Content:
- Fixing lags in Streamlabs OBS
- Make sure your computer and internet are suitable for this task
- Change bitrate
- Use an Ethernet cable
- Close applications that are using your Internet
- Try turning off game settings
- Downscale the stream to 1080p or 720p
- Use game capture
- Summarizing
If you’re streaming, you want your viewers to have the perfect experience. Ideally, the viewer should have the same experience as the streamer. This is easier said than done as you may experience lag, stuttering and frame drops when using streaming software like Streamlabs OBS. In this article, we’ll look at how you can fix lag when streaming on Streamlabs OBS.
Fixing lags in Streamlabs OBS
If you’re experiencing lag while streaming, there could be several reasons behind the issue. This could be the software you are using, your PC hardware, or even your Internet connection.
There are many variables involved and it will take some troubleshooting to pinpoint the problem. Following are some ways to fix latency in Streamlab OBS:
Make sure your computer and internet are suitable for this task
Running modern games at 1080p 60fps requires decent hardware, but add streaming to that and you need some serious power. This will obviously depend on the types of games you are interested in playing and streaming. But if your computer is barely capable of running games, chances are your viewers won’t get the perfect experience streaming said games.
To stream games, you’ll need a decent processor and graphics card. While the streaming requirements on Twitch are not at all high, they are for streaming only and do not take into account the game you will be running. To be on the safe side, a fairly recent Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor would be ideal.
When it comes to graphics cards, it’s worth noting that Nvidia’s new GPUs have a built-in encoder that reduces CPU usage when streaming. This means that the GPU chip is doing the encoding, not the CPU. This can greatly reduce the load on the CPU. RTX graphics cards ship with these encoders, as do the GTX 1660 models.
AMD graphics cards are basically on par with Nvidia when it comes to gaming, but they use AMF, which is not as good as Nvidia’s encoder. So keep that in mind. If you are interested in streaming, you can use an Nvidia graphics card.
When it comes to RAM, 8GB is the bare minimum for gaming, with most games needing 12-16GB. So 16GB of RAM is what you need when streaming. Obviously a little more is better, but you shouldn’t go over 32GB. That would be overkill.
Finally, make sure your internet speed is fast enough to download your content. 10MB/s is what we recommend as the minimum for streaming, but if there are multiple people in your house and each of them has multiple devices connected to the internet, then this connection is shared. You may want to increase your internet speed if that is indeed the case.
Change bitrate
A high bitrate will make your stream clear, but it will also require more bandwidth. You can tweak this setting to find the sweet spot that works for you.
We recommend setting this value between 2000-3000 kbps for a 720p stream. If you go below, your stream will not look good. You must adjust the bitrate to find what works best for you. A 1080p stream will have a higher bitrate, but don’t overdo it.
You may also be interested in the best Streamlabs settings for budget PCs.
Use an Ethernet cable
If you’re streaming, we recommend a wired internet connection over wireless. So use an ethernet cable and connect directly to your router instead of via Wi-Fi.
Using an Ethernet cable will give you access to the full potential of your internet connection and may reduce ping. It will also increase the stability of your internet.
Close applications that are using your Internet
You can open Task Manager and see what applications are using your internet and how much bandwidth they are using. Since you’ll need all the bandwidth you can get, we recommend that you close any apps you don’t need.
Try turning off game settings
If you have a powerful computer and fast enough internet, you can turn off the settings in the game. Decreasing image quality can help you.
You can also try limiting the game to 60 FPS and enabling V-Sync. This should give Streamlabs OBS a break. Be sure to use the NVENC Encoder setting if you are using a modern Nvidia graphics card.
Downscale the stream to 1080p or 720p
If you play games at a high resolution such as 4K or 1440p, we recommend streaming the game at a lower resolution such as 1080p or 720p. Higher resolution streaming will require a very fast internet connection and a lot of bandwidth.
Streaming at 1080p should be the best option, but if you’re still having issues, you can downscale the stream to 720p. You will still play games at the default resolution, but your viewers will see the game at a lower resolution.
Use game capture
When capturing the screen, you can choose from three options; display, window and game capture. Display Capture will capture whatever you have on the screen. This is ideal if you’re reacting to YouTube videos or trying to teach something, but not ideal for gaming.
When streaming a game, you must use the game capture option. To do this, the game must be in full screen mode. Using image capture when streaming games can result in lag, especially if you’re playing at a high refresh rate.
Here are some of the ways you can fix latency issues while streaming on Streamlabs OBS.
Summarizing
Hopefully by changing some of these settings you can prevent your stream from lagging while streaming. Ultimately, the lagging stream becomes unviewable by the viewer. You’ll need to make sure it’s fixed before wasting time streaming.
