From Zorin OS to Tiny 10: The Streaming Saga (and the fall of the "Princeston" SSD)
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Got an old PC gathering dust? I might have found the ultimate solution. Join me on my journey to build a dedicated streaming setup using an old 3rd gen i5, dealing with Linux struggles, fake SSDs, and the miracle of Tiny 10. Check out how I turned a "battlefield" into a performance laboratory!
If you have an old PC sitting in a corner, or that "war veteran" machine asking for retirement, I have a great solution for you today.
Recently, I decided to build a dedicated streaming setup to let my main machine focus solely on gaming. My first thought was to install a Linux system, known for being lightweight and less hardware-demanding. In my case, performance would be plenty.
🛠️ The 3rd Gen Warrior To understand the challenge, here are the machine's specs:
CPU: i5 3470 (3rd gen, 4 cores/4 threads) @ 3.20 GHz (Turbo 3.60 GHz)
RAM: 8GB
Storage 1: NVMe 1TB
Storage 2: "Kingston" SSD 480GB (I’ll explain the quotes in a bit!)
GPU: GTX 1050ti 4GB
PSU: 500W
The "Battlefield": LGA 1155 Motherboard, the brave i5 3470, and the KCAS-500W PSU ready for debloat.
🐧 The Clash with Linux and NDI
I installed Zorin OS, which has a friendly and very light interface. I set up OBS and initially tried using NDI Source. That’s where the trouble started: for NDI to communicate between Linux and Wind, they need to be on the same network, and Windows must use a local account.
Since my main PC runs a genuine Windows 11 Pro, I didn't want to mess with local accounts and all that hassle. Then, I had the "bright" idea of using VDO Ninja... if only I knew! After several failed attempts, I decided to go with Parsec.
🎙️ Audio Drama and the "Princeston" SSD
Good decision, but I still had the microphone issue. In Linux, nothing is ever easy. After scouring many forums, I tried Sonobus to transmit audio. It almost worked, but eventually, I opted for a physical mic plugged directly into the streaming PC.
Everything was running smoothly when suddenly, the "Kingston" SSD decided to "go to base" (died). Back to square one. I bought this SSD from a global marketplace, and instead of a Kingston, I received a "Princeston" — and let me tell you, this prince was a nightmare!
🚀 The Phoenix: Tiny 10 and the Virtual Display
Without Linux, I remembered I had a super-optimized system on my NVMe: Tiny 10. It’s a stripped-down version of Windows that makes the machine extremely light.
Back to configuring everything again. I found out that NDI worked 100% on Tiny 10, but the 4-core warrior struggled to handle the load. I went back to Parsec, but a new hurdle appeared: OBS on Tiny 10 didn't recognize Parsec as a window or a game because the system lacks secondary desktop features.
Almost giving up, I remembered something about Virtual Displays. I found a video by Odorizzi
(https://youtu.be/OMBP1WqnVaM?si=xqHSsxl2_qEntq_B ), who explained everything on the subject. And guess what? With a virtual monitor, OBS captured Parsec! Now I’m reconfiguring everything, and soon I’ll bring you the final results of this technological survival.
Don't fall for fake hardware! Check out the real deal:
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