Question / Help CPU usage spikes every 40 seconds?

[verimeloni]

Hello,

I'm trying to configure a good setup to stream ps3 games through HD PVR 2. I've got a fast internet connection (~30mbps both download and upload) so I tried to stream with 3500 bitrate & buffer size.

For a test I tried setting the CPU preset to "faster," and while streaming the CPU usage would spike every 40 seconds or so to 80% while it otherwise was only ~37%.

My computer specs:
Mb: Asus 5AM97 USB3
CPU: Amd Fx 8350
Gpu: Amd Radeon R7 260X
RAM: 8gb Kingston

What could be behind these spikes? I'm fully content in streaming with the "veryfast" preset, so I'm asking just more out of curiosity, is the OBS or HD PVR or my CPU? I had the task manager open the whole time and no other task used CPU at those spike points.

Thank you for your work on this program!

 

[Jack0r]

The cpu usage is mainly affected by the content you show. Fast changing images need more processing power than a still image for example. Did you check your CPU for thermal throttling yet?
Also did you use the task manager to check the overall CPU usage, or the CPU usage of OBS?
The HD PVR could also be the reason, as it outputs encoded material and uses your USB bandwidth. I would recommend different tests. Running OBS without the HDPVR active. Checking the CPU usage with a software like Process Explorer and pin-pointing if its definitely OBS and nothing else, etc.

 

[verimeloni]

Hello,

I played GG Xrd and I let it sit on the menu while I tested the "faster" preset with OBS. Still the usage spiked to 80% every 40 seconds or so.

On the task manager I mainly kept my eye on the % of CPU that OBS used, while OBS spiked to 80%, task manager still showed the usage at ~37-40%. Could it be that the usage really spiked to 80% for a split second? While idle my cpu runs at 40C and while streaming it rose to 65C.