Best OBS Settings for AMD GPU

If you want to know how to change OBS settings for an AMD GPU, start by opening Settings > Output, changing Output Mode to Advanced, and selecting an AMD hardware encoder. For Twitch, use AMD HW H.264 (AVC) with CBR, a 6,000 Kbps bitrate, a two-second keyframe interval, and the Quality preset. For YouTube, newer RX 7000 and RX 9000 cards can use AV1 when it is available, while older cards should use H.264 or HEVC according to the platform and workflow.

For local recording, do not copy streaming settings. Use CQP instead of CBR, record to MKV, and choose AMD HW AV1, HEVC, or H.264 based on what your GPU and editing software support.

Quick AMD OBS Settings

These settings provide a good starting point.

Twitch Streaming at 1080p 60 FPS

Setting	Recommended Value
Output Mode	Advanced
Encoder	AMD HW H.264 (AVC)
Rate Control	CBR
Bitrate	6,000 Kbps
Keyframe Interval	2 seconds
Preset	Quality
Profile	High
Max B-frames	2 if available and stable, otherwise 0
Base Canvas	Native monitor or game resolution
Output Resolution	1920 × 1080
FPS	60
Audio Bitrate	160 or 192 Kbps

For fast games, 1664 × 936 at 60 FPS can sometimes look cleaner than 1080p at the same 6,000 Kbps bitrate because each frame contains fewer pixels.

YouTube Streaming at 1080p 60 FPS

Setting	Recommended Value
Encoder	AMD HW H.264, HEVC, or AV1
Rate Control	CBR
H.264 Bitrate	12,000 Kbps
AV1 or HEVC Bitrate	6,000 to 10,000 Kbps
Keyframe Interval	2 seconds
Preset	Quality
Profile	High for H.264
Output Resolution	1920 × 1080
FPS	60
Audio Bitrate	160 to 192 Kbps

YouTube accepts higher bitrates than Twitch, making it a better platform for 1440p or 4K AMD streams when your upload connection is fast enough.

Local Recording at 1080p or 1440p

Setting	Recommended Value
Recording Format	MKV
Encoder	AMD HW AV1, HEVC, or H.264
Rate Control	CQP
CQ Level	18 to 22
Keyframe Interval	2 seconds
Preset	Quality
Profile	High for H.264
Max B-frames	0 as a safe baseline
Audio Bitrate	320 Kbps
Resolution	Native or selected output resolution
FPS	60 for gaming, 30 for slower content

A CQ level of 18 provides higher quality and larger files. A setting around 20 is a balanced starting point, while 22 creates smaller files with slightly more compression.

Before Changing OBS Settings

The settings menu cannot compensate for an incompatible GPU, damaged driver, overloaded graphics card, or unstable upload connection. Complete these checks first.

Update OBS Studio

Install a current stable version of OBS Studio. Older releases may not expose newer AMD encoder options or may contain bugs already corrected in later builds.

You do not need a third-party AMD encoder plugin for a normal current installation. OBS includes AMD Advanced Media Framework support.

If you previously installed an old AMF or AMD encoder plugin, check whether it is still necessary. An abandoned plugin can introduce duplicate encoders, startup errors, or settings that no longer match the built-in OBS implementation.

Update AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition

Install a current compatible driver for your exact Radeon GPU.

A missing or damaged AMD driver can cause OBS to show only x264, Intel Quick Sync, or another encoder. After installing the driver:

1. Restart Windows.
2. Open Device Manager.
3. Expand Display adapters.
4. Confirm that the AMD Radeon model appears without a warning icon.
5. Open OBS and check the encoder list again.

Do not rely on Microsoft Basic Display Adapter. That generic driver does not provide the complete AMD video-encoding features required by OBS.

Check Which AMD GPU You Own

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, open Performance, and select GPU. You can also open Device Manager and expand Display adapters.

