual PC setup—one rig for gaming and a dedicated second PC for handling OBS and the stream encoding. For those who have made this leap, what were the tangible benefits? Did you see a significant, measurable improvement in your gaming performance, like higher and more stable FPS? Did it allow you to push your stream to a higher quality preset without issues? I’m trying to weigh the very real cost and complexity of buying and setting up a second PC against the actual performance gains. Is it truly worth it if you’re not a massive partnered streamer?

[Jeff Bullas]

This is the point where a streamer decides to prioritise technical excellence.

Short Answer: The primary benefit is the complete separation of gaming and encoding workloads, which maximises performance for both tasks and results in smoother, higher-quality video content. However, it is only worth the investment if you are a competitive player who requires maximum frame rates or if a high-end single PC can no longer produce flawless content for your specific needs.

Let’s analyse the specific improvements to your video content and the conditions that justify the cost.

The core advantage of a dual PC setup comes from dedicating system resources to singular tasks, which improves your final content in two main ways. First, your gaming PC is freed entirely from the strain of encoding, allowing it to dedicate all of its CPU and GPU power to the game. This results in higher, more stable frame rates, making your gameplay video significantly smoother. Second, the dedicated streaming PC can be configured to use a slower, more powerful CPU-based encoding preset. This produces a visibly cleaner and more professional-looking video stream for your audience than the typical GPU encoding used in a single-PC configuration, and it eliminates the risk of dropped frames or audio stutter. However, the justification for this investment is narrow. For most streamers, a modern single PC with a powerful graphics card is more than capable of producing a high-quality broadcast. The dual PC setup is only truly necessary under two conditions: you are a competitive player whose performance depends on squeezing out every possible frame-per-second, or your content production is so complex that a single system cannot manage all the required video and audio sources without compromising quality.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Author]

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