For a streaming computer with 2 gpus, can I use one for the streaming software, and one for the game?
More details: I'm thinking of getting a 2080 ti. I currently have a gtx 970. Can I install both (I have the space and the slots for both,) and run a game off the 2080 ti, and the streaming software on the 970? Basically, I want to be able to stream in as high of quality as I can, using my available resources. I also know that streaming tends to use some resources.
Any tips or knowledge regarding this topic, even if only tangentially related is appreciated.
1 Answer
That would be significantly worse video quality.
There are a couple things you need to understand. Nvenc is NOT just some software running on your video card, like how x264 is just some software running on your CPU. Nvenc has dedicated circuits on the GPU specifically for encoding video. When they are not in use, they don’t do anything else. What this means is offloading transcoding to another card does (almost) nothing to game performance, and vice versa.
Second, the encoding primitives onboard the GPU are getting better ever generation. The 2080 WILL produce higher fidelity video at a lower bitrate using less power. It’s just that much better than the 970.
And finally using a second card would strangle PCI bandwidth as the frame buffer data would need to be copied form one card to the other across the bus every single frame.
2