The GPU generation affects the codecs available:

AMD GPU Family	Typical Hardware Encoding
Radeon RX 400 and RX 500	H.264 and HEVC
Radeon Vega	H.264 and HEVC
Radeon RX 5000	H.264 and HEVC
Radeon RX 6000	H.264 and HEVC
Radeon RX 7000	H.264, HEVC, and AV1
Radeon RX 9000	H.264, HEVC, and AV1 with newer encoding improvements

Exact codec support can vary by model, laptop implementation, and driver. An RX 7000 or RX 9000 card is the safest choice when you specifically want AMD hardware AV1 encoding.

If you recently replaced an NVIDIA card with Radeon hardware, review switching from NVIDIA to AMD GPU to remove conflicting drivers and complete the change correctly.

Test Your Upload Speed

Streaming quality depends on stable upload bandwidth, not the download speed shown in an internet package.

Run several tests at the time of day you normally stream. Your bitrate should remain below your reliable upload capacity.

A practical starting rule is to keep the video bitrate at or below approximately 75 percent of your stable upload result. This leaves room for audio, network overhead, online games, voice chat, and normal fluctuations.

For example, a stable 10 Mbps upload connection should not be forced to maintain a 10,000 Kbps video stream. A 5,000 to 6,000 Kbps stream is safer.

Use Ethernet when possible. Wi-Fi can produce dropped frames even when a speed test looks fast.

How to Make OBS Use the AMD GPU

On a desktop with one Radeon card, OBS normally uses the correct GPU automatically. Laptops and multi-GPU systems can require manual configuration.

Set OBS to High Performance in Windows

1. Close OBS Studio.
2. Open Settings in Windows.
3. Go to System > Display > Graphics.
4. Select Desktop app if Windows asks for an app type.
5. Click Browse.
6. Open:

C:\Program Files\obs-studio\bin\64bit\

7. Select obs64.exe.
8. Click Options.
9. Select High performance and confirm that it names the AMD Radeon GPU.
10. Save the setting.
11. Reopen OBS.

The game and OBS should normally run on the same high-performance GPU when using Game Capture. Running them on different GPUs can create capture problems and extra copying overhead.

Choose the AMD Encoder in OBS

1. Open OBS.
2. Click Settings.
3. Select Output.
4. Change Output Mode from Simple to Advanced.
5. Open the Streaming tab.
6. Open the encoder menu.
7. Select one of the available AMD options:

AMD HW H.264 (AVC)
AMD HW H.265 (HEVC)
AMD HW AV1

The wording can vary slightly by OBS version and GPU.

If none of the AMD choices appears, work through the troubleshooting section later in this article.

H.264, HEVC, or AV1: Which AMD Encoder Should You Use?

The best codec depends on compatibility rather than quality alone.

AMD HW H.264

Use H.264 when:

• Streaming to Twitch
• Maximum compatibility is required
• Editing software does not support AV1 or HEVC well
• The GPU is an older Radeon model
• You need recordings that play on many devices
• You are unsure which codec to select

H.264 is the safest general-purpose encoder. It is not always the most efficient, but it remains widely supported by streaming platforms, browsers, players, editors, and upload services.

AMD HW HEVC

Use HEVC when:

• Recording locally
• You need smaller files than H.264
• Your editing software supports HEVC
• You are uploading to a service that accepts it
• You want HDR recording or streaming in a supported workflow
• Your GPU does not provide AV1 encoding

HEVC can provide better compression than H.264, but compatibility is less universal. Some computers require an additional HEVC playback component, and older editors may decode it slowly.

AMD HW AV1

Use AV1 when:

• You own a compatible RX 7000 or RX 9000 GPU
• Streaming to YouTube with AV1 ingestion available
• Recording high-quality video locally
• Your editor and playback devices support AV1
• You want better quality at a lower bitrate
• Storage efficiency matters

AV1 is the most efficient choice among these three codecs for compatible workflows. It is not the correct choice for every Twitch stream or every editing application.

