Question / Help CPU Spikes to 100%, drops Frames, then right back to smooth 720p

S

ShadowWolf

New Member
Hello, I've been having this issue for a long time, have never been able to find the solution after searching all over and trying many different things. Basically I can stream in high resolutions, with essentially anything else running in the background that I want, Skype, Chrome, Spotify etc., and with the game at max settings, and with all that my CPU will usually sit around 50 or 60% capacity. Then about every 2-5 minutes the CPU will spike to 100%, my frames will drop to 10fps or less for a few seconds, then immediately come back. I made a video detailing the problem with all the stats and specs and temperature measurements being shown. The video is the actual Twitch VOD downloaded and uploaded to Youtube, not a local recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsx0RmRwiNU

Any help or suggestions to try would be very much appreciated!

Also here are my speedtest results, even though I know its not the issue :P http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/4830160422
 
H4ndy

H4ndy

Forum Moderator
With a log where it happens we might be able to pin it down.
Beside the video does not seem to be super smooth all the way.

Try the following steps until you got a new log where the problem happend:
- Set scene buffering time to 1000, this is the new default but is not changed when updating
- I would not recommend running OBS in "High priority", try Normal or Above Normal
- Reduce webcam resolution when using it only for a small corner image (e.g. 640x480)
- Run base resolution at your native monitor resolution (probably 1920x1080) and use downscale to 720p. The downscaling is using almost no GPU resources and improves the image quality
 
S

ShadowWolf

New Member
Alright I tried all of the suggested solutions.

With the screen resolution set to my displays native, 1920x1080 and downscaling to 720p 30fps
Set scene buffering to 1000 ms, it was set at 400.
Webcam was already set to low resolution
Set the priority back down to Normal.

With these settings I couldn't seem to get the problem to occur.

Then I tried it with all the same settings except no downscaling, so streaming 1080p 30fps.
My processor still sat right around 50% the entire time, but I still had the issue of the CPU spiking.

Here is the twitch VOD of that second test.
http://www.twitch.tv/shadowwolf810/v/25648892

Here is the log file: https://gist.github.com/317c185da6019f9d46cd
Not sure what the hook conflict could be. None of the programs listed in the suggested ones are running or installed on my computer so.

The only suggestion that I didn't try out was Multiplatform, I'm not actually sure what thats referring to so if you could explain a little more that'd be great!
---------------------------------------------------------

I've also started having another issue recently that I've just been dealing with while trying to figure this (^) main one out. I have recently gotten a new wireless headset with a USB adapter. For some reason if I open the game I'm going to be streaming, then open OBS and click start streaming it will give me an error saying it can't read desktop audio device, even when its set to my headset, or even the other ones that used to work. However if I open OBS, set the desktop audio device to my headset, start streaming, and then open the game that I'm going to be playing, there's no problem. While this is definitely a secondary issue to the one above, any insight on this would also be appreciated!
 
H4ndy

H4ndy

Forum Moderator
Multiplatform is the complete rewrite of OBS which runs on Windows, Linux and Mac instead of Windows-only.
The "old" OBS is not actively developed anymore and will only get important fixes, all the new features will be in Multiplatform only. You can download it on the right side of the OBS homepage.

Multiplatform is almost on-par with OBS1 and can usually used without issues now for 90% of all streaming needs.
It has a better architecture and more advanced features as well as improved game capture, etc.

If you are good with the downscaled option I would recommend you go for it.
The log shows some duplicated frames and encoder lag which usually shows only if your system cannot keep up with OBS but as you showed its more of a punctual problem so I am not sure what conclusions to draw from that beside weird system bugs.

Hook conflicts can be ignored if game capture works fine, they are only a hint if games crash or capturing does not work.

Your headset has a weird error popping up from windows ("AUDCLNT_E_CPUUSAGE_EXCEEDED"), not sure what to make of that. Could be driver or USB issues or the headset cannot properly deal with the multiple access by the game and OBS.
 
S

ShadowWolf

New Member
Well I downloaded Multiplatform and gave it a try with all the exact same settings however in this one not even the downscaled version of all the settings, (which fixed the problem in OBS 1) did not work in Multiplatform. No downscaling in OBS 1 at 1080p after the suggested fixes still had about the same occuracne of CPU spikes as downscaled 720p did before any of the fixes. But in Multiplatform the spikes were much more often, and longer duration regardless of the settings.

