X264 limits my bitrate help

[NeilSteel]

Hi I need some help with my situation as whenever I try to use x264 as my streaming encoder my upload speed is unstable and low and doesnt exceed 6000 kbps and the upload speed stays low at around 1000-2000 but when I try to use AVC (gpu encoder), I have no problems in my upload speed and I can even set my bitrate upto 15000 kbps and it is stable. Thank you!

My Rig:
CPU: R5 3600
GPU: Asrock 5500XT 4GB
Ram: PNY 16GB 3200mhz (2x 8gb)
Upload Speed: 20mpbs
Streaming Platform: Facebook Gaming

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Uhh . basic question
Are you monitoring your CPU utilization? is this a simple case of your gaming is consuming your CPU resources, and when you try to add encoding on top, you drive CPU to a sustained 100% utilization and something has to give... which is what is supposed to happen. Of course, if you use GPU encoding offload, then the CPU doesn't have the same hit... all as expected, by design, etc

 

[NeilSteel]

Uhh . basic question
Are you monitoring your CPU utilization? is this a simple case of your gaming is consuming your CPU resources, and when you try to add encoding on top, you drive CPU to a sustained 100% utilization and something has to give... which is what is supposed to happen. Of course, if you use GPU encoding offload, then the CPU doesn't have the same hit... all as expected, by design, etc

My CPU load is only around 20-30% when streaming and gaming. I have tried to stream a PC game using the same PC I use for streaming and I also tried to stream a game on Nintendo Switch. Both of which was suffering from the low and unstable bitrate. I have tried all of the presets in OBS, very fast, fastest, fast, medium and slow and all of it suffers from the problem. I know that R5 3600 is not a high end cpu however I am only streaming Genshin Impact, Valorant and CSGO which all of them only requires low cpu usage. Plus on the scenario where I streamed Nintendo Switch, it means that I am literally not using any of my cpu resources except for OBS so I shouldnt have any problems in streaming on consoles and yet I still experience the problem on all presets mentioned above. Sorry I am just confused and I'm new to this. I hope you could help me.

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

I'm suspecting your OBS settings are wonky from Internet advice that is either flat out wrong/misleading, or doesn't explain the caveats, or maybe just your misunderstanding. So others can see/advise on your settings
Though, this is free open source software, so the expectation is that you do your own research, but as you have obviously done some research

Per pinned post in this forum

Please post a log with your issue! Here's how...

OBS Studio creates a log file each time you run it which contains very useful diagnostic information. Without a log file, it's much harder for any support volunteers to figure out problems and your post may be ignored. To upload a log file, go to the Help menu > Log Files > Upload Last Log...

obsproject.com

And always good advice

Here's the quick-start guide:

OBS Studio Quickstart

OBS Studio - Free and open source software for live streaming and screen recording - obsproject/obs-studio

obsproject.com

I'd also recommend watching the Nerd or Die tutorial video series:

OBS Studio Tutorial Series Introduction | Tutorial 1/13

Welcome to our OBS Studio tutorial series! In this series we're going to cover everything that you'll need to know to make your stream look great.Next Video...

www.youtube.com

Your CPU should be more than adequate for non-demanding gaming and encoding
As basic troubleshooting step... don't stream, only record (removes network from equation). How is recording? if bitrate, etc all fine, then not OBS but most likely the network. For now, stick to OBS auto-config basic settings, and make sure you aren't in Studio Mode (dual output render)
recording quick notes https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/best-settings.140188/#post-514693
Sorry, I can't be specific on the AMD GPU, as I have and my experience/research is all on nVidia's NVENC