How to Stream Games to a Second PC WITHOUT a Capture Card

Want to stream games but don't have a capture card? Well, you don't actually need one. Just follow these steps.

Game streaming is all the rage these days. Whether you're playing a highly charged first-person shooter or a laid-back driving simulator, someone's going to be interested in watching you do it.

However, streaming and playing on the same PC can be taxing on system resources. So if you have an old PC lying around, why not use it to stream your game instead?

And don't worry about getting a capture card because there's a way around it. Here's how you can stream your games with your old PC for free.

What You Need to Stream Games to a Second PC

First off, you need two computers—one for gaming and the other for streaming. On both devices, you must have the following applications: a broadcasting software, preferably an application like OBS Studio, NDI Tools for sending your screen capture from one PC to another, and the NDI OBS Plug-in, to make the NDI app work with OBS.

You should also connect your computers to the same network so your streaming software can detect the source. Although high-speed Wi-Fi would work for a reliable stream, connecting both devices via LAN is better. That way, you can get the best possible connection quality, thus reducing latency and delay for your stream.

And if you want to engage with your audience, your camera and microphone should also be connected to your streaming PC. That way, your gaming PC won't have an additional load to process.

Download: OBS Studio for Windows, Mac, and Linux

Download: NDI Tools for Windows and Mac

Download: OBS NDI Plug-in for Windows, Mac, and Linux

Setting Up Your Gaming PC

On your gaming PC, open the OBS Studio app. To minimize system resource use, don't add multiple scenes and sources. Just add one source—the monitor you want to stream.

To do that, go to the Sources window, then click on the plus sign menu. Choose Display Capture. In the new window, click on the Create new radio button, then press OK.

In the Display dropdown menu, choose the monitor you want to stream. Once you've selected the correct screen, press OK. You should see the app or game you're streaming on your gaming PC's OBS Studio app preview.

You then need to go to Tools > NDI Output settings. In the NDI Output settings, put a tick on the Main Output checkbox. And in the Main Output name textbox, write the name you want to call your gaming pc. Once done, press OK.

To ensure you capture your game's audio, go to File > Settings > Audio. Under Global Audio Devices, click on the dropdown menu for Desktop Audio. If you're familiar with the sound source you're using, you can pick that, but otherwise, make sure it's set on default.

Once set, you don't need to do anything on your gaming PC. The NDI app and plug-in will capture what OBS Studio is seeing and hearing on your computer, and then it will broadcast it to your local area network.

Capturing Your Game on Your Streaming PC

Once you've prepped your gaming PC, it's time to set up your streaming computer. To do that, open OBS Studio, then under the Sources window, click on the plus sign. In the menu that will open, choose NDI Source. A Create/Select Source window will then pop up.

In the pop-up window, click on the Create new radio button. The default name is NDI Source, although you can pick a different title for your gaming computer's stream. Also, ensure that the Make source visible checkbox is ticked. Once you're satisfied with the name, press OK.

A Properties for '[NDI Source] window will appear after you've pressed OK. Under the Source name dropdown menu, choose the computer you're going to stream from. You should see it as the name of your computer plus the name you gave it in your gaming PC set up in parentheses.

Keeping all other default settings, press OK. Your gaming computer's screen should then appear on your streaming PC's preview screen. Feel free to resize the stream so it will fill your monitor.

Interacting With Your Audience

Most of the time, simply streaming your gaming session isn't enough to win over an audience. Being a good player at your game isn't going to cut it anymore. You need to engage with them by showing your face and having a live conversation about the game you're playing.

Alternatively, you could talk about an interesting topic and turn your gaming stream into some sort of podcast. Whatever your goal is, letting your audience see and hear you while you're playing will significantly benefit your stream.

To do that, return to the Sources window, and under the plus sign menu, click on Video Capture Device. The Create/Select Source window will appear again. Click on the Create new radio button, then give your camera a name. Again, ensure the Make source visible checkbox is ticked, then press OK.

In the Properties for 'Video Capture Device' window, go to the Device dropdown menu. Pick out the camera you're going to use for your stream, then press OK. You should see your camera's view appear in the preview section of your streaming PC. Resize and move it around so that it doesn't block anything important on your stream.

Finally, to add an audio source to your stream, repeat the same process. Go to the Sources window, click on the plus sign menu, but this time, choose Audio Input Capture. The Create/Select Source will open once more. Click on the Create new radio button and give your microphone a name, then press OK.

In the Properties for 'Audio Input Capture' window, click on the Device dropdown menu, choose your computer's microphone, then press OK.

Related: The Top 6 Ways You Can Make It Big on Twitch

Checking Your Setup

To ensure your audience hears your stream—both the game and your voice—take a look at the Audio Mixer. Try playing a sample song on your gaming PC, and then check the NDI Source (or whatever name you gave your gaming PC stream) in the Audio Mixer. It should be moving with the sound intensity of your audio.

Do the same with the Audio Input Capture to check your microphone. Once you're sure you have reliable audio, you can now go and press Start Streaming.

While OBS Studio is live, you will see the Stream Status at the lower right corner. Here you will see your stream's performance, like the number of dropped frames, how long you've been live, the CPU resources your stream uses, its framerate, and bandwidth.

Have a Spare PC, Start Streaming

Even a fairly old computer can still be used for streaming. For example, a 4th-generation Intel Core i7 can still let you stream your screen. And instead of spending extra on a video capture card, you can instead use NDI Tools to connect your devices.

So if you have a spare PC lying around, put it to good use and start your own game stream. Who knows? Maybe you're the next Twitch star.

About The Author