Bitrate
Bitrate
Based on my observations, 1 mbps upload isn't sufficient for smooth streaming. You might notice blurry visuals during scene transitions and loss of detail because the bitrate isn't high enough to capture rapid changes. Consider utilizing a GPU for better performance. If you have a newer GPU, using it directly through software like GeForce Experience (NVIDIA) or AMD software for AMD can improve streaming quality, especially at low bitrates. While GPU encoders are generally more efficient for streaming, the upload speed will still limit your experience.
For a smooth experience, the upload should stay under roughly 80% of your bandwidth limit. Your upload capacity ranges from 1 mbps to 1000 kbps, but this also varies based on the server you connect to, its distance from you, and your ISP's connection quality. If you're matched with a local Twitch server, you might achieve full speed; otherwise, it will be significantly lower. With an average of 0.62 mbps upload, I recommend keeping the bitrate at 500 kbps (including audio) instead of pushing higher. Your video card's hardware encoder is designed for real-time or faster encoding, supporting resolutions up to 720p and speeds of 2–3 mbps or more. It performs best with higher resolutions and bitrates, not lower ones. For a 400–500 kbps rate, playing at 720p or 1440x900 is ideal, capture the stream in OBS at that size, then resize to 50% to reach half the resolution (e.g., 640x360 or 720x448). After resizing, use 50% quality with bilinear for optimal results. Lower resolutions and bitrates yield poorer performance. For audio, consider using AAC instead of MP3, and for some titles you might try mono rather than stereo. If you need lower file sizes, experiment with 48–56 kbps AAC versus 64 kbps for stereo—64 kbps could work but may sound worse. Adjust the audio frequency to 32000 Hz if possible without sacrificing too much quality.
GPU encoding offers much less performance compared to using a powerful CPU. It helps maintain a steadier frame rate since it isn’t affected by CPU fluctuations in the game. For example, NVIDIA GTX 1660 and above with 20x0 or 30x0 cards perform similarly to medium-quality CPUs, while older cards lag behind like low-quality CPUs.