Question / Help Bad Stream Quality, Super Laggy, FPS drop IN GAME

[JaikNasty]

I just started streaming on Twitch using OBS studio, and when I stream Overwatch I get bad quality stream and the stream skips and buffers a lot. While I play the game, the FPS stays the same but it seems to stutter a lot which can get quite annoying while trying to play a fast paced shooter. My upload speed is sitting at around 4.25 mbps

Here are my PC specs:

OS: Windows 10 Home 64 bit

Processor: Intel i5 4460 @3.20GHz

Mobo: Asus Z97 Pro Gamer

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2x8)

GPU: MSI GeForce 1070

PSU: Corsair RM850X 850W

Here is a log from my last Overwatch stream: https://gist.github.com/348044cd6c5fdd136deb64fe308f1d1e

Any help would be very appreciated, guys. I really want to stream for fun, and the problems that are occurring are very discouraging.

 

[ColtaineCrows]

Buffering is usually unpreventable, especially for unpartnered streamers on twitch thanks to how their CDN(Content Delivery Network) works. Use this tool to find the best server for you: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/tech-support/478845-twitchtest-twitch-bandwidth-tester The most important value is the Quality, followed by the bandwidth.

Next, the stuttering, if you haven't already you should try enabling some kind of fps-cap in game so it doesn't eat all the GPU and hogs CPU time, this could be what causes stutters in game as OBS needs some GPU resources for scene composition. I didn't notice anything awful in your log, but I've been known to miss things.

EDIT: Derp.

22:54:54.871: Output 'adv_stream': Number of skipped frames due to encoding lag: 11967 (31.6%)

Also there's an instance of game-capture trying to hook explorer.exe, but you seem to have resolved that.

Try capping the framerate first, then generate a new log if problems persist.

(Instructions for clean log)
Please post a link to a clean log file. To make a clean log file, first restart OBS, then start your stream/recording for ~30 seconds and stop it again. When you're done select Help > Log Files > Upload Current Log File. Copy the URL and paste it here.

 

[JaikNasty]

Just inserted a clean log file!

 

[RytoEX]

From your log while streaming Overwatch:

22:25:28.850: Output 'adv_stream': Number of skipped frames due to encoding lag: 974 (6.4%)
22:25:28.850: Output 'adv_stream': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 81 (0.5%)
[...]
22:54:54.871: Output 'adv_stream': Number of skipped frames due to encoding lag: 11967 (31.6%)
22:54:54.871: Output 'adv_stream': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 201 (0.5%)

Overwatch is a bit rough on the CPU, far more than WoW. Here are some things you could try or check:

• Use OBS Studio 64-bit
• Turn down some settings in-game to try to mitigate that (not sure which things most affect CPU there). In particular, matching your game resolution to your output resolution might reduce some CPU stress during scaling.
• Make sure that you have "Rescale Output" (Settings > Output > Streaming > Rescale Output) unchecked
  
• Make sure that you have "Multi-adapter Compatibility" disabled in your game capture source
• Enabling "Limit capture framerate" in your game capture source

Also, I think @ColtaineCrows meant to record/stream in the same scenario that would cause issues (streaming Overwatch). Your new log doesn't show any skipped/lagged frames because your system isn't undergoing the same strain as when streaming Overwatch. Lastly, please leave your old log files visible so that we can compare changes between the logs.

 

[JaikNasty]

From your log while streaming Overwatch:


Overwatch is a bit rough on the CPU, far more than WoW. Here are some things you could try or check:

• Use OBS Studio 64-bit
• Turn down some settings in-game to try to mitigate that (not sure which things most affect CPU there). In particular, matching your game resolution to your output resolution might reduce some CPU stress during scaling.
• Make sure that you have "Rescale Output" (Settings > Output > Streaming > Rescale Oputput) unchecked
  
• Make sure that you have "Multi-adapter Compatibility" disabled in your game capture source
• Enabling "Limit capture framerate" in your game capture source

Also, I think @ColtaineCrows meant to record/stream in the same scenario that would cause issues (streaming Overwatch). Your new log doesn't show any skipped/lagged frames because your system isn't undergoing the same strain as when streaming Overwatch. Lastly, please leave your old log files visible so that we can compare changes between the logs.

I did all of this, and my stream is still dropping a high amount of frames. :/

 

[RytoEX]

I did all of this, and my stream is still dropping a high amount of frames. :/

Your logs show that you were using the 32-bit version of OBS Studio.

Given that most of your issue seems to be encoding lag, I'd guess that the CPU isn't keeping up. Your CPU is close in performance to what I use, and I was able to record and stream Overwatch with less skipped/lagged frames on the veryfast x264 preset. Still, there's stuff we can experiment with a bit.

Have you reduced the Overwatch settings to the minimum levels? Are you running the game in Fullscreen mode? Closed background apps? Again, Overwatch hits the CPU pretty hard, though I'm not sure which in-game settings, if any, could reduce that hit.

Have you tried experimenting with the superfast and veryfast presets or bumping your bitrate up a bit (2500-3500 Kbps)?

 

[ColtaineCrows]

From your log while streaming Overwatch:


Overwatch is a bit rough on the CPU, far more than WoW. Here are some things you could try or check:

• Use OBS Studio 64-bit
• Turn down some settings in-game to try to mitigate that (not sure which things most affect CPU there). In particular, matching your game resolution to your output resolution might reduce some CPU stress during scaling.
• Make sure that you have "Rescale Output" (Settings > Output > Streaming > Rescale Oputput) unchecked
  
• Make sure that you have "Multi-adapter Compatibility" disabled in your game capture source
• Enabling "Limit capture framerate" in your game capture source

Also, I think @ColtaineCrows meant to record/stream in the same scenario that would cause issues (streaming Overwatch). Your new log doesn't show any skipped/lagged frames because your system isn't undergoing the same strain as when streaming Overwatch. Lastly, please leave your old log files visible so that we can compare changes between the logs.

Nope, was just talking about streaming.

 

[RytoEX]

Nope, was just talking about streaming.

Ah, okay then. It doesn't give as complete of a picture as mimicking the situation that produces the issue, but it is better than not having a recording/streaming attempt in a log or having no log at all.