Question / Help Tried troubleshooting, need help with Encoding Overload...

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OhBeeEs_Hivemind

New Member
Hi, Team.

I read the sticky, watched a bunch of YouTube videos, Google searched, and I still cannot figure out the right configuration to get my OBS recording to not have stutter every few seconds. Only way I was able to get it to run smooth was to tank the bitrate so that the quality looked absolutely trash. That should not be necessary, given the overall strength of my PC. It is only the finished recording that has the stutter. The game and the OBS preview running simultaneous are totally fine.

I realize the settings in the below log may be wild, but I figured my PC could handle it. Please offer some suggestions or point out any obvious flaws. I went to YouTube and copied some "best settings for best quality" videos.

Random question: Should I be using "NVENC" encoder? I picked that, thinking it would improve quality. That does not look to the best case, and instead looks to be a 'crutch' of sorts to help with making the process less intensive for the PC. Not what I want.


My PC was purchased last Spring, so it's pretty fresh. The stats are below as well, but snapshot: Intel i7, 4.20 GHz, 16GB ram, GTX 1080. Did not think I would be dealing with stuttering, but here I am. I would really appreciate the help.


Log File
I was recording Fallout 4 for this one, but I was initially trying and struggling with State of Decay: Year One, which is by no means a looker of a game.

