Alright, you got that covered there.

Well, here's a question.

What would take more power?

No Resolution Downscaling and having Custom Resolution set to 1920 x 1080 and streaming a TF2 game at 1920 x 1080.

or

Having a Resolution Downscaling set to 1280 x 720 and having Custom Resolution set to 1920 x 1080 and streaming a TF2 game at 1920 x 1080.

Effectively, would streaming a game at 1080p with a native resolution of 1080p require more CPU work or streaming a game at 720p with a native resolution of 1080p?

By Hardcoding lookups, do you mean it will be easier to transfer what it sees on the screen to be put onto the stream and that it's really your Internet capability that has to really work out.

Edit: Wait, no, nevermind. I was thinking it wrong. I mean, I still don't understand the difference between the Downscale Resolution and just setting your Custom Resolution to your game. Why is there a need to calculate on the fly when the value you have on the Custom Resolution is already set in stone?

Because, as the way I see it, you will gain more FPS in your game if your streaming application has to only capture a lesser bit of your game then the whole lot.

What optimizations are you speaking of?

When you stream TF2 or any other games of that matter, does Resolution Downscaling end up hurting your FPS?

A friend tested his video settings for OBS and by default, he runs his games at his native resolution (1920 x 1080). But, when he went and did a Resolution Downscale to a 720p resolution, he started stuttering quite a bit.

He has a i5 3570k and a GTX 660 with no overclocking.

I brought up this question because does it require more CPU power to convert the resolution to a different value and therefore causes a strain on it?

EDIT: Just a question. Why would you want to do a Resolution Downscale when you can simply set your "Custom Resolution" to the resolution you want the downscale to be? I might be missing the entire point of the Downscale and someone can help correct me on this.

I've just updated my build. There are really just two variants that I'm looking at. One has the i5 while the other has the i7. Other changes that were made included finding better RAM and a new GPU.

i5

-I upgraded the quality of the case to a 500R - Black Edition with the amount of money leftover from switching over.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1tWe8

Total: $1277.55

i7

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1tW3u

Total: $1351.56

If you could help select a well-known and reliable mobo, that will be appreciated. Until then, I'll do more research to see if I can find a good mix between the motherboard, GPU, and CPU that will fit that 1350 dollar price range(Planning on increase that 1300 to a bit higher amount if the situation calls for it).

EDIT2: The things that I have in mind will be the 760, the i5 or i7 overclocked, and some reputable motherboard.

EDIT3: The question, though, is whether the i5 overclocked, can easily fit my streaming settings?

FPS: 40
Max Bitrate: 3000
Buffer: 6000

All getting at least 250 FPS @ 1920 x 1080

Yeah, the only real CPU intensive applications that I'll be running will be OBS for my streaming and for its settings, I set the FPS section to 40. I'm just planning to achieve the 250 and higher FPS while I stream.

Would it be a better alternative? I don't know the real performance boost from the 660 ti to a 760.

[FIXED]

Oh right, right. In fact, do you think it'll be better if I stick to the i5 Unlocked Version since I think the i7 Unlocked is a bit overkill? I'm just planning on streaming TF2 content and occasionally play other games.

I probably will be trying to overclock my system. And yeah, I really think I can hold up with the current 256 GB since I don't really fill it up with much anyway. I might still be planning to buy myself a backup HDD just because they're inexpensive. I'm aiming for an amount that ranges from 200 - 250 FPS and up. I use a FPS Config as well.

EDIT: I did some researching about the MSI Motherboard and I'm worried if the problems that some customers experience will happen(Booting and Shutting Down After ~5 Seconds).

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1tTYq

Guidelines

- Under ~$1300(Including the ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz Monitor)
- Running at 250 FPS and above while streaming TF2 @ 1920 x 1080. The other games I'll also be playing while streaming will include CSGO, Dota 2, and BF3(Possibly more)

Any help/advice to lower the cost or strengthen the build will be more than welcomed!

Side Note: I have already a keyboard (Razer Deathstalker (Non-Ultimate)) and a mouse(Razer Deathadder 2013).

Thanks all :)

http://www.twitch.tv/tiger_1829/c/2773004

:o

Name: TiGR

Stream Link: http://www.twitch.tv/tiger_1829

Location: New York City, New York

Description:
Hey, I'm TiGR. I would like to get my stream onto the sidebar for teamfortress.tv. I've got interested into the streaming/competitive scene of TF2 a couple months ago and I would like to get even more involved. I have a full season as a pocket in UGC 6s. I will most likely stream scrims/pubs/pugs/mge/dm fights.

Experience:
-UGC 6s Season 12 Iron Division // High Caliber // 2nd Place // Pocket Soldier

Can I change my name to

TiGR

Thanks a lot, Enigma!