I've tried reinstalling my chipset amd graphics cards drivers. Would the next step in addressing the weird system bugs causing these problems be to do a fresh install of Windows 7?

Also as far as my headset, I'm not sure either. I reinstalled the drivers for it multiple times, tried different USB ports etc. It's the new Logitech G933 so there's not a lot of troubleshooting out there yet but I find it hard to believe that it just can't handle it. However what you're describing with multiple access does sound like the cause because it's had issues with just multiple YouTube videos paused in tabs and a Twitch stream and a game minimized for example it seems like.
 
Harold

Harold

Active Member
"17:12:13: Aero is Disabled"
Probably half of your problem.

You need to enable aero in windows, including enabling an aero theme.
 
H4ndy

H4ndy

Forum Moderator
I don't see a reason to stick to Windows 7, just upgrade to Windows 10.1511. It has better multicore support, better driver model, better core system and is overall faster, especially on a SSD and you dont have to fiddle around with Aero.
 
S

ShadowWolf

New Member
The aero mode was only disabled because I had a monitor capture going to record my CPU %usage and I didn't want you guys to say that was the problem. Can show you just as many identical logs where Aero is enabled and I stI'll have the problem.

While updating to Windows 10 could be a solution, that doesn't fix the problem. I'm sure thousands and thousands of people have streamed perfectly on Windows 7, which means there is a problem that can be solved without updating.

The reason I have to stay with Windows 7 is because updating operating systems causes all kinds of problems with a lot of video editors, particularly Avid, and between school and work I can't afford to be dealing with unforseen or just additional problems from the change.

So all that being the case, what would my next cause of action be?
 
Last edited:
FerretBomb

FerretBomb

Active Member
17:15:44: Total frames encoded: 6284, total frames duplicated: 277 (4.41%)
17:15:44: Number of frames skipped due to encoder lag: 256 (4.07%)
17:15:44: Total frames rendered: 6041, number of late frames: 9 (0.15%) (it's okay for some frames to be late)
Click to expand...

You're duping and skipping over 8% of your frames.
First reaction, stop using Monitor Capture. It's terribad and slow under Win 7. Turn on Aero, and use a Game Capture of the DWM process. It'll only capture your primary monitor so it's less flexible, but it also doesn't perform like crap and cause odd problems like Monitor Capture does. It also will let you turn Aero back on so that things will run more smoothly. Not a guaranteed fix, but it's easily the one that immediately stands out and has worked more often than not.

Also, I'd say to kill Chrome. Test empirically if you like, but I've been having usage issues for a couple of months. Exit it fully, and smooth sailing. Likewise, are you running Skype locked down? Haven't had an issue with it on performance, but it's a mess of vulnerabilities.

Avoid Win10 for at least a few more months. It's a basket case for the time being. Count the threads here in Q&H with weird, inexplicable problems after upgrading, and leave the teething issues to the early adopters. It's not yet solid, personal opinion and dealing with it in IT. Good ideas, but they need to fix them to work right, now that it's in the wild.
Most I'd advise would be 8.1, and even then only if you need more than one Monitor Capture. Win7 should work fine otherwise, especially if the DWM trick above will fulfill your needs.
 
S

sam686

Member
In the video, watch the CPU Mhz drop by a whole lot for a few seconds, at the youtube 5:00 mark. This means the CPU speed is being slowed down by a lot, for a few seconds. That is AMD "Cool-n-quiet" not working right?

Try going to windows power management, edit, advanced settings, processor power management and maybe set everything to 100%.

Or, You may go to motherboard settings, and turn off Cool-n-quiet. Entering motherboard settings are done by pressing a button multiple times when turning on. The button might be DEL, F2, depends on motherboard.

Edit: might be overheating problem?
 
Last edited:
S

ShadowWolf

New Member
Alrighty, so I have run 3 more independent tests trying out all the solutions previously mentioned, none of which were successful.