21:22:39.391: CPU Name: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700K CPU @ 4.20GHz
21:22:39.391: CPU Speed: 4200MHz
21:22:39.391: Physical Cores: 4, Logical Cores: 8
21:22:39.391: Physical Memory: 16314MB Total, 10653MB Free
21:22:39.391: Windows Version: 10.0 Build 16299 (revision: 192; 64-bit)
21:22:39.391: Running as administrator: false
21:22:39.391: Aero is Enabled (Aero is always on for windows 8 and above)
21:22:39.391: Windows 10 Gaming Features:
21:22:39.391: Game Bar: Off
21:22:39.391: Game DVR Allowed: Yes
21:22:39.391: Game DVR: On
21:22:39.391: Game DVR Background Recording: Off
21:22:39.399: Game Mode: Off
21:22:39.399: Portable mode: false
21:22:39.412: OBS 20.1.3 (64bit, windows)
21:22:39.412: ---------------------------------
21:22:39.419: ---------------------------------
21:22:39.419: audio settings reset:
21:22:39.419: samples per sec: 48000
21:22:39.419: speakers: 2
21:22:39.420: ---------------------------------
21:22:39.420: Initializing D3D11...
21:22:39.420: Available Video Adapters:
21:22:39.421: Adapter 1: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
21:22:39.421: Dedicated VRAM: 4183818240
21:22:39.421: Shared VRAM: 4258527232
21:22:39.421: output 1: pos={0, 0}, size={1920, 1080}, attached=true
21:22:39.421: output 2: pos={1920, 0}, size={1920, 1080}, attached=true
21:22:39.423: Loading up D3D11 on adapter NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (0)
21:22:39.451: D3D11 loaded successfully, feature level used: 45056
21:22:40.034: ---------------------------------
21:22:40.034: video settings reset:
21:22:40.034: base resolution: 1920x1080
21:22:40.034: output resolution: 1920x1080
21:22:40.034: downscale filter: Lanczos
21:22:40.034: fps: 60/1
21:22:40.034: format: NV12
21:22:40.036: Audio monitoring device:
21:22:40.036: name: Default
21:22:40.036: id: default
21:22:40.036: ---------------------------------
21:22:40.037: Required module function 'obs_module_load' in module '../../obs-plugins/64bit/chrome_elf.dll' not found, loading of module failed
21:22:40.039: [CoreAudio encoder]: CoreAudio AAC encoder not installed on the system or couldn't be loaded
21:22:40.040: [AMF] Encountered Exception during AMF initialization: Unable to load 'amfrt64.dll', error code 126.
21:22:40.040: Failed to initialize module 'enc-amf.dll'
21:22:40.047: Required module function 'obs_module_load' in module '../../obs-plugins/64bit/libcef.dll' not found, loading of module failed
21:22:40.048: Required module function 'obs_module_load' in module '../../obs-plugins/64bit/libEGL.dll' not found, loading of module failed
21:22:40.048: Required module function 'obs_module_load' in module '../../obs-plugins/64bit/libGLESv2.dll' not found, loading of module failed
21:22:40.049: Failed to load 'en-US' text for module: 'obs-browser.dll'
21:22:40.049: [browser_source: 'Version: 1.29.0']
21:22:40.051: NVENC supported
21:22:40.143: Couldn't find VLC installation, VLC video source disabled
21:22:40.145: No blackmagic support
21:22:40.191: ---------------------------------
21:22:40.191: Loaded Modules:
21:22:40.191: win-wasapi.dll
21:22:40.191: win-mf.dll
21:22:40.191: win-dshow.dll
21:22:40.191: win-decklink.dll
21:22:40.191: win-capture.dll
21:22:40.191: vlc-video.dll
21:22:40.191: text-freetype2.dll
21:22:40.191: rtmp-services.dll
21:22:40.191: obs-x264.dll
21:22:40.191: obs-vst.dll
21:22:40.191: obs-transitions.dll
21:22:40.191: obs-text.dll
21:22:40.191: obs-qsv11.dll
21:22:40.191: obs-outputs.dll
21:22:40.191: obs-filters.dll
21:22:40.191: obs-ffmpeg.dll
21:22:40.191: obs-browser.dll
21:22:40.191: image-source.dll
21:22:40.191: frontend-tools.dll
21:22:40.191: enc-amf.dll
21:22:40.191: coreaudio-encoder.dll
21:22:40.191: ---------------------------------
21:22:40.191: ==== Startup complete ===============================================
21:22:40.191: Service '' not found
21:22:40.194: All scene data cleared
21:22:40.194: ------------------------------------------------
21:22:40.215: WASAPI: Device 'Headset Earphone (HyperX 7.1 Audio)' initialized
21:22:40.223: WASAPI: Device 'Headset Microphone (HyperX 7.1 Audio)' initialized
21:22:40.230: WASAPI: Device 'Headset Microphone (HyperX 7.1 Audio)' initialized
21:22:40.235: Switched to scene 'Desktop'
21:22:40.235: ------------------------------------------------
21:22:40.235: Loaded scenes:
21:22:40.235: - scene 'Desktop':
21:22:40.235: - source: 'Mic' (wasapi_input_capture)
21:22:40.235: - source: 'Display Capture' (monitor_capture)
21:22:40.235: ------------------------------------------------
21:22:40.242: adding 21 milliseconds of audio buffering, total audio buffering is now 21 milliseconds
21:22:40.426: adding 21 milliseconds of audio buffering, total audio buffering is now 42 milliseconds
21:26:55.485: Settings changed (outputs)
21:26:55.485: ------------------------------------------------
21:29:37.536: ---------------------------------
21:29:37.536: [NVENC encoder: 'recording_h264'] settings:
21:29:37.536: rate_control: CBR
21:29:37.536: bitrate: 40000
21:29:37.536: cqp: 0
21:29:37.536: keyint: 120
21:29:37.536: preset: default
21:29:37.536: profile: main
21:29:37.536: level: auto
21:29:37.536: width: 1920
21:29:37.536: height: 1080
21:29:37.536: 2-pass: true
21:29:37.536: b-frames: 2
21:29:37.536: GPU: 0
21:29:37.536:
21:29:37.850: ---------------------------------
21:29:37.850: [FFmpeg aac encoder: 'Track1'] bitrate: 320, channels: 2