Do not choose AV1 simply because it is newer. Record a sample and confirm that your editor can import, preview, and export it smoothly.

Best OBS Video Settings for AMD GPU

Open Settings > Video.

Base Canvas Resolution

Set Base Canvas Resolution to the resolution used for arranging your sources.

Common values include:

• 1920 × 1080
• 2560 × 1440
• 3840 × 2160

If your monitor is 1440p but you stream at 1080p, keep the canvas at 2560 × 1440 when you want sources to match the desktop, then scale the output to 1920 × 1080.

Do not change the canvas resolution every time you switch platform. Rebuilding scenes and source positions repeatedly can create alignment problems.

Output Scaled Resolution

This is the resolution viewers receive or the resolution stored in the recording.

Recommended choices:

Computer and Content	Output Resolution
Older or low-end AMD GPU	1280 × 720
Mid-range GPU and limited bitrate	1664 × 936 or 1920 × 1080
RX 6000 gaming stream	1920 × 1080
RX 7000 or RX 9000 YouTube stream	1920 × 1080 or 2560 × 1440
High-quality local recording	Native resolution

Do not stream 1440p merely because your monitor uses 1440p. The GPU, upload bandwidth, platform bitrate, and game load must support it.

When Windows reports a different active signal resolution from the desktop resolution, active signal mode not changing in Windows 11 explains how to correct the display-side mismatch before configuring OBS.

Downscale Filter

Use:

• Lanczos for the sharpest normal downscale when the GPU has enough headroom
• Bicubic when you need slightly lower GPU usage
• Bilinear only when performance is severely limited or you intentionally want a softer result

The visual difference is smaller than the impact of choosing the wrong bitrate or overloading the GPU.

Common FPS Value

Use:

• 60 FPS for shooters, racing games, sports, action, and fast camera movement
• 30 FPS for tutorials, presentations, talking-head video, strategy games, and low-bandwidth streaming

A stable 30 FPS stream is better than an unstable 60 FPS stream with skipped frames.

Best AMD OBS Settings for Twitch

Twitch’s standard broadcasting guidance uses H.264, CBR, a two-second keyframe interval, and a bitrate of up to 6,000 Kbps.

Open Settings > Output > Streaming and use:

Setting	Recommended Value
Encoder	AMD HW H.264 (AVC)
Rate Control	CBR
Bitrate	6,000 Kbps
Keyframe Interval	2 seconds
Preset	Quality
Profile	High
Max B-frames	2 if supported, otherwise 0
Audio Bitrate	160 or 192 Kbps

Best Twitch Resolution at 6,000 Kbps

Use these starting points:

Content	Recommended Resolution
Fast competitive game	1664 × 936 at 60 FPS
General gaming	1920 × 1080 at 60 FPS
Very fast motion or older AMD encoder	1280 × 720 at 60 FPS
Talking, tutorials, slower games	1920 × 1080 at 30 FPS

Fast motion is difficult to compress. Dropping slightly below 1080p can reduce blockiness in grass, smoke, foliage, water, particles, and quick camera turns.

Why H.264 Is the Safe Twitch Choice

Twitch compatibility remains strongest with H.264. Do not use HEVC or AV1 unless Twitch explicitly offers that codec for your channel and selected broadcasting method.

A codec appearing in OBS does not automatically mean the destination platform accepts it.

Twitch Audio Settings

Open Settings > Audio:

• Sample Rate: 48 kHz
• Channels: Stereo

Open Settings > Output > Audio:

• Track 1: 160 or 192 Kbps

Higher audio bitrate consumes part of the available stream bandwidth, so do not increase it without a reason.

Best AMD OBS Settings for YouTube

YouTube supports H.264, HEVC, and AV1 ingestion in supported streaming workflows.

