Question / Help Recording stuttering despite no encoding issues

[TheMurderUnicorn]

I've been using OBS for a while. It's fine when I'm recording games that have virtually no frame rate (roguelikes). But anytime I try to record an FPS or actiony game, I get tons of stutters and microstutters. It doesn't seem to matter what settings I use (though some are obviously worse, like using CPU encoder) I always get the stutters. Even when I'm using my Elgato, and the load on my computer is JUST the recording, I get stutters. But according to OBS there's no encoding issues.

Currently I'm trying to record Fallout New Vegas. I'm on a one PC set up, and I'm trying to record not stream. I have it set to lossless (this was to test if I had any encoding issues) and there appears to be no issues in OBS. I've tried a variety of in-game quality settings. I've turned VSYNC on and off. I've tried forcing VSYNC through Nvidia rather than the game. There appear to be no issues whatsoever with my game.

But OBS says I'm not having any issues, either. In Task Manager, my CPU and GPU hover around 25-30%, though the CPU sometimes spikes to 50%. I realize I'm not on the best computer, and a one PC is a terrible set up but it's what I've got at the moment and from everything I see, there's no reason my recordings should have all these stutters.

I admit I don't really know how to read the log file. Any advice at all would be appreciated. I've tried all the encoders, I've tried changing presets. I've tried using simple and advanced output settings. I've looked at guides online. I just plain don't understand. I'm not particularly technically minded, so I struggle a lot with these sort of things.

Log: https://obsproject.com/logs/orHx0uFNih7Ubglp

You can also see some of these stutters on my YouTube channel, if you search for my Dead Space or Hitman series. I don't know the etiquette on posting links, so you can just YouTube search TheMurderUnicorn Dead space, I pop right up. Though I'll say that those of course have been transcoded and stuff by YouTube, which can cause its own issues.

Anyway, this is long af, I know, but I really don't know what to do about all this.

 

[TheMurderUnicorn]

Bump. =\ Seriously, any help at all would be appreciated, even if it's just to tell me what my log means/if there are any obvious problems. Sucks pretty bad that I can give that much detail and not get a response but some people just say 'my video skips' and they get 9 replies in the first couple hours.

 

[koala]

Unfortunately, your question (along with the questions from all the other ones asking the same thing) is the most boring one to answer, because it is the most asked and most answered ever. It boils down to: "I have lags/stutter/lost frames"
The general answer to is https://obsproject.com/wiki/General-Performance-and-Encoding-Issues
and https://obsproject.com/wiki/GPU-overload-issues

Looking in your log, you did something unusual. You tried to record lossless. Lossless produces video not all media players are able to play back flawlessly. Use VLC or Media Player Classic for playback of this material. Better would be to just record with a recommended video configuration. Lossless is not recommended.

Instead, use simple output mode. As encoder use hardware (nvenc), as recording quality set "Indistinguishable quality". This is the recommended default recording setting with the least chance of error, the least amount of system resource requirement, and it produces perfect video material not distinguishable from the original by the human eye.
If you have stutters and lags with these settings, consult the above guides.

 

[TheMurderUnicorn]

I was recording in Lossless to see if OBS would report dropped frames, assuming lossless would be the most intensive settings, but as far as I can tell, it didn't drop frames. I already record, generally, in simple mode with NVENC and indistinguishable. I already view my videos using VLC. My CPU and GPU never break 30%, either in task manager or in MSI afterburner. My computer doesn't even get loud, it doesn't spin up like its working hard. But regardless of what I record, there is choppiness. This includes older, non intensive games like Morrowind.

Again, it also occurs when using my Elgato, when the burden is just on recording the incoming signal, and not actually running the game on this PC. I have reviewed these guides and have done these things (except the scene collection thing, mine was cluttered but I just fixed that) and I see no improvement.

This is why I made a post. I have reviewed other questions and answers, I have viewed guides, and there has been no resolution at all for me.