21:29:37.862: ==== Recording Start ===============================================
21:29:37.862: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Writing file 'D:/OBS vids/recordings/2018-01-20 21-29-37.mp4'...
21:30:36.290: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Output of file 'D:/OBS vids/recordings/2018-01-20 21-29-37.mp4' stopped
21:30:36.290: Output 'adv_file_output': stopping
21:30:36.290: Output 'adv_file_output': Total frames output: 3465
21:30:36.290: Output 'adv_file_output': Total drawn frames: 3337 (3506 attempted)
21:30:36.290: Output 'adv_file_output': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 169 (4.8%)
21:30:36.290: ==== Recording Stop ================================================
21:30:36.292: Video stopped, number of skipped frames due to encoding lag: 221/3506 (6.3%)
21:31:39.367: ---------------------------------
21:31:39.367: [NVENC encoder: 'recording_h264'] settings:
21:31:39.367: rate_control: CBR
21:31:39.367: bitrate: 40000
21:31:39.367: cqp: 0
21:31:39.367: keyint: 120
21:31:39.367: preset: default
21:31:39.367: profile: main
21:31:39.367: level: auto
21:31:39.367: width: 1920
21:31:39.367: height: 1080
21:31:39.367: 2-pass: true
21:31:39.367: b-frames: 2
21:31:39.367: GPU: 0
21:31:39.367:
21:31:39.514: ---------------------------------
21:31:39.514: [FFmpeg aac encoder: 'Track1'] bitrate: 320, channels: 2
21:31:39.525: ==== Recording Start ===============================================
21:31:39.525: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Writing file 'D:/OBS vids/recordings/2018-01-20 21-31-39.mp4'...
21:32:28.658: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Output of file 'D:/OBS vids/recordings/2018-01-20 21-31-39.mp4' stopped
21:32:28.658: Output 'adv_file_output': stopping
21:32:28.658: Output 'adv_file_output': Total frames output: 2905
21:32:28.658: Output 'adv_file_output': Total drawn frames: 2776 (2948 attempted)
21:32:28.658: Output 'adv_file_output': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 172 (5.8%)
21:32:28.658: ==== Recording Stop ================================================
21:32:28.660: Video stopped, number of skipped frames due to encoding lag: 187/2948 (6.3%)
21:49:19.105: Settings changed (outputs)
21:49:19.105: ------------------------------------------------
22:22:37.291: Settings changed (outputs)
22:22:37.291: ------------------------------------------------
22:22:54.065: Settings changed (outputs)
22:22:54.065: ------------------------------------------------
22:23:00.086: Settings changed (outputs)
22:23:00.086: ------------------------------------------------
22:23:17.357: ---------------------------------
22:23:17.357: [NVENC encoder: 'recording_h264'] settings:
22:23:17.357: rate_control: CBR
22:23:17.357: bitrate: 40000
22:23:17.357: cqp: 0
22:23:17.357: keyint: 120
22:23:17.357: preset: default
22:23:17.357: profile: main
22:23:17.357: level: auto
22:23:17.357: width: 1920
22:23:17.357: height: 1080
22:23:17.357: 2-pass: true
22:23:17.357: b-frames: 2
22:23:17.357: GPU: 0
22:23:17.357:
22:23:17.515: ---------------------------------
22:23:17.515: [FFmpeg aac encoder: 'Track1'] bitrate: 320, channels: 2
22:23:17.524: ==== Recording Start ===============================================
22:23:17.524: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Writing file 'D:/OBS vids/recordings/2018-01-20 22-23-17.mp4'...
22:24:07.021: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Output of file 'D:/OBS vids/recordings/2018-01-20 22-23-17.mp4' stopped
22:24:07.021: Output 'adv_file_output': stopping
22:24:07.021: Output 'adv_file_output': Total frames output: 2930
22:24:07.021: Output 'adv_file_output': Total drawn frames: 2875 (2970 attempted)
22:24:07.021: Output 'adv_file_output': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 95 (3.2%)
22:24:07.021: ==== Recording Stop ================================================
22:24:07.023: Video stopped, number of skipped frames due to encoding lag: 204/2970 (6.9%)
22:27:02.325: ---------------------------------
22:27:02.325: [NVENC encoder: 'recording_h264'] settings:
22:27:02.325: rate_control: CBR
22:27:02.325: bitrate: 40000
22:27:02.325: cqp: 0
22:27:02.325: keyint: 120
22:27:02.325: preset: default
22:27:02.325: profile: main
22:27:02.325: level: auto
22:27:02.325: width: 1920
22:27:02.325: height: 1080
22:27:02.325: 2-pass: true
22:27:02.325: b-frames: 2
22:27:02.325: GPU: 0
22:27:02.325:
22:27:02.447: ---------------------------------
22:27:02.447: [FFmpeg aac encoder: 'Track1'] bitrate: 320, channels: 2
22:27:02.458: ==== Recording Start ===============================================
22:27:02.458: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Writing file 'D:/OBS vids/recordings/2018-01-20 22-27-02.mp4'...
22:35:44.468: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Output of file 'D:/OBS vids/recordings/2018-01-20 22-27-02.mp4' stopped
22:35:44.468: Output 'adv_file_output': stopping
22:35:44.468: Output 'adv_file_output': Total frames output: 31279
22:35:44.468: Output 'adv_file_output': Total drawn frames: 31211 (31320 attempted)
22:35:44.468: Output 'adv_file_output': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 109 (0.3%)
22:35:44.469: ==== Recording Stop ================================================
22:35:44.471: Video stopped, number of skipped frames due to encoding lag: 3070/31319 (9.8%)
 