For 1080p 60 FPS:

H.264 Profile

Setting	Value
Encoder	AMD HW H.264
Rate Control	CBR
Bitrate	12,000 Kbps
Keyframe Interval	2 seconds
Preset	Quality
Profile	High
B-frames	2 if supported
Audio	160 to 192 Kbps

AV1 or HEVC Profile

Setting	Value
Encoder	AMD HW AV1 or AMD HW HEVC
Rate Control	CBR
Bitrate	6,000 to 10,000 Kbps
Keyframe Interval	2 seconds
Preset	Quality
Audio	160 to 192 Kbps

YouTube’s recommended H.264 bitrate for 1080p60 is 12 Mbps. Its published AV1 and HEVC range for the same resolution is 4 to 10 Mbps.

YouTube 1440p 60 FPS

Use:

Setting	H.264	AV1 or HEVC
Bitrate	24,000 Kbps	10,000 to 20,000 Kbps
Keyframe	2 seconds	2 seconds
Rate Control	CBR	CBR
FPS	60	60

YouTube accepts an AV1 or HEVC range of 6 to 30 Mbps for 1440p60. A practical starting point around 12 to 18 Mbps can work well when the connection is stable.

YouTube 4K 60 FPS

Only use 4K when the GPU, game, encoder, storage, and upload connection can sustain it.

Starting settings:

Setting	H.264	AV1 or HEVC
Bitrate	35,000 Kbps	20,000 to 35,000 Kbps
Keyframe	2 seconds	2 seconds
FPS	60	60

A 4K stream can consume substantial upload bandwidth and GPU resources. Test it privately before a real broadcast.

Best OBS Recording Settings for AMD GPU

Recording settings should prioritize visual quality and recoverability instead of forcing a fixed streaming bitrate.

Open Settings > Output > Recording.

Recording Format

Select:

MKV

MKV is safer because a crash, power failure, or forced shutdown is less likely to make the entire recording unusable.

To create an MP4 afterward:

1. Open File in OBS.
2. Select Remux Recordings.
3. Choose the MKV file.
4. Remux it to MP4.

You can also enable automatic remuxing under Settings > Advanced if available.

Recording Encoder

Choose in this order when supported by your workflow:

1. AMD HW AV1
2. AMD HW HEVC
3. AMD HW H.264

AV1 can provide excellent quality and efficient file sizes, but H.264 remains the easiest format to edit and share.

Rate Control

Select:

CQP

CQP adjusts the amount of data according to scene complexity. A complex frame receives more data than a simple frame.

Do not use the same 6,000 Kbps streaming bitrate for local recording. That bitrate can produce visibly compressed footage, especially at 1080p60 or 1440p60.

CQ Level

Use:

CQ Level	Result
16	Very high quality, very large files
18	High-quality recording
20	Balanced quality and file size
22	Smaller files
23	More compression

Lower numbers create higher quality and larger files.

Start at 20, record a high-motion test, and move to 18 if the result contains unwanted compression.

Other Recording Settings

Use:

Setting	Recommended Value
Keyframe Interval	2
Preset	Quality
Profile	High for H.264
Max B-frames	0 as a compatible baseline
Audio Track	Separate game and microphone tracks when editing
Audio Bitrate	320 Kbps
Rescale Output	Off unless a separate recording resolution is required

The exact options differ between H.264, HEVC, AV1, GPU generation, and driver version.

Best OBS Settings for RX 580 and Older Radeon Cards

The RX 580 can encode H.264 and HEVC, but it does not provide AV1 hardware encoding.

Recommended streaming profile:

• Encoder: AMD HW H.264
• Output: 1280 × 720 at 60 FPS or 1920 × 1080 at 30 FPS
• Rate Control: CBR
• Bitrate: 4,500 to 6,000 Kbps
• Keyframe: 2
• Preset: Balanced or Quality
• Profile: High
• B-frames: 0

For local recording:

• Encoder: AMD HW H.264 or HEVC
• Rate Control: CQP
• CQ: 20 to 23
• Format: MKV
• FPS: 60 only if the game leaves enough GPU headroom

Older Radeon encoders can look more compressed at low bitrates. Reducing the resolution is often more effective than forcing a higher preset.

