Question / Help Can i get some suggestions for local recording with my setup?

[Sparktite]

So theres a lot of different info out there on what to set everything at for local recordings. I was hoping to get some more specific info for how i intend to use my recordings.

TLDR if you had to recommend settings for someone to use that wanted to stream and record at the same time with my computer what would you recommend? Keeping in mind that the recording quality is more important and that x264 has to be used for the stream, nvenc is not an option for that atm.
PC Specs are at the bottom.

I wanna have a good high quality recording i can edit and upload to youtube thats recording while im streaming. I was debating with myself whether to use x264 or nvenc, since i know x264 should be better but if im also streaming i might wanna take some load off my rig. Ive read that some ppl like local recordings to be nvenc cuz they can crank up the bit rate and make up for the fact that they arent using x264 for the local recording.
I wanna have the recordings be at 1080p 60fps if possible. I tried going 10k bit rate with an attempt because i use filmora to edit with and it suggests 10k bit rate when exporting for best quality so i figured id match that with my obs recording bit rate. The problem is i have a 20 min video thats 1gb in size now and its making filmora lag so badly and my cpu hit like 99% usage and i cant edit with my cpu under that amount of stress.

I was reading through this link before posting here which seemed interesting but a bit complicated, and it mentions that its for recording and im not sure if they meant u shouldnt stream while recording like that or what.
https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/obs-classic-how-to-make-high-quality-local-recordings.16/

PC Specs:
OS: Windows 10
CPU: Intel Core i7-4930K (3.4ghz)
RAM: 2133MHz Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB
Mobo: Asus Rampage IV Gene
VGA: Zotac gtx 1080
SSD: Samsung 840 Evo
HDDs: WD Gaming Red drives?
PSU: Corsair AX1200

- Thanks for your time :)

 

[Harold]

The link you were reading through is no longer relevant, as it is for a now dead version of obs.

Settings - output

Set output mode to simple
Recording quality to indistinguishable
Recording format to flv
And try all the recording encoders until you get one that plays nice enough in your setup for your liking.

 

[Mroczny_Gustaw]

use auto config wizard and tell it to use x264 for stream and nvenc for recording, nothing wrong with nvenc
make sure you are not affected by this issue https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/using-nvenc-lowers-gpu-memory-clock.73228/

and run trough this list

1. 60hz desktop refresh
Replace with 59,94 for display like HDMI TV
If you have 144hz monitor its fastest and most reliable to forget about 144hz and follow 1,2,3,4
2. 60 or 30 in OBS (59,94 or 29,97 for HDMI TV)
3. 60 in game if there is switch for it (like bf3, bf4, overwatch) - 59,94 for HDMI TV
4. Enable vsync in game
5. Run obs as administrator
6. Enable high performance mode in windows power options
7. On Win10 disable game mode, game bar and game DVR https://i.imgur.com/7CVH7c5.png
8. Make sure your gpu can do stable 60fps in game without being maxed. OBS needs some of gpu resources as well. If you did points 1+4 and its still maxed lower resolution and/or details.
9. Install Afterburner (or pure RTSS+HW Info) to monitor cpu/gpu load and start experimenting with tuning resolution / fps / x264 preset. GPU/CPU load should not exceed 85-90%

 

[Sparktite]

So by setting power management to prefer max perf is that the fix or? I got kinda confused on whether u were trying to force the problem and what the fix was.
As for the refresh rate thing im also a bit confused there too, u just said 60hz desktop refresh, is that something u want me to make sure im doing within my display settings? within obs somewhere? Also are u wanting me to replace the 60hz with a 59.94 option because i am using a tv but whether im using a tv or a monitor shouldnt that not matter as long as its all at 60hz?
I think the lack of like detailed instruction is whats throwing me for a loop like instead of saying set OBS to 60 fps or 30fps based on what your doing, you say "60 or 30 in OBS" which forces me to try and interperet ur meaning as im not sure what ur saying. So then i also get lost with 60 in game. Are u saying if theres an fps option in a game to use it?
From my experience streaming and recording game play over the years, ive found that if my goal was to record at 60fps that i would set that in OBS, i would then make sure its not capped under 60fps in any game im playing, i normally take the cap off entirely as ive never had screen tearing issues, i also find that in 99.99% of games i see fps gains from making sure vsync is turned off.
Ill definitely look into messing around with the settings by monitoring my setup from msi afterburner, thanks.