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OhBeeEs_Hivemind

New Member
Sorry to bump, but this post was stuck in 'awaiting moderation before being displayed publicly,' and slipped to page 2. I am not sure if this really got any eyes, despite the # of views.

I am trying to get the best possible setting for a rig that I believe is pretty strong. I will take any advice.
 
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BornDownUnder

Member
Don't be sorry for bumping, new threads can go unanswered if you don't.

First of all, I recommend JackOr's guide to recording using OBS Studio:
https://obsproject.com/forum/resour...lity-recording-and-multiple-audio-tracks.221/
It will help you get a good baseline to which you can tweak to try and push out more performance/quality.

With your PC configuration, you should try for x264 encoder usage first, though as you are doing local recording, you could also use Intel Quick Sync or NVENC hardware encoder to offload some of the CPU load.
If you plan on streaming, definitely use only the x264 encoder as it will produce far better results than any of the hardware encoder.

In your logfile I noticed you have Windows DVR enabled. This may be a cause of the performance issue as even when you are not using it, just having it enabled in Windows settings it will always hook into the game process and commit resources (Similar to what OBS does when OBS is open, though more aggressively as it also buffers for replay recording)

You should also use Game Capture to record as it is is significantly faster in comparison to Monitor Capture. Game Capture uses direct hooking technique to grab the frame it needs to render, from the Video Card. Monitor Capture uses shared memory (Your system RAM) which is much slower as it takes significantly longer to write to system RAM instead of grabbing from VRAM buffer.

If you have any issues, just upload another logfile (Easier to use the upload feature in OBS itself, located under Help tab-->Logfiles--->Upload current logfile) and I or someone else will hopefully be able to further assist.
 
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OhBeeEs_Hivemind

New Member
Thanks, Born.

I actually made several changes since my initial post, in my attempts to fix this.

Below is a log file for an attempt just made. I made a 30-second recording, received no error, and then made another 30-second recording to see if that was a fluke and caught the encoding overload.

Log file: https://gist.github.com/5089f850d327e63524c28b0e914b579c

Please let me know what you see. I have since changed a lot of what you suggested initially. I welcome any further suggestions as I continue to fine-tune my settings.

edit: I also capped Overwatch's frames to 144, based on another suggestion I received. I also switched my Windows power setting to performance.
 
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BornDownUnder

Member
VBR is similar to CBR rate control, in regards to the encoder having a set target bitrate, which ultimately limits the performance of your encoder for quality output. The difference is that CBR uses filler/blank data in low bitrate frames to reach the target bitrate to control the output at the defined bitrate (Which is why it is good for streaming, gives a very stable bitrate) whilst VBR has the set target bitrate and defines a peak bitrate which it won't exceed, whilst trying to achieve the lowest possible bitrate for each frame (2 pass encode helps with this) to remain under the target bitrate to allow for more bitrate when the frame requires it.

You should use CRF (x264)/CQP (NVENC) for recordings, as it allows you to define a set desired quality output and gives the encoder of your choice freedom to use whatever bitrate it needs to attempt to reach that quality. The difference will be noticeable mostly in high motion scenes, such as explosions, etc.

x264
  • Rate Control: CRF
  • CRF: 15-25
  • CPU Usage Preset: Veryfast, can be lowered to superfast/ultrafast on high cpu usage
NVENC
  • Rate Control: CQP
  • CQP: 15-25
  • Preset: High-Quality
  • Profile: high

As you are recording your key interval should be Auto/0, keyframes are whole data frames which are large/full bitrate in size, between each keyframe are delta frames which contain data which uses enough bitrate to encode what has changed from the last frame. When streaming, most streaming services such as Twitch require a set keyframe interval (Generally 2)

You can however increase the keyframe interval to try and ease the encoder workload and reduce the filesize slightly, it can affect quality output though, especially with fast motion games (Games which have a lot of grass also will suffer in quality)
Alternatively you can try to increase the quality by setting the keyframe interval to 1, though you may not even notice the difference in quality.

