Solved! Laptop for Streaming Sports

Marowak43

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Mar 30, 2017
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510
Hello everyone. I work for a small sports streaming company and would like some advice from the community. I broadcast for football, basketball, soccer, etc., and need a new system. The current stream computer is a 4790K with 64 gigs of RAM, and a GTX 970 all on a mini-atx ASUS motherboard. All of this is in a rather large and heavy ATX case.

The problem that keeps happening is the 4790k spikes into the 80%-95% total usage during broadcasts. As a result, the framerate dips substantially and it forces us to terminate some programs that could make the broadcast better. Moreover, the current computer is very heavy to lift and carry around to different locations.
As a solution, I have begun to look for a powerful laptop that can handle the stream. However, the company uses five SDI ports to display output from the cameras. I am having trouble finding a laptop that is a high spec and has the necessary amount of SDI ports to run the stream.

If there are any suggestions you guys have, it will be greatly appreciated. Please point out anything I may have overlooked or caught your eye. What's more, is if there are any capable laptops or small desktops that you know of that could possibly run a high-quality stream. Thank you for all who reads this and chat me if you have a possible replacement. Thank you and have a nice day.
 
Solution


Actually you probably could and get a HTPC build in a case like a Silverstone Raven or Fractal Design Node 202 and go with an ultra small form factor. Now the question of getting a high core CPU like a TR4 or Intel i9 into such a build is where the challenge would lie. You could always go with something...

superninja12

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May 18, 2015
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I understand that you want a laptop, but the amount of power that cpu needs to render can't be easily done on a laptop.
were talking about a maxed out pc +- 1500 dollars or a 4000 dollar laptop, and even then the pc will be better.

the suggestion depends on the money.... whats your budget?


 

Marowak43

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Mar 30, 2017
6
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510

Our max budget is $10,000, but it has to be "futureproof" for at least a couple of years.
 

superninja12

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May 18, 2015
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no way a laptop can handle that, 5 professional cameras...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($569.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H5 Universal 65 CFM CPU Cooler ($52.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z390 M GAMING Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($144.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Sniper X 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($539.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($147.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Black 4 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($177.90 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1080 8 GB Mini Video Card ($479.00 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($119.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2302.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-14 16:06 EST-0500

https://www.amazon.com/Blackmagic-Design-DeckLink-Playback-Advanced/dp/B014OQ60OK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1542228569&sr=8-5&keywords=pci+sdi

or....

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1186263-REG/blackmagic_design_bdlkdvqd2_decklink_quad_2_8_channel.html

hey man this would be my suggestion, I made a tradeoff between portability and peformance, no way we can cram the peformance into a laptop for what you need...

blackmagic is a topbrand , never breaks.

I took the 1080 for triple 4k displays , however if u say we dont need 3times 4k , I could make it a bit smaller and more portable I was thinking about this case: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0084009RC/?tag=pcpapi-20

however its a itx case-> so max 32gb ram, idk if u hit a ram bottleneck.

what do you think so far?
 

Marowak43

Prominent
Mar 30, 2017
6
0
510

Wow, I am truly honored that you dug so much research into this. It means a lot. I like where your head is at, I think laptops just aren't quite there yet. 32 gigs of RAM would be fine, I think, and I don't think we need 4K just yet. What I didn't realize was you can upgrade a desktop, you can't upgrade a laptop. My only critique is a smaller case, and I like that five SDI port card so that saves a ton of space. If there are any smaller cases you know of, please let me know! Thanks again for all the research and everything.
 

superninja12

Estimable
Herald
May 18, 2015
419
0
5,210
you need to test something for me, I want to know if the graphics card helps for your streaming problem. so try to plug in the hdmi cable from the monitor into the graphics card , so the graphics card does the rendering job. and do the hdmi cable once into the motherboard and see if it makes a big difference.

if the answer is yes it makes a difference, then we know that my previous suggestion is good , and you cant go smaller.

otherwise we can go this route:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($569.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.84 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX Z390-I GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($284.99 @ Corsair)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($147.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Black 4 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($172.88 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone - FT03S-MINI Mini ITX Tower Case ($142.74 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - SF 600 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($114.86 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1683.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-15 09:54 EST-0500

with the previous blackmagic card linked , with the 8 full hd sdi inputs.
 

g-unit1111

Distinguished
Moderator


Actually you probably could and get a HTPC build in a case like a Silverstone Raven or Fractal Design Node 202 and go with an ultra small form factor. Now the question of getting a high core CPU like a TR4 or Intel i9 into such a build is where the challenge would lie. You could always go with something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor (£597.46 @ CCL Computers)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler (£39.24 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX Z390-I GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (£208.55 @ More Computers)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£283.55 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£112.74 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£140.39 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB Video Card (£408.92 @ More Computers)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 202 HTPC Case (£73.99 @ AWD-IT)
Power Supply: Corsair - SF 600 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply (£95.49 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £1960.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-15 17:41 GMT+0000
 
Solution

logainofhades

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Apr 27, 2009
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Acer has a laptop equipped with a desktop Ryzen 7 2700. I would be looking at Ryzen 7 or Threadripper for most bang for your buck multitasking. A 2700x, motherboard, and 16gb can be had for around the price of a 9900k, by itself, when looking at standard sized components. SFF build in 2700x form.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor (£287.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix B450-I Gaming Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard (£149.47 @ Box Limited)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£251.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£112.74 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£140.39 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11 GB Mini Video Card (£599.98 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Silverstone - RVZ01B Mini ITX Desktop Case (£86.99 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair - SF 600 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply (£95.49 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £1725.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-15 20:02 GMT+0000
 

Marowak43

Prominent
Mar 30, 2017
6
0
510


I forgot to mention, we have three monitors hooked up to the computer. One is for someone taking camera shots, another is for the producer, and the last one is for the commentators. During setup, I use the DVI cable, and two display ports.
 

superninja12

Estimable
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May 18, 2015
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OKay, what resolution are the monitors? I guess 1080p? maybe you want to updgrade the monitors to 4k?

I think you should get mATX build so you can insert a dedicated graphics card because:

1) that allows the cpu to fully focus on the rendering process
2) you can insert your SDI card
3) you can hook up multiple monitors.

maybe my case maybe g unit his case.

otherwise you can get external equipment .
 

Marowak43

Prominent
Mar 30, 2017
6
0
510
Hello all who posted to this thread. The problem with the mini-ITX form factor is that I need at least 2 PCI slots to put the graphics card and the SDI ports.
 

g-unit1111

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Moderator


So you need more than just two slots for the GPU then?
 

g-unit1111

Distinguished
Moderator


You might not be able to achieve that, because most mini ITX boards only have the one slot for a GPU and that's it, they don't really accommodate much expansion beyond that. If you need the extra cards you're probably better off stepping it up to a micro ATX and then you will have 4 available PCI slots as opposed to just one.