What i was asking for was more specific to just what settings to use within OBS as i know how everything else should be setup. I never noticed an nvenc issue with OBS but im still new to relearning OBS since ive used xsplit since forever ago.

use auto config wizard and tell it to use x264 for stream and nvenc for recording, nothing wrong with nvenc
then fix nvenc https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/using-nvenc-lowers-gpu-memory-clock.73228/

and run trough this list

1. 60hz desktop refresh
Replace with 59,94 for display like HDMI TV
If you have 144hz monitor its fastest and most reliable to forget about 144hz and follow 1,2,3,4
2. 60 or 30 in OBS (59,94 or 29,97 for HDMI TV)
3. 60 in game if there is switch for it (like bf3, bf4, overwatch) - 59,94 for HDMI TV
4. Enable vsync in game
5. Run obs as administrator
6. Enable high performance mode in windows power options
7. On Win10 disable game mode, game bar and game DVR https://i.imgur.com/7CVH7c5.png
8. Make sure your gpu can do stable 60fps in game without being maxed. OBS needs some of gpu resources as well. If you did points 1+4 and its still maxed lower resolution and/or details.
9. Install Afterburner (or pure RTSS+HW Info) to monitor cpu/gpu load and start experimenting with tuning resolution / fps / x264 preset. GPU/CPU load should not exceed 85-90%

 

[Sparktite]

Id prefer not to be forced into using the simple output mode, can you fill me in on what the equivalent of using that setting would be in the advanced mod for recording?
Made sure ive set it to flv too.

The link you were reading through is no longer relevant, as it is for a now dead version of obs.

Settings - output

Set output mode to simple
Recording quality to indistinguishable
Recording format to flv
And try all the recording encoders until you get one that plays nice enough in your setup for your liking.

 

[Harold]

https://obsproject.com/forum/resour...lity-recording-and-multiple-audio-tracks.221/

 

[Mroczny_Gustaw]

So by setting power management to prefer max perf is that the fix or? I got kinda confused on whether u were trying to force the problem and what the fix was.
As for the refresh rate thing im also a bit confused there too, u just said 60hz desktop refresh, is that something u want me to make sure im doing within my display settings? within obs somewhere? Also are u wanting me to replace the 60hz with a 59.94 option because i am using a tv but whether im using a tv or a monitor shouldnt that not matter as long as its all at 60hz?
I think the lack of like detailed instruction is whats throwing me for a loop like instead of saying set OBS to 60 fps or 30fps based on what your doing, you say "60 or 30 in OBS" which forces me to try and interperet ur meaning as im not sure what ur saying. So then i also get lost with 60 in game. Are u saying if theres an fps option in a game to use it?
From my experience streaming and recording game play over the years, ive found that if my goal was to record at 60fps that i would set that in OBS, i would then make sure its not capped under 60fps in any game im playing, i normally take the cap off entirely as ive never had screen tearing issues, i also find that in 99.99% of games i see fps gains from making sure vsync is turned off.
Ill definitely look into messing around with the settings by monitoring my setup from msi afterburner, thanks.

What i was asking for was more specific to just what settings to use within OBS as i know how everything else should be setup. I never noticed an nvenc issue with OBS but im still new to relearning OBS since ive used xsplit since forever ago.