As for your logfile output, you are still having some issues in regards to encoder and render overload.

What Hz rating is your monitor?
If 144 then I suggest to reduce some in-game settings to try and ease the encoder and render load a tad.
You want roughly 10% to 20% of your monitor refresh rate on top of your refresh rate to allow for consistently smooth recording and streaming, with streaming pushing towards the 20% margin. That is at least from my troubleshooting experience when I was trying to dial in in-game settings, encoder settings for my previous setup (An i5 2500, r9 290x OC 4GB VRAM, 8GB RAM)
Do you overclock your CPU?
Your i7 7700k is an excellent CPU for overclocking, most can reach towards 4.8GHz with a good air cooler, this will help a lot in allowing for your CPU to keep up with your GTX 1080, which is also said to be pretty good at overclocking (Not knowing what brand you have) though are also reportedly very temperature sensitive in regards to throttling.

A good source of information in regards to overclocking can found at:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/
http://www.overclock.net/
https://forums.guru3d.com/

With power plans in Windows OS settings, make sure to adjust the minimum (idle) core/processor speed to 40% or so, this will save you electricity and will allow for less heat output when you don't need the grunt your i7 7700k can offer.
 
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OhBeeEs_Hivemind

New Member
Hi, Born.

Thanks for the detailed responses. You are pretty much the only one that has taken the time to offer as much as you have. I check this thread when I go to work, hoping for a reply, and then wait till I get home to follow up.

I keep hearing seeing different things. Go with x264, to with NVENC. Apparenly I can't handle x264, which baffles me with the specs I have. I have tried both and gotten the overload error, so I really am not sure.

As for my monitors, which are ASUS MG248Q, they are set to 60 HZ. I'm guessing that's standard.

I do not overclock, as a PC rookie. Nor do I think I am capable. Would probably need to have someone check it out for me if I do decide to go that route.

I am hesitant to reduce the minimum processor state. Current setting is 100%. What does reducing to 40% mean?

I'm generally confused as I get the overload error so fast, so consistently, so far irregardless of settings. I just don't get why. I know someone with a much more basic rig than me who is able to record with OBS no problem.

edit1 - What is the difference between 15 - 25 when setting CRF? How should I take these numbers?

I tried CRF at 15 and 25 at veryfast and got the overload error. More alerts popped using 15.
 
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BornDownUnder

Member
No problem at all in regards to replies...
I believe if you have knowledge, you should share it to those who do not. When you do, others can then go forth and share that knowledge, which in turn helps someone else, just like you did in the first place :)
The other thing I believe is there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers.

Your PC specs most certainly do allow for you to use software encoding (x264) for most games. Just need to dial back the workload on your CPU to use it.
When you use your GPU to encode, you use hardware encoding (h264) AMD has AMF, nVidia has NVENC. h264 encoding is very efficient though comes with the drawback of not having the same functionality as x264 in terms of quality retention and compression of the data. Think of h264 as 50% or so of what x264 is in terms of quality retention/compression, which is why it is so lightweight. At higher bitrate the difference in quality is far less noticeable, at low bitrates (Streaming, for example) x264 is preferred due to the far superior quality retention.