Best OBS Settings for RX 5000 Series

RX 5000 cards support H.264 and HEVC hardware encoding but not AV1 encoding.

Recommended Twitch profile:

• AMD HW H.264
• 1664 × 936 at 60 FPS or 1080p60
• CBR
• 6,000 Kbps
• Keyframe 2
• Quality preset
• High profile

Recommended recording profile:

• AMD HW HEVC when the editor supports it
• CQP 18 to 22
• MKV
• Native or 1080p resolution
• 60 FPS

Leave enough GPU headroom because OBS must render and composite scenes even when a dedicated media engine performs the final encoding.

Best OBS Settings for RX 6000 Series

RX 6000 cards include improved AMF features for H.264 and HEVC, but AMD’s current compatibility information does not list RDNA 2 as supporting hardware AV1 encoding.

Good Twitch profile:

• AMD HW H.264
• 1080p60 or 936p60
• CBR
• 6,000 Kbps
• Quality preset
• Keyframe 2
• High profile

Good YouTube profile:

• AMD HW H.264 at 12,000 Kbps for 1080p60
• AMD HW HEVC at 6,000 to 10,000 Kbps where supported
• 1440p60 for higher-end cards with sufficient upload bandwidth

Good recording profile:

• AMD HW HEVC
• CQP 18 to 20
• MKV
• 1080p60 or 1440p60

Best OBS Settings for RX 7000 Series

RX 7000 cards support hardware AV1 encoding.

For YouTube:

• Encoder: AMD HW AV1
• Rate Control: CBR
• 1080p60 bitrate: 6,000 to 10,000 Kbps
• 1440p60 bitrate: 12,000 to 20,000 Kbps
• Keyframe: 2
• Preset: Quality

For local recording:

• Encoder: AMD HW AV1
• Rate Control: CQP
• CQ: 18 to 22
• Format: MKV
• Resolution: 1440p60 or 4K according to the card and game

For Twitch, use AMD HW H.264 unless the channel and Twitch broadcasting mode explicitly support another codec.

Best OBS Settings for RX 9000 Series

RX 9000 cards use AMD’s newer RDNA 4 architecture and include a reworked media encoder with additional streaming-quality improvements.

Recommended setup:

• Twitch: AMD HW H.264, CBR, 6,000 Kbps, 1080p60 or 936p60
• YouTube: AMD HW AV1, CBR, platform-appropriate bitrate
• Recording: AMD HW AV1, CQP 18 to 20, MKV
• Preset: Quality
• Keyframe: 2

Even with a powerful RX 9000 card, do not allow the game to consume 100 percent of the GPU. OBS still needs time to render scenes.

AMD Encoder Not Showing in OBS

If the AMD hardware encoder is missing, follow these fixes in order.

Confirm the GPU Supports Hardware Encoding

Very old AMD graphics products may not provide a compatible hardware encoder.

Check the exact model rather than relying on a generic “Radeon Graphics” label.

Update the AMD Driver

Download and install a current compatible AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition package.

Restart Windows after installation.

Update OBS

Install a current stable OBS release.

An outdated build may not recognize a new GPU correctly.

Make OBS Use the Radeon GPU

Use Settings > System > Display > Graphics in Windows and assign obs64.exe to High performance.

This is particularly important on laptops with integrated and discrete graphics.

Check Device Manager

Open Device Manager and expand Display adapters.

Fix any warning symbol beside the AMD GPU. If the PC displays Microsoft Basic Display Adapter, install the proper AMD driver.

Remove Obsolete Encoder Plugins

Move old third-party AMD encoder plugins out of the OBS plugin folder temporarily and restart OBS.

Do not remove random files unless you know which plugin installed them. Back up the OBS profile and scene collection first.

Reinstall the AMD Driver

Use AMD’s normal clean-install or factory-reset option when available. Restart and test OBS before installing extra Radeon utilities or overlays.