If you are using HDMI TV as monitor, your desktop refresh rate is probably 59.94. Set this value as fps in OBS to avoid stuttering if you are going for 60fps
In this case if you want 30fps in stream/recording you should go with 29.97 instead. Otherwise extra fps syncing will be made resulting in stutters, behavior varies for different encoders and games.
Windows and / or video driver detects your display type. If its HDMI TV it changes refresh rate for full screen games to 59,94 by itself, so if you wont set it properly on desktop and in obs - bad stuttering.
TLDR - if you have 59,94 in video driver settings available - you need to use it and adapt rest of the settings

 

[Sparktite]

@Harold thanks for the link :)


@Mroczny_Gustaw
Okay so regardless of me having it set to 60hz refresh in the display adapter properties itll change to 59ish when something runs in full screen? That really sucks that there'll be stuttering. So i should set it to 59 hertz in display properties and set the fps to 59 in obs?
Any idea if ill encounter issues later on editing videos for slow mo effects? I wanted to run at 60fps/hz because i know my setup can handle it for most the stuff i play and i wanted the ability to have a smooth slow mo effect in videos i edit and put up on youtube. The quality of slow mo @ 30 fps is kind of an eyesore to me.

Also i wanted to make sure i avoid that nvenc problem u linked, if i set the power management to prefer performance will i not need to worry about that anymore?

 

[Mroczny_Gustaw]

Okay so regardless of me having it set to 60hz refresh in the display adapter properties itll change to 59ish when something runs in full screen?

in 99% of cases yes, rarely games ignore it but probably only when their "full screen" setting is really borderless full screen window
check if your video editor supports 59,94

Also i wanted to make sure i avoid that nvenc problem u linked, if i set the power management to prefer performance will i not need to worry about that anymore?

you seem to have confused two separate things. windows power management contols cpu performance. gpu memory clock issue is completely separate. solution to this is in the thread I linked
Its not a nvenc problem. Its a limitation of gpu memory clock in nvidia driver that can occur when using nvenc. run gpuz and record your desktop with nvenc to see if it occurs. or afterburner OSD in some game

 

[Sparktite]

Okay thanks for the big heads up on that frame rate/refresh rate issue.
Sorry about the 2nd part i musta mixed up the words? i googled what i thought u were talking about which was iirc Power Management Mode: (set to) Prefer Maximum Performance... but i did read the gpuz thing i just havent found the time to set that up yet i think i uninstalled gpu z a while back or i woulda ran it.
So what i need to do is set up gpu z, record with nvenc and monitor for a drop in the memory clock?

I checked filmora and iirc it did show a 59.sumthin option for exporting and i havent had any issues before yesterday editing my local recordings from xsplit but that was at like 3.5-4k bitrate 720p30fps i ran into an issue with that 10k bitrate at 1080p60fps still not sure if that was a frame rate issue? From what i could tell it might be that the file size being massive like 1-4 gigs for 20-60 mins might need to be compressed im still not sure, i posted on their forum with no response X(

in 99% of cases yes, rarely games ignore it but probably only when their "full screen" setting is really borderless full screen window
check if your video editor supports 59,94


you seem to have confused two separate things. windows power management contols cpu performance. gpu memory clock issue is completely separate. solution to this is in the thread I linked
Its not a nvenc problem. Its a limitation of gpu memory clock in nvidia driver that can occur when using nvenc. run gpuz and record your desktop with nvenc to see if it occurs. or afterburner OSD in some game

 

[Mroczny_Gustaw]

So what i need to do is set up gpu z, record with nvenc and monitor for a drop in the memory clock?

yes check, short video Fenrir posted in original thread
but first of all you should set your card to prefer max performance->picture

 

[Sparktite]

alright ill definitely have to check that out more i saw the vid thanks so much mroc. Had no idea how much space what i considered to be high quality could take up locally, filmora is breaking down on me i wonder if its the software, im thinking its more my hardware lol. Ill have to do more work on this another day cuz i need to just get my stream up already lol.
I found x264 to work out okay at 8k bitrate very fast cpu preset, gonna try nvenc tonight since im actually able to stream again. Gonna try for the same settings and see how it goes.