I would say most of the issue you have in regards to encoder/render overload is down to the attempt to push really high framerate whilst recording. That being said, you have a very good setup with the i7 7700k & GTX 1080 so it should be very easy to push max in-game graphic settings on just about any game at 1080p whilst having great quality output in recordings/streams at 1080p60fps (Recording) and 720p60fps (Streaming)

The best way to reduce the overall load on your CPU & GPU to get rid of the encoder and render overload issues is limit your frame rate in-game. You can do this via means of using V-Sync which can and likely will induce mouse and keyboard input latency, or you can use the much better alternative of hard-limiting frame output by using 3rd party programs (Free)
I recommend using RTSS (Real Time Statistics Server) for an in-game monitoring overlay, which is bundled with MSI AfterBurner, a GPU overclocking and monitoring tool, to limit your fps to 60 (61-63 if you get screen tearing):
For info on what MSI AfterBurner (Don't download from this site, it is heavily outdated) is and tutorial info as well:
https://www.msi.com/page/afterburner
For the latest stable release:
http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/msi-afterburner-beta-download.html
The beta version thread for info and latest beta downloads (Found in replies by Unwinder - Creator) can be found here:
https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/rtss-6-7-0-beta-1.412822/
By capping your fps you will free up a lot of system resources from your CPU & GPU as they will only do the work needed to render the frames to the limit you have set, which will make it much easier for your CPU & GPU to handle the recording alongside gaming.

The alternative to limiting your fps in-game is to reduce your in-game graphic settings, though the same issue can and likely will still occur as your system is still trying to push out high framerates.

CRF (Constant Rate Factor) values are defined as a quality control setting, higher is less quality/less CPU/GPU intensive, lower is more quality/more CPU/GPU intensive. I wouldn't go below 12 unless you are fine with very very large file sizes, they can be towards and over 1GB per minute in size.
for the veryfast preset, if after limiting your fps to your monitor refresh rate (Or just above if you get screen tearing) then try using a faster preset, the quality will reduce somewhat though the load will be exponentially less.

Overclocking can be very daunting to first time users, just like riding a bicycle can be.
The biggest thing about overclocking is there are virtually no drawbacks, it is free performance! Once you get used to it you can do it in a few minutes for a small overclock, a few hours for a heavy/max stable overclock (You have to be thorough in testing all components)

In my previous reply I linked some overclocking forum sites that have a wealth of knowledge you can use to get the most out of your system by means of overclocking, here is a link for a basic rundown of what overclocking is and what it sets out to achieve:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/198882/overclocking_for_newbies.html
The most important thing to remember when overclocking is to do small changes, step by step, not giant leaps. Always monitor your system temperatures and voltages, which can be done by using tools such as HWiNFO64:
https://www.hwinfo.com/

Hope this helps!
 
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Boildown

Boildown

Active Member
22:12:27.768: [NVENC encoder: 'recording_h264'] settings:
22:12:27.768: rate_control: VBR
22:12:27.768: bitrate: 50000
22:12:27.768: cqp: 23
22:12:27.768: keyint: 250
22:12:27.768: preset: default
22:12:27.768: profile: main
22:12:27.768: level: auto
22:12:27.768: width: 1920
22:12:27.768: height: 1080
22:12:27.768: 2-pass: true
22:12:27.768: b-frames: 2
22:12:27.768: GPU: 0
Click to expand...
22:13:00.765: Output 'adv_file_output': Total frames output: 1913
22:13:00.765: Output 'adv_file_output': Total drawn frames: 1793 (1955 attempted)
22:13:00.765: Output 'adv_file_output': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 162 (8.3%)
22:13:00.765: ==== Recording Stop ================================================
22:13:00.767: Video stopped, number of skipped frames due to encoding lag: 9/1952 (0.5%)
Click to expand...

Change rate_control to CQP, Preset to HQ (high quality), Profile to High, and 2-pass to false. Consider setting cqp to a lower value than 23.

Even without those changes, I'd expect NVEnc to perform better on your system, so I suspect the above will just be more of a "best practice" thing than solve your problem.

Are you maxing out your GPU? Set V-Sync to On or limit your framerate in your game to 60. Next time you do a test after you've made these changes, do it for at least five minutes of high action video content. Then post that log file.
 
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OhBeeEs_Hivemind

New Member
Hey again, Born. Hey, Boil.

I've gotten so many suggestions at this point, and there are so many different combinations/configurations, I'm kind of overwhelmed. I keep hearing how my specs should be able to handle X, Y, Z, yet I keep getting the overload error no matter how I tweak the settings.