Check the OBS Log

Open:

Help > Log Files > Upload Current Log File

The log can reveal an unsupported encoder, driver initialization failure, multi-GPU problem, or overloaded system.

How to Fix OBS Encoding Overloaded With an AMD GPU

“Encoding overloaded” does not always mean the dedicated encoder itself is too weak. OBS also needs GPU resources to render scenes.

Run OBS as Administrator

Close OBS, right-click its shortcut, and select Run as administrator.

This can help Windows reserve enough GPU scheduling time for OBS.

Limit the Game Frame Rate

An uncapped game can consume nearly 100 percent of the GPU, leaving OBS without enough rendering capacity.

Cap the game below the maximum frame rate your system can produce.

Examples:

• Cap a 144 Hz display at 120 or 138 FPS
• Cap a 165 Hz display at 144 or 158 FPS
• Use an in-game limiter when available
• Enable V-Sync only when it suits the game and latency requirements

The goal is to leave GPU headroom, not to force one universal cap.

Reduce Game Graphics Settings

Start with settings that heavily affect GPU usage:

• Ray tracing
• Resolution scale
• Shadows
• Volumetric effects
• Reflections
• Anti-aliasing
• View distance
• Texture quality when VRAM is full

Lowering OBS quality while the game remains at 100 percent GPU usage may not solve rendering lag.

Close Other Capture Tools

Do not record simultaneously with:

• AMD Software Record and Stream
• Xbox Game Bar
• Discord clipping
• Steam Game Recording
• Browser screen recorders
• Other capture utilities

Multiple recording tools can compete for GPU, encoder, memory, and storage resources.

Simplify OBS Scenes

Reduce:

• Animated browser sources
• High-resolution overlays
• Unnecessary filters
• Multiple display captures
• Large media files
• Several active video sources
• Blur and shader effects

Hide or remove unused sources instead of leaving them active behind other layers.

Reduce Output Resolution or FPS

Try these changes one at a time:

• 1440p60 to 1080p60
• 1080p60 to 936p60
• 1080p60 to 1080p30
• 1080p60 to 720p60

Reducing resolution lowers the number of pixels OBS must render and encode.

Check Desktop Window Manager Usage

Desktop composition, extra monitors, HDR, overlays, and capture applications can increase Windows GPU usage. If dwm.exe is unusually high while OBS is open, use the fixes in Desktop Window Manager high GPU usage before reducing every OBS setting.

How to Tell What Is Causing Lag

Open:

View > Stats

Watch these values:

Frames Missed Due to Rendering Lag

This indicates that OBS cannot render scenes quickly enough.

Likely causes:

• GPU at or near 100 percent
• OBS and game running on different GPUs
• Heavy browser sources
• High-resolution scenes
• Too many filters
• Other GPU-intensive applications

Skipped Frames Due to Encoding Lag

This indicates that the encoder cannot complete frames in time.

Try:

• Lowering output resolution
• Reducing FPS
• Changing preset from Quality to Balanced
• Closing another recording application
• Updating the AMD driver
• Testing H.264 instead of AV1 or HEVC
• Reducing simultaneous streaming and recording load

Dropped Frames Due to Network

This is primarily a connection issue rather than an AMD encoder issue.

Try:

• Lowering bitrate
• Using Ethernet
• Selecting a better ingest server
• Closing uploads and cloud backup
• Turning off VPN
• Enabling OBS network optimizations
• Testing at a different time
• Using dynamic bitrate only when necessary

Do not lower the encoder preset when the problem is network dropped frames.

How to Fix a Pixelated AMD Stream

A stream can remain pixelated even when OBS reports no errors.

Lower the Resolution

At a fixed bitrate, fewer pixels receive more data.

For Twitch, 936p60 or 720p60 can look cleaner than 1080p60 in high-motion games.

Use the Quality Preset

Select Quality when the GPU has sufficient headroom.

Switch to Balanced only when Quality causes encoding problems.

