Hello Kayo33,

Thank you very much for your help via private messages. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to reply to you there, which is why I’m posting here instead. Maybe it’s because of my newbie status on the forum?

I’m still having a bit of trouble keeping track of the bandwidth requirements between the different capture formats (YUY2, NV12, etc.).

The cameras are:
4× Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K G2 Plus
2× Sony SRG-300H PTZ cameras with Blackmagic HDMI-to-3G-SDI converters

I wasn't aware that the recording SSDs also need to be connected through PCIe lanes directly linked to the CPU. I assumed it would have very little impact.

At this stage, I’m leaning towards the Intel configuration with the MSI MEG Z890 Unify-X. However, instead of starting with a DeckLink 8K Pro and a Duo 2, I’m planning to begin with a Quad 2 card to stay in 1080p25, giving me 8 I/O channels while keeping future upgrade options open for 4K through the Thunderbolt ports.

At that point, I could also upgrade the RAM and GPU.

My budget is around €3,300 excluding VAT (LDLC purchasing constraints and delivery deadlines). I already own 2 of the 3 SSDs required. I haven’t been able to find any PCIe expansion chassis available from LDLC; otherwise, I would probably have gone directly with two DeckLink 8K Pro cards.

Here is the configuration I currently have in mind:

MSI MEG Z890 Unify-X
PCI_E2 → RTX 5060 Ti GPU running at PCIe 5.0 ×8 → CPU
PCI_E3 → DeckLink Quad 2 running at PCIe 2.0 ×8 → CPU
M.2_1 → Recording SSD (PCIe 4.0 ×4) → CPU
M.2_6 → Recording SSD (PCIe 5.0 ×4) → CPU
M.2_5 → Windows SSD (PCIe 4.0 ×4) → Chipset

Based on MSI’s specifications and yours recommandation, I believe this configuration is technically sound, but could you confirm that everything looks correct? In particular, I would appreciate confirmation that the Quad 2 will operate properly in PCI_E3 with an ×8 link.

I would really like to include an RTX 5070 Ti, but I think that may be difficult within the available budget.

Would the Core i5-250KF be sufficient if, in the future, I add an expansion chassis containing a DeckLink 8K Pro for four 4K25 inputs and replace the Quad 2 with another 8K Pro as well?

Alternatively, I could keep the Quad 2 for the two Sony cameras while using the 8K Pro cards for the 4K sources.

Would it be possible to run a 4K production project and enlarge or upscale the two 1080p Sony camera feeds within vMix?

Thanks again for taking the time to help me! 😉