Optimize OBS Without Sacrificing Game Performance
OBS Studio is one of the most popular applications for recording and streaming gameplay, but incorrect settings can increase CPU or GPU usage and negatively affect FPS, frametimes, or stream quality.
This guide covers practical OBS settings that can help reduce unnecessary performance impact while maintaining good video quality.
Use a Hardware Encoder
When available, use a hardware encoder instead of CPU-based x264 encoding.
Examples include:
NVIDIA NVENC
AMD hardware encoding
Intel Quick Sync
Hardware encoders use dedicated encoding hardware and generally have a much smaller CPU impact than software encoding. OBS also recommends hardware encoding for most users when supported.
To change your encoder:
Open OBS Studio.
Go to Settings.
Select Output.
Change Output Mode to Advanced if needed.
Select your available hardware encoder under Encoder.
Use the Correct Output Resolution
Streaming or recording at a resolution higher than you need can increase GPU workload.
Go to:
Settings > Video
Check:
Base Canvas Resolution
Output Scaled Resolution
Common output resolutions include:
1920x1080
1664x936
1280x720
If your system is struggling while streaming, reducing the output resolution can significantly lower encoding workload.
Choose an Appropriate Frame Rate
For gameplay content, common options are:
30 FPS
60 FPS
60 FPS provides smoother footage but requires more encoding performance and bitrate.
If your system struggles to maintain stable gaming performance while streaming, testing 30 FPS can help identify whether OBS load is contributing to the issue.
Avoid Excessive Bitrate
Higher bitrate does not automatically mean better performance.
Your bitrate should be appropriate for:
Streaming platform
Upload speed
Resolution
Frame rate
OBS notes that streaming bitrate should account for both your available upload bandwidth and the limits of the platform you are streaming to.
Using an unnecessarily high bitrate can contribute to dropped frames or connection problems without providing meaningful quality improvements.
NVIDIA NVENC Recording Settings
For NVIDIA users recording locally, OBS currently recommends settings around:
Rate Control: CQP
CQ: 16 to 23
Keyframe Interval: 2
Preset: P5
Tuning: High Quality
Multipass: Two Passes, Quarter Resolution
Profile: High
Look-ahead: Off
Adaptive Quantization: On
B-Frames: 2
Lower CQ values provide higher quality but create larger files.
You do not need to copy advanced settings blindly. If OBS is already working correctly, simpler settings may be preferable.
Use Game Capture When Possible
For games, Game Capture is generally preferable to capturing your entire display when the game supports it.
This allows OBS to capture the game directly instead of continuously capturing everything shown on the monitor.
To add Game Capture:
Select the + button under Sources.
Select Game Capture.
Choose the appropriate capture mode.
Select your game if required.
Remove Unnecessary Sources
Each source can add additional processing.
Delete or disable sources you are not actively using, especially:
Browser sources
Animated overlays
Multiple display captures
High-resolution webcams
Unused media sources
Duplicate capture sources
Complex browser overlays can be particularly resource intensive.
Reduce Browser Source Usage
Browser sources are commonly used for:
Alerts
Chat
Widgets
Animated overlays
If OBS performance is poor, temporarily disable browser sources and test again.
This can help determine whether your overlay setup is contributing to excessive resource usage.
Avoid Capturing the Same Game Multiple Times
Do not keep multiple Game Capture, Window Capture, and Display Capture sources active for the same content unless necessary.
Duplicate capture methods can create unnecessary overhead or capture conflicts.
Check OBS GPU Usage
OBS requires some GPU resources to compose and render your scene even when using hardware encoding.
If your GPU is already operating at or near maximum utilization while gaming, OBS may have less GPU headroom available.
Reducing game settings or limiting FPS can create additional GPU headroom for OBS.
Limit Your In-Game FPS if Necessary
Running a game with an uncapped frame rate can cause the GPU to operate at maximum utilization.
If OBS begins dropping or skipping frames while the GPU is fully utilized, try limiting your game to a reasonable FPS.
This can leave additional GPU resources available for OBS.
Use MKV for Local Recording
For local recording, OBS supports recording to MKV and later remuxing the file to MP4 if needed. OBS includes built-in remuxing for this purpose.
MKV is commonly preferred because an interrupted recording is less likely to make the entire recording unusable compared with some directly recorded MP4 workflows.
Close Unnecessary Background Applications
Before streaming or recording, close applications you do not need.
Examples include:
Unused browsers
Game launchers
Updaters
RGB applications
Other recording software
Background overlays
This helps reserve CPU, RAM, GPU, and storage resources for the game and OBS.
Apply EXM Optimizations
EXM can help reduce unnecessary Windows background activity and optimize the system for gaming workloads.
Before recording or streaming:
Apply your recommended EXM optimizations.
Restart your PC if required.
Configure EXM Game Mode for your game.
Launch OBS and your game.
Test performance before going live.
Test Before Streaming
Always perform a short test recording or private stream before starting a full session.
Monitor:
Game FPS
1% lows
OBS dropped frames
Encoding lag
Rendering lag
CPU usage
GPU usage
Temperatures
If gameplay performance becomes unstable, reduce settings one at a time to determine what is creating the bottleneck.
Need Help?
If OBS is causing FPS drops, stuttering, encoding lag, or recording issues, contact EXM Support with your CPU, GPU, OBS encoder, recording or streaming resolution, frame rate, and affected game.