Increase Bitrate Within Platform Limits

Use the platform’s recommended bitrate and your stable upload capacity.

Do not exceed platform limits simply because OBS accepts a higher number.

Reduce FPS

A 30 FPS stream gives each frame more data than 60 FPS at the same bitrate.

This is particularly useful for tutorials, strategy games, webcams, and slower content.

Use AV1 on Supported YouTube Streams

RX 7000 and RX 9000 cards can produce better compression efficiency with AV1 in supported YouTube workflows.

Avoid Excessive Sharpening

Strong sharpening can create artificial fine detail that is difficult to compress. It can make grass, hair, foliage, and text edges look worse after streaming compression.

Best Audio Settings for OBS

Open Settings > Audio:

Setting	Recommended Value
Sample Rate	48 kHz
Channels	Stereo
Desktop Audio	Correct playback device
Mic/Auxiliary Audio	Correct microphone

For streaming:

• Audio bitrate: 160 or 192 Kbps

For recording:

• Audio bitrate: 320 Kbps
• Use separate tracks for microphone, game, music, and voice chat when editing

Avoid placing desktop audio and microphone on separate tracks without also assigning a mixed track for platforms that accept only one stream audio track.

Best Advanced Settings for AMD OBS

Open Settings > Advanced.

For normal SDR streaming:

Setting	Recommended Value
Process Priority	Above Normal
Renderer	Direct3D 11
Color Format	NV12
Color Space	Rec. 709
Color Range	Limited
Filename Formatting	Include date and time
Automatically Remux to MP4	Optional

Do not set OBS to Realtime priority in Task Manager. Realtime priority can interfere with Windows and other essential processes.

If you use an NVIDIA system elsewhere, how to optimize NVIDIA GPU for OBS Studio explains the different NVENC-specific options. Do not copy settings such as P5, Look-ahead, or multipass directly into an AMD configuration because the encoder controls are not identical.

Should Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling Be On or Off?

There is no single setting that works best on every AMD system.

Leave Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling at its current value when OBS works correctly.

If you experience:

• Random rendering lag
• Capture stutter
• Driver crashes
• Black screens
• Unexplained encoder failures

test the opposite HAGS setting:

1. Open Settings > System > Display > Graphics.
2. Open Change default graphics settings.
3. Change Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling.
4. Restart Windows.
5. Record the same test scene again.

Do not change HAGS, Game Mode, driver version, OBS preset, bitrate, and game settings at the same time. Change one variable and compare the OBS statistics.

Should You Stream and Record at the Same Time?

AMD GPUs can stream and record simultaneously, but the result depends on the GPU’s media-engine capacity, resolution, codec, and game load.

A practical setup is:

• Stream: AMD HW H.264 with CBR
• Record: Same encoder as stream when performance is limited
• Record: AMD HW HEVC or AV1 with CQP when the GPU handles both outputs reliably

Watch the OBS Stats window during a test.

If encoding lag appears:

• Use the stream encoder for recording
• Lower recording resolution
• Change recording from 60 to 30 FPS
• Use a less demanding recording preset
• Stop another capture utility
• Record after the stream instead

How to Test the Settings Before Streaming

Do not make the first test during a public broadcast.

1. Choose a demanding game or scene.
2. Open a map or area with rapid movement, particles, grass, water, or detailed textures.
3. Record for at least five minutes.
4. Open View > Stats.
5. Check rendering lag and encoding lag.
6. Speak into the microphone.
7. Include game audio.
8. Review the recording for pixelation, stutter, audio delay, and color problems.
9. Run a private or unlisted platform stream.
10. Check the platform’s stream-health page.
11. Watch the stream from another device.
12. Adjust one setting at a time.

A static desktop test can hide problems that appear only during heavy gaming.

Common Questions About AMD OBS Settings

What encoder should I use in OBS with an AMD GPU?