1. 1080p 30fps OBS and Rocket League Only: https://gist.github.com/166c19d019a7756be37a
http://www.twitch.tv/shadowwolf810/v/25887893

2. 1080p 30fsp OBS and Rocket League Only, AMD Cool n Quiet Turned off: https://gist.github.com/39e3d125dddb591d4fa9
http://www.twitch.tv/shadowwolf810/v/25890219

3. 1080p 30fsp OBS and Rocket League Only, AMD Cool n Quiet Turned off, Game Capture:
https://gist.github.com/f651c104efc5195a34b0
http://www.twitch.tv/shadowwolf810/v/25891099

Edit: We have already established that overheating wasn't an issue from the original Youtube version of the problem I posted, and possibly some of the other Twitch VODs when I was showing my CPU/GPU stats. MY CPU never gets over 50C as it is water cooled. My first GPU is usually between 70 and 75, while the second one never goes above 50C either.
 
Last edited:
S

sam686

Member
You haven't showed the CPU temperatures this time. Maybe use HWMonitor to show more temperature sensors. With more temperature sensors being displayed, it might show us what is overheating.

Anything that isn't water cooled might be getting too hot. The CPU isn't overheating, but whats around the CPU might be getting hot. This includes VRM (voltage regulator module) and northbridge. An air cooled CPU fan will normally cool these down by blowing into the motherboard. You may try an extra fan blowing into the motherboard to check if that solved the CPU throttling (slowdown) problem.
 
S

sam686

Member
Looking at your most recent video with hwmonitor, it looks like "CPUTIN" is quite high, and appears that CPU slows down at 65 *C, and returns to full CPU speed at 60 *C. This may be done to prevent overheating damage. I think the VRM (voltage regulator module) needs more cooling, usually located between the CPU and the rear USB ports.
 
S

ShadowWolf

New Member
Well I can give it a try tonight by just having my case open and blowing a box fan into it. That would be a suitable way to test it wouldn't it? And if that did turn out to be the problem, what would the best solution be? The easier one would be to turn the water cooled radiator to blow into the case instead of out of the case as it does now. Or would you recommend having all the fans blowing into the case except the one on the front facing panel blowing out?
 
S

sam686

Member
A box fan may be loud, it is good enough to test if that solves the problem.

If your case have a side fan, that one can blow into the case.

Having radiator fan blow in the case may be adding some heat inside the case, might not be a good choice. Radiator fans probably should blow out, all other fans blow in maybe.
 
S

ShadowWolf

New Member
Well I'll just post both of these here, they don't really requiring any viewing, but if anyone's curious.
http://www.twitch.tv/shadowwolf810/v/25898816
http://www.twitch.tv/shadowwolf810/v/25900100

Basically, I started everything off with the same settings we had been trying, but I was watching that particular 65C readout. Everything was perfectly fine and smooth up until it changed to 65 and within about 30-45sec of it hitting that temperature the frame drops and CPU spike occurred. So I opened my case and had a box fan pointed at it, which immediately started bringing that temperature down, more into the 50-55C range and I played for a significant amount of time with no problems.

So just to confirm that that was actually the solution I began the second stream with the settings of 1080p, 60fps, with Skype Spotify, and a bunch of Chrome tabs open, and everything worked perfectly and even then it was rare that the CPUINT temperature got above 57C.

As far as the solution goes, its just gonna be a matter of upgrading/rearranging/adding fans, or maybe switching cases etc to fully solve the issue.

Just wanted to say that I really appreciate all the help and support I got. Its kind of frustrating that overheating turned out to be the problem in the first place because that was the first thing I suspected and checked but it just came down to which CPU temperature monitoring program I used really as all the others showed far cooler temperatures as the "CPU Temp". But its nice that its a relatively easy and inexpensive fix!

Thanks everyone!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My only other issue that remains is that of my headset causing problems with opening OBS. This probably isn't the forum for discussing it but if anyone has any idea what could be wrong there as well that'd be great. Its mentioned above in a few posts but the basic issue is if you open the game you want to play, then open OBS and click start streaming OBS gives an error saying it couldn't use the desktop audio device, even if its set to the correct one. But without changing any settings, if you open OBS, start streaming, then open the game that you want to play there'll be no problems.

The headset is the new Logitech G933. Have tried the standard fixes of reinstalling the drivers etc, but to no avail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top