[Help] How to fix CPU Encoder Overload

[LeninLoveLaugh]

So I've been tweaking settings on OBS in everyway I could possibly understand, following guides, threads, FAQs and anything I could find on the forums, Reddit and Youtube to get the best 1080/60fps recording I could. My log file analysis (https://obsproject.com/logs/4Qlq1jGX33_OA2K0) tells me I suffer from CPU overload, which is why I get laggy recordings, but it's not a problem I get from softwares like GeForce Shadowplay, which does allow me to get 1080/60fps without recording lags. I still want to try to fix my OBS, since I find it's a much more powerful tool to record (filters are a real boon) and (eventually) stream.

I tried every thing I could find online. Always launching OBS in Administrator, turning off GameMode, then turning it on since the Log Analysis told me to. Turned off the Windows Encoder. Used the wizard, then changed the settings myself. Changed the recording format, changed the recording path to another disk. Changed the rate control to CQP, tweaked the CQP levels from anywhere between 20 to 5, tweaked the B-Frames, etc. I also tweaked my games graphic settings, limiting framerate, decreasing the textures, the shadows, the bloom, the motion blur, any GPU-heavy settings and I can barely see any improvements. I've also changed the process priority to above normal in the advanced settings. I'm a bit at the end of my wits, so if anyone can give me advices or if I've forgot to give some infos let me know, I'm sure I've overlooked something.

My specs are:

• RTX 2070Super 8GB
• Ryzen 5 3600X 6-core
• 32GB of DDR4-3600Mhz RAM
• A 1080p/144Hz Monitor

The Log File: https://obsproject.com/logs/4Qlq1jGX33_OA2K0

 

[koala]

You're saving to E: - what is this for a disk drive? If it is an external drive such as a USB drive, change to an internal drive built in your computer. For your tests, use a CQP value of 18. The 5 from the log is too low, will produce huge data file and might overload slower harddisks at writing. Makes sure the game you're recording is limited to a maximum of 144 fps, and for trial & error, limit it to 60 fps like your OBS fps.

 

[LeninLoveLaugh]

You're saving to E: - what is this for a disk drive? If it is an external drive such as a USB drive, change to an internal drive built in your computer. For your tests, use a CQP value of 18. The 5 from the log is too low, will produce huge data file and might overload slower harddisks at writing. Makes sure the game you're recording is limited to a maximum of 144 fps, and for trial & error, limit it to 60 fps like your OBS fps.

It's a 2TB external USB HDD. In the meantime before I can buy an internal SSD, should I record on my main SSD ? It's a FireCuda 520 1TB with a 5000MB/s read speed and a 4400MB/s write speed.

As for the CQP value and the 60fps, I will try it and see what it can give in results !

 

[LeninLoveLaugh]

So I tried to lockdown my game's fps to 60 and to increase the CQP to 18. I've also transfered the recording to my main SSD and for sure, the results are very promising. Thank you so much for your help ! The analysis tells me I have only a 0.1% Encoder overload linked to the CPU. Is there something in particular I can do to get that 0.1% back ? Also, does that mean everything is gonna go okay from now on, or does that mean I'm barely making it in terms of performance ? Would a more CPU-intensive game change that balance and require more tweaking ?

 

[qhobbes]

Try changing the refresh rate on your monitor to 120 Hz instead of 144 Hz. Also uncheck the box for Psycho Visual Tuning in the encoder settings.

 

[LeninLoveLaugh]

Try changing the refresh rate on your monitor to 120 Hz instead of 144 Hz. Also uncheck the box for Psycho Visual Tuning in the encoder settings.

Won't that cause problems with the FreeSync since it's a 144Hz monitor ? I unchecked the Psycho Visual Tuning, I don't even know what it does so I guess it's a good idea.

 

[koala]

Your recording is probably perfect. There are 10 dropped frames out of 13161, which commonly occur at capture start, or on game map changes/loading screens, but not regularly during actual gameplay.