Use AMD HW H.264 for maximum compatibility and Twitch streaming. Use AMD HW AV1 on a compatible RX 7000 or RX 9000 card for supported YouTube streams and local recordings. Use HEVC when AV1 is unavailable but you want better recording compression than H.264.

Is AMD H.264 good for streaming?

Yes, especially on newer Radeon generations, but quality depends on the GPU, bitrate, resolution, driver, and game motion. Older Radeon encoders can show more compression at limited bitrates, making 936p or 720p a sensible Twitch choice.

Should I use x264 instead of the AMD encoder?

Use x264 when your CPU has substantial unused capacity and it produces a better result without affecting the game. For most single-PC gaming setups, the AMD hardware encoder reduces CPU load and is easier to run consistently.

What bitrate should I use for Twitch?

Use 6,000 Kbps as the normal upper starting point under Twitch’s standard broadcasting guidance. Lower it when your upload connection cannot sustain it.

What bitrate should I use for YouTube 1080p60?

YouTube recommends 12 Mbps for H.264. Its current AV1 and HEVC range for 1080p60 is 4 to 10 Mbps.

What is the best CQP value for AMD recording?

Start at CQ 20. Use 18 for higher quality and larger files or 22 for smaller files. OBS provides a general AMD CQP baseline from 16 to 23.

Should I use MKV or MP4?

Use MKV for recording reliability, then remux to MP4 when needed. An interrupted standard MP4 recording can become unusable.

Can the RX 580 use AV1 in OBS?

No. The RX 580 can use H.264 and HEVC hardware encoding, but it does not have AV1 hardware encoding.

Can the RX 6600 use AV1 encoding?

The RX 6600 belongs to the RDNA 2 generation. It does not provide the hardware AV1 encoding available on RDNA 3 RX 7000 and RDNA 4 RX 9000 cards.

Why does OBS use my AMD GPU when I selected hardware encoding?

OBS uses the GPU to composite and render scenes in addition to video encoding. Some GPU usage is normal even when the card has a dedicated media engine.

Why does my game run well while the OBS recording stutters?

The game may be consuming nearly all GPU resources. OBS still needs GPU time to render its scene. Cap the game frame rate, lower selected graphics settings, and run OBS as administrator.

Is 1080p60 always better than 720p60?

No. At a limited bitrate, 720p60 or 936p60 can look cleaner during fast movement because fewer pixels must be compressed.

Should I set color range to Full?

Use Limited for normal SDR streaming unless your complete capture, editing, and playback workflow is intentionally configured for Full range. A mismatch can create crushed blacks or washed-out video.

Why is AMD HW AV1 missing?

The GPU may not support AV1 encoding, the driver or OBS version may be outdated, Windows may be assigning OBS to another GPU, or the encoder may have failed to initialize.

Can I use AMD Adrenalin recording and OBS together?

It is possible, but running both capture systems can increase GPU, encoder, memory, and storage load. Disable AMD Record and Stream when troubleshooting OBS performance.

What OBS preset is best for AMD?

Use Quality when the stream or recording remains stable. Change to Balanced when Quality causes encoding lag or the game leaves very little GPU headroom.

A Reliable Starting Configuration

For most Radeon users streaming to Twitch, begin with AMD HW H.264, CBR, 6,000 Kbps, a two-second keyframe interval, the Quality preset, High profile, and either 1080p60 or 936p60.

For YouTube on an RX 7000 or RX 9000 card, test AMD HW AV1 with CBR and a bitrate appropriate for the selected resolution. Use 6,000 to 10,000 Kbps at 1080p60 as a starting range.

For local recording, use MKV, CQP, a CQ level around 20, and the best compatible AMD hardware encoder. AV1 provides efficient compression on newer cards, HEVC is a strong alternative, and H.264 remains the safest option for editing and playback compatibility.

The most important part is leaving enough GPU capacity for OBS. Cap the game frame rate, monitor the Stats window, test high-motion footage, and change one setting at a time until both the game and OBS remain stable.

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