Recording: log files show little-to-no skipped/dropped frames but parts of recorded video look like 30FPS

[Zekira]

I have been trying to search someone with the same problem for a while now but I couldn't find anything; usually there's something they're missing with the configuration or doing a different game.

Recording with NVENC
GPU: GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
CPU: i5-6400
16 GB RAM

Recording 1920x1080, 60FPS

OBS running as Administrator

Recording settings:

So I'd record fine; game's running okay a 60FPS, I can play normally, no reports of GPU and CPU overload in Task manager nor OBS' View Stats. Preview is disabled.

When playing back the recorded file, the recording would be fine running at a sure 60FPS for some time: maybe 30 seconds, maybe 5 minutes... but then it would dip to near 30-FPS like quality for 30-60 seconds, and then go back to 60FPS. This happens regardless of which video player I'm using at the same times, so I'm sure it's something with the recording itself. Again, the game is running fine so I'm sure it's not the game screwing up.
For a visual example of what I'm talking about, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VGshb6D280 video starts fine, but by around 45 seconds the FPS is clearly rough and the motions are captured like it's near 30FPS. It then goes back to its smooth running around 1:10. That period between 0:45 and 1:10 should not be happening. There are other points in the video with it but this is the earliest example I can find. This has been happening for a while now.

I don't have the exact log file from the same recording as the video above, but I do have another log file from another recording which exhibits some of the same behavior. I attached it to this message as 2020-07-26 14-04-47.txt .

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: I should add that this doesn't only happen with this game, it also happens with other games and also recording with an ElgatoHD60S when recording console games.

 

[Zekira]

(can't edit above post anymore)
In the same video linked above, the same frame quality drop happens again around 22:13.

 

[Zekira]

Sorry for the bump, I'm still banging my head on a wall about this problem. I've tried changing to VBR from CQP but still experience this issue so I don't think it really helps.

I'm scared of writing to my SSD with the OS because of lifespan concerns lol.

 

[BK-Morpheus]

Sorry, that I got no solution for you, but at least I want to let you know, that I notice the same problem since (at least) 4 years.
Even with a clean empty scene (just 1x game capture source in it) and fresh windows installs. With Nvidia GPU as well as with AMD Vega GPU. With Intel CPU and with AMD Ryzen CPU.
It happens with x264, NVENC and AVC AMD Advanced Media Framework.

No matter if I use vsync, fps limiter like RTSS, Windows Game Mode or no Game Mode.
It's always the same. The log shows no skipped or lagged frames (no rendering lag etc.). CPU is chilling at <40% Load, GPU is also never hitting over 50% load but I can see those laggy segments in all of my streams or recordings. For a matter of fact most of the time I can already tell, that a situation will be have stutter in it, just by seeing the OBS preview stutter. Most of the time, the stutter immediately stops, when I change Focus from the game to windows and back, but this is not a real solution, as it only works 80% of the time and the stutter will come back later. Usually the stutter also disappears on its own after 1-2 minutes.

Have tried different browser for checking my previous streams and different players for the recordings.
I also tried changing the windows monitor refreshrate to "real" 60Hz with the MCR Tool (Monitor Custom Resolution Tool) because usually selecting 60Hz in windows is usually just double ntsc (~59.95Hz).
That trick did help with normal youtube 60fps playback (as I can tell, the skipped frame here and there, when watching 60fps content on 59.90Hz), but did not help with the OBS recoding stutter.

It seems like some kind of frame time mismatch that occurs every now and then and eventually will be correctly synced again after 1-2 minutes.
The slight "stutter" in those moments is looking exactly like recordings that capture a game that is not running at fixed 60fps. You can try it by running a game at a limit of 75fps or 55fps for example and capturing it with 60fps. It will stutter very similar although I already make sure to get as consistent frame times with locked 60fps ingame as possible.

In all those years the only recordings that seem to not be affected by this "problem" are the recordings that I've done directly with Nvidia Shadowplay back in the day, when I had a GTX1070.
With OBS + NVENC it was the same occasionally stutter, that I have with OBS+x264 as well, but I could never test the new improved NVENC (lower PCI-e GPU overhead), because I switched to a Vega56, before OBS released that feature.

 

[Zekira]

I really wish there was a way to revert to the old NVENC; I don't trust the Quality + disable Look Ahead + Disable vsync thing to give me the same exact settings as the Old NVENC. I feel like the old NVENC might actually not have this issue.

The slight "stutter" in those moments is looking exactly like recordings that capture a game that is not running at fixed 60fps. You can try it by running a game at a limit of 75fps or 55fps for example and capturing it with 60fps. It will stutter very similar although I already make sure to get as consistent frame times with locked 60fps ingame as possible.

This also happens with Video Capture Devices. I've checked the Limit capture framerate checkbox in OBS for the Game Capture, still seeing it although I can't tell if it's happening less or more.

One thing that did kind of lessen it though is when I cranked the CQP down to 14; I usually record at 21-25 due to storage concerns. Somehow it lessens the amount of times that these stutters happen. Really not sure why.

I wonder if a more powerful GPU would fix this somehow? I only have a hardware upgrade planned next year though since need to save up lol :/