No one knows? The only thing I have to go on then is the recommended computer specs on vmix site, which I'm in the process of taking care of. BUt understanding this process would be really helpful. Vmix support?

Not a graphics card expert. Recommended NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. My 1070 is under spec, or is it? But lots of folk here have suggested the Quadro cards the best to use. I can get a really good price on a Quadro M5000 PCI-Ex16 8GB DDR5. But the 1660 is even cheaper new.

I have a z360 HD3 board. Do I really need to upgrade to a z390?

Buying the i9 9900k processor. And adding another 32 GB of ram for a total of 64 GB.

My video input is using the Blackmagic quad 2.

I cannot afford to make a mistake on this upgrade. The old system will become a rental with 4 inputs instead of 8. Any help making this decision most appreciated.

Everything you ask for has been discussed many times in this forum and explained in the vMix videos on their YT channel. We don't have time to repeat over and over the same information especially for those who don't take time to find the information they need by themselves...

Let's make it quick (hoping that you will cope with it to investigate more on your side)

vMix is designed to work with Nvidia GTX or Quadro card to "process" or "render" ALL INPUTS (except those that can't be offloaded to GPUs, like NDI, some codec specific video files, old titles (not GT) and so on). This is explained in the vMix Knowledge Base !!!

When it comes to encoding :

- you have to understand the difference between "processing" and "encoding"
> processing is related to displaying inputs. everything is treated as UNCOMPRESSED VIDEO for best performance
> encoding is required to stream and record > this relates to OUTPUTS and by definition consists into converting from UNCOMPRESSED VIDEO to COMPRESSED VIDEO > This requires a lot of processing power.

Since 2015, and the GTX 7xx series, Nvidia implemented a Hardware Encoder for H.264 in their cards. Vmix takes advantage of this to offload the CPU > this is called GPU encoding

GTX cards allow 2 simultaneous encodes (newer models allow for 3), typically for 1 RTMP stream (H.264 + AAC) AND 1 record as long as H.264 is used
QUADRO cards, SINCE THE P SERIES, are only limited by their own power to deliver simultaneous encodes, meaning with a P2000 or above you can easily have 6,7 or more encodes WITHOUT AFFECTING THE CPU (as long as you stick to H.264 codec)

Regarding to your situation, which I already replied to, if you want to record 6 simultaneous feeds and stream at the same time you need a lot of power for encoding. 2 options :
- a beast CPU (like 10+ cores) and a basic GTX > most of the work is CPU based
OR
- an average CPU and a QUADRO (above P series) > most of the work is GPU based

Hope this helps. You now have the essential information to understand how vMix works and to be able to learn more by yourself.

QUAD2 delivers uncompressed signals go the system. vMix pipes them to GPU for display and processing. This has minimal impact on CPU

Pay attention to details! I mentionned the P series and above. I think a P2000/2200 is the minimum solution to consider. Meaning an M5000 or or P400 are not appropriate

I don't think this will help if you still want to multirec 6 or 8 ISOs.
A basic GTX 960 can easily rec and stream a 8 cams production because it only requires 2 simultaneous encodes.
However as soon as you need more H.264 encodes, you must be careful about CPU power or use a QUADRO card.

Axxx, Bxxx, Hxxx chipsets are not really appropriate for production indeed. They can do the job for very basic setups...

Focus on Zxxx and Xxxx for best performance

Seriously - thank you. For the last 48 hours I have gone down the rabbit hole. Looking at encoding, decoding, input/editing and output compression - I still have a lot to learn, but my understanding is much better. Specifically about the hardware choices I have made. The B360 will not do. I'm not even sure the i9 9900k will do, and the next leap up in capabilities is expensive....But folks, in this either you do it or not. There's no middle ground. So, a full re-evaluation of the hardware is in process.

A bunch of this comes down to PCIe lanes. I NEED the graphics card and the Quad 2 to be clear...that's 24 lanes, without M.2 or anything else....and I'm still learning, but it seems clear. The B360 has 12 lanes...already not enough even just for the graphics card. At the very least I'll go with the Z390 - but am looking at upgrading further.

I thank you all for the heads up. I needed some info to get started. Although a small operator, this is my living and I can't afford to not do it right. Kind of amazed at how well the systems doing as it is, and can hardly wait to have the right specs.

Seeking more detailed information on CODECs....This is a list of the CODECs suported by the Quad 2:
VC-Intra, AVCHD, Canon XF MPEG2, Digital SLR, DV-NTSC, DV-PAL, DVCPRO50, DVCPROHD, DPX, HDV, XDCAM EX, XDCAM HD, XDCAM HD422, DNxHR & DNxHD, Apple ProRes 4444, Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422, Apple ProRes LT, Apple ProRes 422 Proxy, Uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2, Uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2, Uncompressed 10-bit 4:4:4.

I'll do these one by one to understand better how to maximize quality and efficiency if I have to. If anybody has a link to a place where CODECs are listed by feature/use - this would be great. I have not found one yet.

I am multicording 9 inputs to separate SSDs. 8 cams and the main mix. Are you? With your system just running the 8 inputs and recording just main output - great, and streaming.

I am now looking at an Intel Core i9-9940X Processor, LGA 2066 system. Again, I can't afford to not have this work. Offering full post on my gigs is a huge benefit.