Question about CPU usage

Recently I started streaming my game play on twitch. I noticed a lot of games I stream I have no issues with lag on either my end or the stream itself. However when I stream something like GTA V which from my understanding is a very CPU intensive Both my game and the stream start acting up. The stream itself becomes choppy and the game has a hard time rendering graphics fast enough so things like roads and buildings do not load right away so it looks like I'm driving on air. After doing some investigating I noticed that when I play GTA V alone without streaming the rendering issue seems to stop but my CPU usage fluctuates anywhere from 50-80% with an average of about 75% combine this with software like OBS and streaming and I am easily now at 100% Usage. The only fix I have found to this issue so far is locking the FPS at 30 and that brings the usage down to 30-50% which still seems a bit high but no where near as bad. So my question is how do people combat this issue? Overclocking, more cores? Or is it just one of those things that regardless of what CPU you have you are still going to run into usage issues?

More cores and/or higher clock speeds will help.

Adding cores would probably be best for you, that way the streaming software won't be fighting the game for core time.

Hey ATM, First off sorry for the late response it has been one of those days. So I figured adding more cores would help however I would like to understand what exactly it does to help. My guess is that if a CPU has 8 cores and game uses 90% on the first 4 cores then the computer would say ok lets help lighten the load by using cores 5 and 6 for other application if that makes sense. I also did some investigating reading other forums that had to do with "Best processors for streaming" and I noticed while a lot of people recommended the AMD FX-8350 a lot of others recommended CPUs such as the i7 4770k. Now the most obvious difference to myself beside the price would be the AMD's 8 cores which you would think would be better however people say the 4770k will run circles around the FX-8350. This is where I begin to get confused. I also read the the FX-8350 would be equivalent to my 3570k and the performance increase would not be noticeable.

I really want to understand what I need to look for if I decide to upgrade my processor and also why those things are important and what role they play. When people say thing like "the 4770k will run circles around the FX-8350" are they referring to in terms of speed? Or are they saying with the 4770k the CPU usage would be lower. If that is the case why would that processor have a lower usage compared to my 3570k what sets them apart to make that different?

I know this is a lot but i feel learning about this is recommended to help make the smartest choices in the future when I'm ready to make a purchase.

@EarthDog, I watched the video and I can definitely say it is pretty clear as far as the 8350's potential when it comes to streaming. I think at this point my biggest concern is, is it going to do want (which it seems like it will) and how long will it be before I'm back at the store upgrading again. If this is going to solve my issues of being able to stream then for 150$ it seems like a steal. Another plus is I live close to a micro center which has really good deals when bundling with a motherboard so all in all if the upgrade is worth it then it is something I will strongly consider doing. Another thing I have been considering and i posted about this is upgrading my Vid card to a GTX980Ti but I have decided to hold off for a bit to see what is going to happen with AMD upcoming card releases. So I guess what it all boils down to is if i were to do the upgrade and get both the GTX980Ti and the FX-8350 would I be able play newer games being released such as Witcher 3,Fallout 4, Batman Arkham Knight at 2560x1440 on very high to ultra setting while streaming at 720P comfortably. by comfortably referring to a nice smooth game play of at least or close to 60FPS.

I feel like you'd end up CPU limited with an 8350 and 980Ti.

@ATM by CPU limited are you saying that the 980ti it would cause a bottleneck with the CPU? I'm open for suggestions however I will be on a tight budget after (or if) I get the 980ti. So whatever I go with as far a CPU goes it has to be a reasonable price. Figure if i were to buy a FX-8350 + a decent mobo I would be looking at about 250-300$ so I would like to stay withing that range. When it comes to PC builds I'm not exactly the greatest at choosing hardware. I am however trying my best to read up on this to have a better understanding. I want o know why the GTI980TI is so good instead of just reading reviews and buy it because someone said it "X" at max settings.

I'm saying the CPU would most likely bottleneck the GPU in games.
For 1440p, with your budget, I'd be considering a 980 and putting the $150 from not going to a 980Ti toward the CPU/mobo/RAM.

Would I be correct in assuming you could definitely use more than 8GB of RAM?
Especially since GTA V comes close to using 8GB with just the OS going.

