Question / Help My PC Specs - Recommend Settings

[Meller]

So I've been streaming for about a month-ish. I'm pretty new, but there are still a few things I don't know if I have them set right or if there is anyway to make it better. So with that I'll list my PC specs first, then my settings on OBS and if there's anything I should change, please let me know. Also to know, I stream @ 1080p 60fps and pretty much only stream games like WoW or other MMO's, as I'm not a big first person shooter (COD/BF4 etc) type of person.

ASUS Rampage IV Black
Intel i7 4930k @ 4.4ghz
Corsair Dominator Plat 32GB (4x8GB) 2400mhz
3x EVGA GTX 780 Ti Classifieds
2x Samsung 256GB SSD's (RAID 0)

Internet: 150mb/20mb

OBS Settings:

Encoding: x264, Use CBR is UNCHECKED, Quality Balance (10), Max Bitrate 3500kb/s
Audio-Encoding: AAC Codec 128 BITRATE, 48kHz and stereo

Broadcast Settings: Typical twitch server closest to me

Video:
Video Adapter: GPU #1, Resolution 2560x1440p with a downscale to 1080p FPS 60, Disable Aero is CHECKED

Audio:
Just basically set to my headset for sound and mic.

Advanced:
Multithreaded Optimizations is CHECKED, priority class NORMAL, x264 CPU Preset Fast, Encoding Profile MAIN, Use CFR is CHECKED, everything else is default.

Is there anything I should change, or tweak. Do I want x264 Preset to be faster or slower? My load on my cpu stays very low when I'm streaming so I'm not at all worried about resources. Just want to know if there is anything anyone might recommend changing or improving at all to give my image quality the best it can.

Thank you for your help!

 

[Crunchn]

1080p 60fps usually doesn't look great with 3500kb/s, as 1080p 30fps is recommended for 4500kb/s If you are a new streamer and don't have the source/high/med options, I would say sacrifice your 60fps for 30 or even 25 (no one can really tell while watching, when playing it's a different story) and stick with 3500kb/s otherwise just up to 4500kb/s. Twitch likes CBR and will be nicer if you use it even though non-CBR makes it look slightly better but that can be VERY debatable if there is much of a difference. CPU preset fast is pretty good, usually I would recommend veryfast or faster, but you have the CPU to handle it. The slower you set the preset, the more it uses your CPU so only slow it down as much as you want OBS to use.

The real answer is just testing. Change one setting for a day then look at archives. You have a beast of a computer so just keep messing with everything until you are happy with your quality and settings.

 

[Meller]

I thought Twitch didn't let you do anything over 3500kb/s if you weren't a partner (IE have a sub button)?

I don't even know what CBR is, haha.

Now I do maintain like some where between 1-2% frame drop. Is that because I'm pushing 1080p 60fps at twitch servers without being a partner... or is that on my end? I run ping test and speed test constantly, and am always at or above my speeds with 0 packet loss...

I bring all of this up (the entirety of this thread) because when I'm not moving around drastically, the picture quality is crystal clear, but when I start moving my camera (in game) or there is a lot going on during a boss encounter, it does get "pixelated" I guess I would call it.

 

[Crunchn]

That pixelation comes from streaming at 60fps. You can stream above 3500 without partner but twitch doesn't like it and viewers can view your stream because of capped download. Lower your FPS to 30 or 25 and you will see a lot of improvement from the pixelation. 3500 is also pretty low for 1080p which is another reason for this. Generally at this bitrate I would recommend streaming at 720p but having a 1440p monitor, it'll end up looking like crap with that amount of downscale.

CBR means constant bitrate, basically it doesn't allow fluctuation in your streaming, which would also help the pixelation in your case.

Frame drops are debatable, that can be with your computer or your connection causing that. It would be best that OBS does not use more than 20% of your CPU, I found that makes the best balance.

Quality bitrate is based on your connection so turn that down to 8 as well. No matter how fast your internet is, it can still be crap when it comes to stability. Sometimes a modem and router restart helps that out as well.

Recommendations in a list:
Quality bitrate: 8
FPS: 25(or 30)
x264 Preset: (Fast or Faster or upwards in the ultrafast depending on your CPU, whichever doesn't use over 15/20%)

EDIT: forgot to say, The more FPS the more bandwidth it uses, and the opposite with less FPS.

 

[Meller]

yea, I mean bandwidth isn't really an issue.

 

[Crunchn]

Well, it is, considering you are only allowed to stream at 3500kb/s. You are limited to how much you can stream not your actual bandwidth. So 60 FPS uses a lot more bandwidth than 3500, where 30 doesn't. You know?

 

[dodgepong]

1080p60 is not only an issue with bit rate, but also an issue with viewers. 1080p60 is really difficult for some computers to decode, and flash just takes a dump on it all. It's really not recommended both for the sake of bit rate and for viewers. You should stream at 1080p30 or 720p60.

And Twitch requires you to have CBR checked, so you should do that. That is better for viewers too, since your bit rate requirement won't be all over the place.