Question / Help Recording x264 - Really bad performance with Win10 Fall creators

[virpz]

Hello.

I updated to Windows 10 16299.19 and now I am getting really bad results while recording BF1 with OBS 20.1.1, using the exact same settings I was using before.

Now I get a really high % of rendering lag/stalls, but the gameplay is smooth, frame time is consistently low. That happens even at 30 fps and "Very fast" CPU preset while before I could do 60 fps with "faster" cpu preset at the same settings and no lag/stalls.

What I used to and still do is that I set 1 ccx to BF1 and the other to OBS. I tried using the profiles and everything else from my older Win10/OBS setup just to make sure but then the problem persists.

I tried:

- Reinstall GPU drivers with DDU.
- Disabled game mode.
- Disabled custom affinity/ Reset cpu affinity
- Reinstalled OBS
- Installed OBS build 20.1.0
- Use my previous working OBS profiles from previous windows build

My system is:
Ryzen 1700@4GHz
16GB G.skill 3600MHz
Samsung EVO 500GB
Samsung EVO 1TB
Radeon R9 290@Crimson Relive 17.40

Hope some one can help me with that.

 

[Fenrir]

So, two things.

First, your x264 settings are AWFUL. Try the recording presets in simple output mode instead.

Second:
09:01:23.278: Output 'adv_file_output': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 132 (13.5%)

This means that your GPU is being overloaded, and OBS cannot render the scene properly. Make sure you're capping FPS in the game.

 

[virpz]

So guys.

I have also tried :
CRF 20
CPU preset Faster
1080p
Integrer fps Value 30

Previously I have had success with these settings at 60 fps and now OBS is reporting 68% lag/stalls at just 30 fps. The deal here is that In game there is nothing even close to that drop in FPS that OBS is reporting - Ingame I am always above 60 fps.

So, two things.

First, your x264 settings are AWFUL. Try the recording presets in simple output mode instead.

Second:
09:01:23.278: Output 'adv_file_output': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 132 (13.5%)

This means that your GPU is being overloaded, and OBS cannot render the scene properly. Make sure you're capping FPS in the game.

I assume you have ignored my description of the issue and just had a look at the log file.
Please, OBS is reporting 70% frame drops while I am not having such drops in-game.

 

[Fenrir]

I read your post just fine. I don't care if you're getting 30 or 3000 FPS in the game. The log indicates that your GPU is overloaded. OBS requires GPU resources to render the scene. If the game is using all of your GPU, how is it supposed to function properly?

So please, instead of dismissing the advice you're given (which you asked for by posting here), maybe you should actually try what I said first?

 

[virpz]

There you go. Still lag/stalls.

Ins't it that CFR is just not working now ?

I ask you that because:

- Previously I was able to record on OBS and Relive at the same time without problems
- Previously, when I was testing CPU preset vs quality vs framerate I have had only encoding lag issues due to using the wrong preset, never GPU issues.
- Previously I noticed duplicated ( only two equal ) frames while playing my recordings frame by frame.

Now I noticed many copies of the same frame. Is there anything I am missing there ?
I just want to be able to record with my old settings.

 

[Adrian Schofield]

You are still seeing GPU issues:

02:13:50.012: Output 'adv_file_output': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 215 (35.5%)

Have you enabled VSync or capped the frame rate as @Fenrir suggested?

I also noticed you have two game capture sources in your scene, can you delete one of them and see if it makes a difference?

 

[Fenrir]

I think you're a little confused on what the issue here is.

OBS will use your GPU to render your scene, regardless of your encoder choice. So while your x264 settings are really, really terrible, that's not what's causing your issue.

The line in your log here:

Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 215 (35.5%)

means that you're overloading your GPU, and OBS cannot render the scene at the full framerate you are trying to encode at. The encoding itself appears to be going fine, but if your GPU can't render the frames to send to the encoder, you'll run into issues. Make sense?

As to why it didn't happen previously, there's a million reasons why this could come up. Driver updates, OS updates (FCU gave me a ton of issues and I ended up rolling back), other application/game updates, etc.

I can only see what the issue is currently, not why it worked before. "It's always worked, nothing changed" is the biggest fallacy in troubleshooting, because something clearly has changed. In your case, the FCU is almost definitely causing this issue, as I've heard inconsistent reports of similar issues in several places.

 

[virpz]

Fixed by installing a new windows on another ssd.

Atleast for bf1/me, no in-game FPS capping is needed to avoid lag/stalls.


My settings for x264, 60 fps, "Lossless" :

Video
Output: 1920x1080
Downscale Filter: Lanczos
FPS: 60

Output
CPU preset: faster
x264 Options: qp=0

Setting that X264 option should ignore everything else and record lossless at the set fps. Right ?


My settings for x264, 60 fps CFR 20

Video
Output: 1920x1080
Downscale Filter: Lanczos
FPS: 60

Output
CPU preset: Veryfast
CFR: 20 to 18 ( Depends on how high I set my cpu/infinity fabric overclock )

You are still seeing GPU issues:

02:13:50.012: Output 'adv_file_output': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 215 (35.5%)

Have you enabled VSync or capped the frame rate as @Fenrir suggested?

I also noticed you have two game capture sources in your scene, can you delete one of them and see if it makes a difference?

Yes I tried his suggestions. I've included the log in the message above yours.

I think you're a little confused on what the issue here is.

OBS will use your GPU to render your scene, regardless of your encoder choice. So while your x264 settings are really, really terrible, that's not what's causing your issue.

The line in your log here:

Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 215 (35.5%)

means that you're overloading your GPU, and OBS cannot render the scene at the full framerate you are trying to encode at. The encoding itself appears to be going fine, but if your GPU can't render the frames to send to the encoder, you'll run into issues. Make sense?

As to why it didn't happen previously, there's a million reasons why this could come up. Driver updates, OS updates (FCU gave me a ton of issues and I ended up rolling back), other application/game updates, etc.

I can only see what the issue is currently, not why it worked before. "It's always worked, nothing changed" is the biggest fallacy in troubleshooting, because something clearly has changed. In your case, the FCU is almost definitely causing this issue, as I've heard inconsistent reports of similar issues in several places.

I understand that. I was asking on suggestions on to why my GPU was overloaded OR what I could do solve my lag/stalls issue.

Anyways, I installed windows on a new SSD and now I can get my old settings to work again without any GPU lag/stalls.

Thanks for trying.

 

[Fenrir]

Glad it's working again!

15:29:51.979: [x264 encoder: 'recording_h264'] custom settings: qp=0
15:29:51.979: [x264 encoder: 'recording_h264'] VBV is incompatible with constant QP, ignored.

Just as FYI.

 

[virpz]

Glad it's working again!

15:29:51.979: [x264 encoder: 'recording_h264'] custom settings: qp=0
15:29:51.979: [x264 encoder: 'recording_h264'] VBV is incompatible with constant QP, ignored.

Just as FYI.

So.
With qp=0. Does it matter if VBV is ignored or if I have a bitrate set in OBS ?

 

[Fenrir]

I don't really understand what you're going for with those settings. Just use the simple mode indistinguishable quality preset, or CRF 15.

 

[virpz]

I don't really understand what you're going for with those settings. Just use the simple mode indistinguishable quality preset, or CRF 15.

I am just getting the most compression I can.
Simple settings have the CPU preset to "veryfast" while I can do the exact same settings with CPU preset set to "fast" on the advanced mode.