For 1080p60 recording in OBS, constant quality at about 18 to 23 beats a fixed bitrate for most PCs. Streaming is different: your upload speed caps it, and fibre or LTE upload in South Africa can sit well below what a recording file wants.
For obs bitrate for 1080p 60fps recording, skip the fixed number and use a quality-based mode. Set the rate control to CQP (NVENC or AMD) or CRF (x264) at a value of 18 to 23 and let the file size follow. A fixed bitrate only makes sense for live streaming, where your upload line sets the ceiling.
For local 1080p60 recording, use CQP 20 with NVENC, or CRF 20 with x264, which gives clean footage at a manageable size. If you do want a fixed bitrate, 20,000 to 40,000 kbps (20 to 40 Mbps) covers most game footage. Streaming needs much less and depends on your upload speed.
A stream has to squeeze through your upload line in real time, so bitrate is the limit. A recording only writes to your own drive, so it can be as large as you like. That is why recording settings use constant quality, where each frame gets what it needs, while streams use CBR, a fixed rate.
Fast action costs more bits. A shooter with lots of foliage needs more than a card game. CQP and CRF adapt, spending bits on busy scenes and saving them on calm ones.
In OBS Settings, choose Output, change the mode to Advanced, and select the Recording tab. Set the Type to Standard, the Recording Format to MKV, and the Encoder to NVENC (new) if you have an NVIDIA card, or the AMD or x264 option if not.
Then set Rate Control to CQP. Quality values run roughly like this: 16 to 18 for near-lossless, 20 to 23 for high quality with sensible sizes, 28 and above for visible loss. Keep Preset on Quality or Max Quality for NVENC, and the keyframe interval at 2 seconds. Under Video, set the Base and Output resolution to 1920 by 1080 and the FPS to 60.
High-quality 1080p60 files can run into several gigabytes per hour, depending on the encoder and quality. Record to an SSD with plenty of free room rather than a nearly full drive, since a slow or crowded disk causes dropped frames that look like encoder problems.
MKV is safer than MP4 for recording. If the PC crashes or the game takes the system down, an MKV file stays playable, while an MP4 can end up unreadable. Afterwards, use File, Remux Recordings in OBS to convert to MP4 for editing or sharing.
When you go live, switch to CBR and size the bitrate to your upload speed, leaving headroom of at least 20 percent. On South African fibre, upload on many lines is far below download, and LTE upload varies hour by hour. Run a speed test before you go live, and pick a stream bitrate comfortably under what you measure.
Hardware encoders such as NVENC need a little more bitrate than x264 for the same look, so choose the encoder before the number. If you stream and record together, set separate outputs: a lower fixed rate for the stream and a high-quality CQP file for editing later.
A clean voice track matters as much as video. A USB mic from the streaming essentials range and a sharp webcam finish the setup.
CQP or CRF holds quality steady and lets size move, which suits local recording. CBR is for streaming, where the rate must stay fixed.
It depends on your upload and the platform limits. Test your upload and leave headroom so the stream does not drop frames.
Expect gigabytes per hour at high quality. Record to a fast SSD with plenty of space.
MKV, since a crash does not ruin it. Remux to MP4 when you need to edit or share.
Yes. NVENC needs a bit more than x264 for the same look, so pick the encoder first.
Only for streaming. Local files do not use your upload line at all.
Ready to record and stream like a pro? Head to the Evetech streaming essentials category for microphones and extras that match your OBS setup.
CQP or CRF holds quality steady and lets size move, which suits local recording. CBR is for streaming, where the rate must stay fixed.
It depends on your upload and the platform limits. Test your upload and leave headroom so the stream does not drop frames.
Expect gigabytes per hour at high quality. Record to a fast SSD with plenty of space.
MKV, since a crash does not ruin it. Remux to MP4 when you need to edit or share.
Yes. NVENC needs a bit more than x264 for the same look, so pick the encoder first.
Only for streaming. Local files do not use your upload line at all.
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Radeon Vega 8 is the stronger integrated graphics for light gaming, and UHD 630 suits office and video use. Both borrow system memory, so a single RAM stick holds either back; fitting a matched second stick helps more than the chip choice.
The i5-12600KF adds four efficiency cores and an unlocked multiplier over the 12400F, but it costs more to run. For plain gaming the 12400F is often enough. Pay for the K chip when you need the extra threads and will buy a cooler.
For gaming the Ryzen 5 5600X and Core i9-10850K are close, though the AMD chip runs cooler with fewer cores. The 10850K has ten cores, which helps heavy multitasking. Pick by the board you own: AM4 for the 5600X or LGA1200 for Intel.
For OBS recording, use your GPU's hardware encoder (NVENC, AMF or QuickSync) for the lightest load, or x264 if your CPU has cores to spare. Record to MKV, then remux to MP4 so a crash never costs you the file.