I am currently testing with Overwatch, and V-Sync is on, I capped the frames at 60, and below is a log-file playing for 5 minutes. CQP 20, High Quality, High Profile, I unchecked the two-pass box, and bam:

- https://gist.github.com/a7303807df2e0421897a7cd5e785578c

What is interesting, I did get the overload error repeatedly. Yet, the CPU usage stayed in the single digits from all the times I peeked at it, and my computer stayed quiet and wasn't revving up like it was about to implode. That surely sounds like improvement, yet... I still got the error. Any ideas?

------

I really, really want to be able to record with OBS and upload to YouTube, or even stream to Twitch. If you guys can help make that a reality, I would be so damn grateful.

I imagine once I add a webcam feed into recording, that will be a whole new struggle...


XXX As a separate note, what do you guys make of using older versions of OBS? I saw this video and it peaked my interest - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihjt5b_h_qw
 
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BornDownUnder

Member
You are still getting Encoder and Render lag issues, which is really odd considering you have a GTX 1080, if you do indeed have your fps capped at 60, whilst using a CQP of 20 (You should be able to use ~15 or so, even with Ultra settings in just about any game) with the NVENC encoder.

Some things (In order, testing individually each change) to try:
- In Overwatch settings:
There is a render scale option, set that to 100% if you have it maxed out.
Lower or turn off MSAA.
- Try running OBS Studio in High Process Priority mode, there is an option in OBS Advanced settings tab.
- Disable your antivirus software temporarily while you attempt a recording, enable your antivirus software after recording.
- Download the latest drivers for your graphics card, then do a complete un-installation of your currently installed drivers using the Driver uninstall utility from:
http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/display-driver-uninstaller-download.html
Then do a clean installation of the newly downloaded drivers.

If it is your antivirus software causing the issue, you should only need to set up an exclusion in the antivirus software settings for the local recordings folder where you local recordings are created, you may have to setup an exclusion for OBS Studio as well.

It is almost always best to keep everything as up to date as possible. You don't have to use beta updates if you don't want to.
In regards to older versions of OBS, they are (The one you linked, severely) outdated in terms of bug-fixes, performance, optimizations, etc.
If you were to try an older version I would go for version 20.1.3, found via the link below:
https://github.com/jp9000/obs-studio/releases/tag/20.1.3
 
Boildown

Boildown

Active Member
Pretty mysterious. I don't see anything that you're doing wrong yet there's still this in the most recent log file:
21:10:11.828: Output 'adv_file_output': Total frames output: 18049
21:10:11.828: Output 'adv_file_output': Total drawn frames: 18103 (18278 attempted)
21:10:11.828: Output 'adv_file_output': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 175 (1.0%)
21:10:11.828: ==== Recording Stop ================================================
21:10:11.830: Video stopped, number of skipped frames due to encoding lag: 1950/18276 (10.7%)
Click to expand...
The only other change I'd suggest is to try High Performance preset instead of High Quality. That shouldn't be necessary, but I'm interested if it even makes any difference. Could tell us if we're barking down the wrong tree.
 
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OhBeeEs_Hivemind

New Member
I'm twice as perplexed, Boil...

Hey, guys. Another day, another attempt.

Soo... I had a store, MicroCenter, do a full scan on my PC and do a diagnostic when I first bought it (at MicroCenter) and after I had someone else (family) assemble it. While in the shop, MicroCenter said the graphics card and motherboard would need to be replaced. The motherboard was swapped, but the graphics card was replaced with a markdown unit, that I was assured was markdown only because it was an open box.

Any chance I got screwed and this GTX 1080 is bugged somehow? I mean, I am able to play games fine without issue, but I am thinking back.

Besides all that, I tried to play with some more settings. I am worried this will end up being about to play Overwatch and others games still don't work, but I'll take some progress.

I turned the max resolution down to 100%, changed the general resolution down to 1920x1080 (*60) as opposed to the max it was before, changed OBS to high priority, my GTX drives are updated, and I still got the overload error.

https://gist.github.com/b5d8ddd8064536bc3ed99d67e9ccda1c

Am I truly screwed? I feel like something must be very wrong with some component of my PC that it cannot handle OBS recording a game, when I am able to play a game with crazy settings without any slowdown or issue.
 
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Boildown

Boildown

Active Member
Two more things to try:
1) The previous release of OBS. 20.1.3.
2) Make sure your Nvidia drivers are the latest release from the Nvidia web site. Uninstall any other GPU utilities like MSI Afterburner or what have you.

