Comparing Steam Link and PC streaming options.
Comparing Steam Link and PC streaming options.
Hey there! Let's break this down. You're using a Steam Link for one PC and a gaming PC with an older processor, right? The link shows decent quality but with a lower speed and noticeable lag. You've got a solid setup with Gigabit Ethernet and switches.
If you switch to SteamOS or just install Windows, it might help smooth things out since those older systems can struggle with the bandwidth limits of the link. The 100Mbps port could be a real constraint, especially if you're streaming or playing online.
Consider testing both options—maybe try Windows first and see how it performs compared to the Steam Link. Let me know what you find!
I'm uncertain about the improvement in stream quality. I have a Core i3 in the living room and can see a drop in quality when streaming games from my main PC, even with gigabit Ethernet. I'm considering switching to an Intel Core i5 with a 1050 Ti and installing SteamOS on it. This would allow running most Linux or SteamOS games directly on the hardware without lag or performance loss, only streaming from your gaming PC that doesn't run on SteamOS or needs more powerful components. Besides games, you could also use Kodi to watch movies and other content. The Steam link won't be as effective as I remember.
Unless you are experiencing some kind of glitch related to the link, I don't see it making much of a difference if any. With that said, you could always give it a try since you have the extra computers anyway. And feel free to let us know how it works out.
I imagine a future where every home has its own central PC acting like the house's brain, with simple connections for devices at different spots—like desks, sofas, etc. I've used Steam Link and Nvidia Shield Android TV, but nothing compares to streaming directly from my desk to the living room TV.
Thanks for your response! So I spent some time late last night setting up SteamOS (which took a long time) and testing it with Steam Link. The PC I used was an HP Pro 3500 with an i5-3470 and no graphics card. At first, I used an old GT 430 to manage the H.264 decoding and noticed a slight boost in performance compared to Steam Link for certain games, especially in terms of display latency. However, AAA titles running on Ultra still had issues, consistently showing around 50ms delay. From the data I saw, it seemed the lag was coming from the GT430 struggling with decoding. But keep in mind I was using both host and client versions with unlimited bandwidth at 1080p and 60fps. Once I switched to software decoding to take full advantage of the i5 and a 3.6GHz boost, things improved noticeably—clearer visuals and games running at max settings reached up to 25ms delay. I even got stuck in GTA V during testing and lost track of time. This was a big upgrade over Steam Link. I also have another Xeon machine that I plan to test tonight to see if more threads help.