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NVENC OBS Configuration

Information

Support

NVENC is NVIDIA's on-chip encoder for their desktop graphics cards, with 1000 series GPUs and above considered ideal for high FPS recording.

Check which NVENC features your NVIDIA GPU supports on NVIDIA's video encode and decode GPU support matrix page.

If your NVIDIA GPU doesn't support NVENC, try seeing if your iGPU has a hardware encoder or use CPU x264 as a last resort.

Before following this, make sure that you've followed the initial configuration first. Make sure that you test your settings! See Replay Buffer.

Configuration

These settings maximize recording performance at high FPS.

Recording Settings

Maximum performance recording settings

Encoder Settings

Maximum performance encoder settings

Recording Settings

  • Video Encoder: Use NVIDIA NVENC H.264. (5)

Encoder Settings

  • Rate Control: CQP (6)

  • CQ Level: Use 15-18, with higher being lower quality and lower being better quality. (7)

  • Keyframe Interval: Leave at 0 (auto) for best performance.

  • Preset: Use P1: Fastest (Lowest Quality) for highest FPS. (9)

  • Tuning: Leave on High Quality.

  • Profile: Use baseline. (8)

  • Look Ahead & Psycho Visual Tuning: Leave Off for max performance.

  • GPU & Max B-Frames: Leave GPU at 0 if single GPU. Leave B-Frames at 0.

These settings optimize for smallest files without quality loss.

Recording Settings

  • Video Encoder: Use NVIDIA NVENC HEVC (or AV1 if you have a 40 series GPU).
    • If you want the best compatibility (including embeds on Discord), use NVIDIA NVENC H264 at the cost of extra file size.

Encoder Settings

  • Rate Control: CQP (3)

  • CQ Level: Use 18-23, with higher being lower quality and lower being better quality. (4)

  • Preset: Use P7: Slowest (Best Quality). (1)

  • Profile: Use high. (2)

  1. Why this preset?
    Despite the name it doesn't affect your video quality. Our testing showed that "P1: Fastest (Lowest Quality)" results in the least encoding lag, but produces a bigger filesize. While "P7: Slowest (Best Quality)" significantly reduces the FPS you can record at, but results in a smaller filesize.

  2. Why this profile?
    Using "high" profile on newer GPUs may limit the fps you can record at, but it effectively reduces the file size. This won't affect your video quality.

  3. Why CQP over CBR and VBR?
    It adjusts the bitrate for each individual frame, resulting in better video quality. Compared to CBR which uses a fixed bitrate, and VBR which varies the bitrate based on the complexity of the video, CQP can provide more efficient file size management.

  4. Why these particular values?
    The CQ Level ranges from 1 (lossless, resulting in huge files) to 30 (very lossy, resulting in small files).

    Click here to see the Quality vs CQP Level Graph

  5. Why should you use H.264?
    HEVC is more efficient but harder to encode, leading to worse performance. The same applies to AV1 on the RTX 40 series GPUs.

  6. Why CQP over CBR and VBR?
    It adjusts the bitrate for each individual frame, resulting in better video quality. Compared to CBR which uses a fixed bitrate, and VBR which varies the bitrate based on the complexity of the video, CQP can provide more efficient file size management.

  7. Why these particular values?
    The CQ Level ranges from 1 (lossless, resulting in huge files) to 30 (very lossy, resulting in small files).

    Click here to see the Quality vs CQP Level Graph

  8. Why this profile?
    On newer GPUs, "baseline" may reduce encoding lag when recording at high FPS at the cost of the bigger file size. This won't affect your video quality.

  9. Why this preset?
    Despite the name it doesn't affect your video quality. Our testing showed that "P1: Fastest (Lowest Quality)" results in the least encoding lag, but produces a bigger filesize. While "P7: Slowest (Best Quality)" significantly reduces the FPS you can record at, but results in a smaller filesize.