If those don't work, try OBS Classic, the last release. Just as a test to see if we can generate any circumstance at all where it actually works.
 
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OhBeeEs_Hivemind

New Member
Hey, guys.

Sorry for the delay. I really want to keep this in your guy's view because I do appreciate the help. Without these suggestions, I really have no course of action at the moment.

I will admit, I have refrained from uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers because I have never done so (nervous I will screw up somewhere) and I am hoping I can find a setting fix without needing to go there.

I also haven't played around with older OBS version just yet. Again, hoping I don't need to go there.

I went ahead and recorded 5 minutes of footage using settings not much different than last time. Still using CQP, but bumped it to 25. Please let me know if anything stands out.

State of Decay: Year One
https://gist.github.com/ac48023f26cda457e3834c688a3b9bc2

Fallout 4
https://gist.github.com/72e06dd93991554876195cecae7458aa

Max Payne 3 (older, 2012 game)
https://gist.github.com/2d8285b7371970cf9cca3593211f7eee

Thanks for taking the time. And let me know if these log files came out right. I noticed I was not getting specific ones per each time I stopped recording.
 
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OhBeeEs_Hivemind

New Member
Bumping this back to see if I can get anymore support. I've about come to the conclusion that this PC cannot handle gaming and recording/streaming.

Not enough cores on my processor? Mine has 4.
 
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BornDownUnder

Member
Your core count should be fine to a large degree, as you have 8 threads to work with, which helps a lot. Other than using heavier encoding presets such as veryfast or slower when recording/streaming. In saying that, it is also somewhat determined by how much the game utilizes your CPU & GPU.

Theoretically, at least estimating via a lot of benchmarks I've looked at over the years when looking towards upgrading my own PC components, you should be able to run any game maxed out completely and rarely drop below 60fps at 1080p.

Given you have an i7 7700k and a GTX 1080 and limiting frame rate to ease the load on your CPU & GPU, perhaps there is something else going on I think.

Sometimes games/software applications, etc just do not like to play nice, that is when we have to troubleshoot, it could be a driver issue (Most of the time, hardware or software driver related) hardware issue, software issue, etc It may even be something as simple as a loose wire connection in one of the power leads in your PC.

Have you tried running OBS Classic or the previous release of OBS Studio (Version 20.1.3) as suggested by BoilDown? If so, how did they run?

I haven't used an nVidia graphics card for a very long time, not since they really first came out. So I am not up to date on the software changes, hopefully someone can lend a hand in seeing if there is an issue with the configuration of nVidia GeForce Experience/Control Panel. Perhaps there is some optimization that can be done within those settings?

What was your original motherboard and graphics card by the way?

Perhaps it is an issue with one of your other hardware components?
Can you list your PC hardware details, my PC specs as an example:
Ryzen 5 1600 @ 3.825Ghz (Overclocked, not stock)
Asus ROG Strix B350-f Motherboard
G.Skill Flare X 8GB RAM - 3200Mhz (Rated for 3200Mhz, voltage needed 1.375v)
Sapphire R9 290X Tri-X OC 4GB @ 1080 Core, 1450 Memory (Overclocked, not stock)
Samsung 840 EVO 256GB SSD - OS, recording drive
Hitachi 1TB 7200rpm HDD - games and storage drive
Antec HCG 850W Power supply
Benq GL2440 24" 1080p 60Hz monitor
Microsoft Ergonomic 4000 keyboard (Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center software)
Generic mouse, no software.
 
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OhBeeEs_Hivemind

New Member
Hey, guys.

Hmm, I was thinking having 8 cores would serve me better. But this is a PC novice just trying to rationalize.

I'm about pulling my hair out at this point. Tried a bunch of things over the weekend to no success. And if the issue is something like a loose plus or something not connected properly, well then I have no idea how to remedy. I brought this rig into a PC shop to have "professionals" go over it, so not sure what I can do.

I downloaded OBS Classic as well, but I ran into an issue where it wasn't capturing the game. I had a black preview screen. I can try again tonight.

I need to look up my specs. I should have my receipt still. Let me check that out and I'll advise.
 
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