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hi guys. I am a enthusiastic gamer playing world of warcraft and hoping to be able to stream in very good quality (atleast 720p). I am looking at upgrading a few parts as my pc doesnt seem to be able to handle the stress of running the game (in low settings at ~40 fps) and xsplit (program i use to stream). My cpu usage is sat around 99%...I am looking at getting the following:

Case: Cooler Master HAF XM Midi Tower £100

CPU: Intel® Core i5-3570K Processor £180

Mobo: MSI Z77 MPower, Socket-1155 (has bluetooth & wi-fi & ethernet built in) £150

My current computer specs are as follows:

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.120830-0333)
System Manufacturer: Acer
System Model: Aspire M3910
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU 650 @ 3.20GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
Memory: 7168MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 7160MB RAM
Card name: AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series
Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Chip type: AMD Radeon Graphics Processor (0x6819)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_6819&SUBSYS_27331462&REV_00
Display Memory: 231 MB
Dedicated Memory: 1004 MB
Shared Memory: 3323 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: AOC 2436
Monitor Model: 2436
Monitor Id: AOC2436
Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.000Hz)
Output Type: HD15

My questions/worries are;

Would i be able to buy the new case/motherboard/cpu with everything be compatible?

Is the cpu a decent upgrade for what i want and will i see a difference in quality?

Is there anything i need to know about the parts before going ahead and taking apart my current pc to build into a new case?

If i use the new case/motherboard/cpu will i be able to make up my new rig with my current pc parts?



If there is any information you need what i have missed off i am very sorry and please just let me know how to acquire it and i will do so.

Thanks in advance

So to be clear as to what you need:
Run WoW
Stream via xsplit @ 720p+

That's pretty much it, right?

I would start in two places. First, the latest System Guide should target a good set of hardware, even if you don't replace everything. Second, I don't have experience streaming, but I would find out or confirm what taxes your streaming the most. It seems a little odd to me that you're maxed out at low setting, but that could also just be the norm for running xsplit, meaning that a significant hardware upgrade wouldn't necessarily fix your issues.

Before you start buying up hardware, maybe see if you have everything set right in xsplit regarding FPS out, time delays, etc. Just in case.

Wouldn't an i7 be better for streaming as you could dedicate more cores for running the game and running the stream? i.e. you do do the trick where you set the core affinity for the processes to separate cores right?

In order of streaming bottlenecks it'd likely be:

upload rate > stream service > hosting service > system loads.

To prove that it IS your system that is the bottleneck... does playing WOW @ 720p and streaming @ 720p improve things? (instead of currently playing at 1080p) If not... then buying a better PC isn't going to help you.

I see a red flag right here:

My cpu usage is sat around 99%

If your CPU usage really is hovering around 99%, then either you've got a program running which is using idle CPU cycles, but giving them up immediately when a more important tasks come along (e.g. Folding@Home), in which case you may not need a CPU upgrade; or you have a rogue program that is chewing up all available CPU time. A legitimate (but buggy) program can sometimes do this, but the most common cause is malware or a virus.

Can you provide any additional information, or perhaps a screenshot of your task manager?

It's very rare that I (or anyone else here) recommends an i7 over an i5 for gaming, but WoW is actually good at using threads so having more threads available will likely allow Xsplit to run better.

Certainly if you're resampling the image in realtime (downsampling from 1080p to 720p) you're going to be needing significant processing power to perform that operation all by itself. I think realtime x264 encoding+resampling at 720p needs a Core2 Quad all by itself, though I doubt Xsplit's codec is anywhere near as accurate or time-consuming as a 720p x264 encode.

I stream using xsplit on twitch.tv rather regularly. I'm using the system in my signature and streaming at 1280x900 resolution if memory serves. I get a lot of comments about how good it looks. I have a small audience though so I imagine my first wall to hit will be bandwidth or perhaps twitch manages that for me. I just recently deleted a lot of my older recordings, otherwise I'd link you. I stream games like League of Legends and Skyrim, along with Team Fortress 2. I get 60FPS or better in all the games with little or no stutter.

I currently can't even run 720p using xsplit. When I do I have a very low ms but the game includes a lot of lag spikes with a low fps ~10 or lower! I have had many people tell me that it is my CPU what needs updating however with 4 cores at 3.20ghz I can't see why?! I was hoping the upgrade would smooth my gaming out as I have just purchased the gfx card with little impact. Thank you for all the rapid replies I do appreciate your views and time

Not knowing much about streaming, I'd just be careful with your purchase. I don't think a current generation i5 is so much better than your current i5 that it'll fix your problem. It may require a higher class of CPU (like an i7), or possibly some other issue at hand. Your current build is pretty capable; I think it's worth exploring if something else is happening before you start throwing money at it.

Despite comments here, I think the problem is your chip since the i5-650 is only a dual-core and that simply isn't enough.
It's certainly foolish to overlook a software/configuration issue, but my experience with the old dual-core Clarkdale chips was pretty underwhelming. Compared to a quad-core Sandy or Ivy Bridge, the difference when multi-tasking was staggering.

the thing what gets me is that i am getting certain lag issues in game when running xsplit. When running either one separate its fine. I have the correct settings in xsplit as i have talked to many a people about my settings. I will be getting the new cpu motherboard and case as i wanted a upgrade for aesthetics also. My main concern was the compatibility in all of the parts going together. Basically adding the 3 new parts and building the rig with my old parts. Would it work?

If both xpslit and games run fine by themselves, then I think you've just confirmed that you have a processing power defecit.

Try giving xsplit affinity for one core, and then give WoW affinity for the other core. I expect WoW will run badly but you might get slightly better overall performance since Xsplit is unable to tie up the processor when WoW needs it. If this is the case, getting more/faster cores will likely solve your problems.

If you're definitely getting new parts, doublecheck your actual so you know what migrating will entail (and whether or not it will be worth it).

What kind of 78xx card do you have? 7870? I assume your PSU can supply it, but you might also get good mileage from a non-Acer one if it helps routing things.

RAM? I assume DDR3, but you'll want to know what is physically there. Is is 2x4GB? What speed is it clocked at? There might be something on the stick to indicate that as well.

Storage? This could have some incompatabilities. Your chosen motherboard only has SATA ports (which is good for enthusiasts), but if your DVD or hard drive has something other than SATA, it will not be compatible.

I have a 7850 gfx card. How would I be able to check if my hard drives and cd are Sara ports other than opening up my tower?

If you want to check compatibility you need to open up your tower. That's not something you can find in software. Same goes for RAM configuration. You might be able to find speed, but looking is the best way to see if you're at 4x2GB, 2x4GB, etc.

You may be able to find something to browse the DMI data, on Linux it is "dmidecode", no idea what Windows software there is. The DMI data will include what slots you have on the motherbaord and what is in them.