Heh, I was scared you were gonna say that. how much better is the 980ti to the 980. Not to sound like I'm discouraged but this idea of upgrading seems like it is more trouble then it is worth. So here are a few questions
1. Is it nessecary to upgrade my mobo?
2. Due to my hyper 212 I cannot use the first ram slot because the heat sink is so bulky it covers it. If I were to buy another 4 or 8 gig stick and used 3 slots vs having it dual channel or all 4 slots filled would it cause an issue or decrease in performance?
3.what processor should I upgrade to?
4. Trying to game at 1440p seems like it is more trouble then it worth in order to get games to run at ultra settings I pretty much have to upgrade all of my components would it be worth it to just go back to 1080p?
Sorry it seems like I have so many questions. I come here because there isn't many places I can go to ask questions. Can you imagine the looks I would get if I were to walk into a best buy and ask them things like this. w/e I do I just want to make sure it is something that will last and I won't be in the same boat a year from now. I feel kinda like a big mistake is I bought a 1440p monitor with the idea that my current setup would allow me to play game when in all actuality I feel like it is just enough to get me by.

1. No.
2. Could cause an issue. Refer to your manual for how you can populate the slots. Don't you have 8GB alreafy? That's enough...
3. I don't think you need to upgrade.
4. You don't have to upgrade anything but the gpu. Maybe overclock your cpu. That's why you have a k series cpu and aftermarket cooler, right?

Earthdog, the whole issue he's having is pegging the CPU while streaming.
More CPU power is in order, at a minimum.

Definitely try a healthy overclock first though, it may keep you from upgrading your CPU.

And a 7970 is pretty low range for 1440p.

Sorry to bring this thread back to life but i made a purchase and I tried to make the most logical move. I would like to see what you guys think. I bought a FX8350 and a new mobo from microcenter. The bundle cost around 230$ I figured by doing this it would help fix my issue of CPU usage and at the same time buy myself time until the new intel chips release next year. This way I could upgrade to the latest stuff and hopefully by that time the prices of DDR4 will have gone down since it will more or less become the new standard with mobos. The only other thing I can upgrade from here is my Ram by buying another 2x4GB sticks to get 16GB total, however I do not know if 16GB is necessary. If i really want to I can sell my 3570k and z77 extreme 4 to try and make back some if not all of what I spent on the FX-8350 and mobo.

Im afraid to ask what motherboard came with that CPU...

gigabyte 990fxa-ud3. However judging by the ... at the end of your post i feel like i made a mistake lol

That one should be fine... 8+2 power and it is heatsinked.

The thing is, with that processor you have, it sucks down power, particularly when overclocked. So you need a robust motherboard. That one will be ok.

I was scared for a second. It would have been no biggy though seeing as i still have like 11 days to return both the CPU and Mobo. On the other hand do you think my solution and the way i went about it was reasonable? or did i just waste 230$ for no reason. My main determining factors were:

1.The FX8350 seemed to be the better of the 2 (3570k) when it came to streaming
2.According to alot of benchmarks i have seen and youtube videos the performance itself is very close when comparing the two.
3.Saved alot of money, I could have went with the 4790K which would have been a superior choice IMO but with the skylake being so close if I can hold myself over until then why not wait.

Well, your time is not a factor for me, so that said, I think it was a waste of cash. But because it can do what you need it to do better, it may not be for you.

I would have sucked it up, or went used 3770K for the extra threads and sold the 3570K instead of getting a new AMD system.

Jrdnj15 said:

I was scared for a second. It would have been no biggy though seeing as i still have like 11 days to return both the CPU and Mobo. On the other hand do you think my solution and the way i went about it was reasonable? or did i just waste 230$ for no reason. My main determining factors were:

1.The FX8350 seemed to be the better of the 2 (3570k) when it came to streaming
2.According to alot of benchmarks i have seen and youtube videos the performance itself is very close when comparing the two.
3.Saved alot of money, I could have went with the 4790K which would have been a superior choice IMO but with the skylake being so close if I can hold myself over until then why not wait.

Click to expand...

Are you sure it isn't the streaming buffer that bogs down your harddrive? I got an impression that your framerate is good but assets are not loadinng properly while playing?
If you use mechanical drive to load game assets and as stream buffer you are asking for trouble.

I forgot to update my signature, but is have since upgraded to a samsung evo 500GB SSD so im not sure if that would still cause the issue you are referring to. Are you asking if i use the same hard drive to both run the game and OBS? If so then yes both my games and OBS are on my C drive. Like i said earlier if this was a stupid decision i could always return the CPU/Mobo this weekend and go back to my old setup.

Sounds like you need to at least try with the game on one and streaming to the other...