OBS VS Shadowplay! Quality VS Performance!
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- Welcome to Hardly Tech!
Today's video will be something a little different! I want to see how much of a performance and potential quality difference there is between OBS's nVenc Encoder, and nVidia's built in Shadowplay, for the purpose of recording videos!
How do you think this comparison will play out? Which encoder do you use and why? Let me know in the comments!
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Timestamps!
00:01 Intro!
00:10 Welcome!
00:29 Why This Test?
01:13 The Format!
01:31 The Goal of Today's Test!
01:56 Test Bench Specs!
02:20 Quick Note & IMG Quality Testing!
02:32 4K CQP 21/ CBR 130/ nVS 130
03:37 4K CQP 27/ CBR 50/ nVS 50
04:41 1440p CQP 21/ CBR 130/ nVS 130
05:46 1440p CQP 27/ CBR 50/ nVS 50
06:50 1080p CQP 21/ CBR 130/ nVS 130
07:54 1080p CQP 27/ CBR 50/ nVS 50
08:59 4K Framerate Comparisons
09:49 1440p Framerate Comparisons
10:39 1080p Framerate Comparisons
11:29 Other Tests & Thoughts So Far
12:26 What About nVenc/OBS?
12:50 If Your Aim is ONLY Quality..
13:05 If Your Aim is Quality & Performance..
13:21 Thank You!
13:46 Outro!
Thank you all for watching!
If you enjoyed this video, please, like, subscribe and share this video!
The more this channel grows, the more time and resources I can dedicate to testing and comparisons.
This Channel was born out of those questions about PC performance and tech that always seem to fall through the cracks.
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Credit where credit is due!
* Footage Captured on my personal PC using Shadowplay and OBS!
* Video edited using Cyberlink PowerDirector 365
* Stock Footage used under license from Shutterstock.com
* Intro and Outro video made Courtesy of Https://Placeit.net
* Music by Joystock - www.Joystock.Org
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All results were captured on my personal computer.
The Specs
MOBO MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
CPU Intel i9 9900k
AIO Arctic Liquid Freezer ii 360mm
RAM G.Skill DDR4 3600 C14 4x16GB
SSD Samsung 970 Evo +
GPU 1 EVGA RTX 3080 Ti
CASE Lian-Li O11 Dynamic
FANS Lian-Li AL120
==============================================================================
The information in this video is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only.
This video is not an endorsement of any hardware/software/producer, their opinions or otherwise.
Opinions expressed in this video are those of the creator(s) of this video only.
Overclocking, underclocking & modification of your systems is done at your own risk!
Please research before doing so.
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2,500 Views in 6 months? Freakin awesome! This was an interesting test for me, I'd been using 'OBS' as my main recording software and kept reading about how light 'Shadowplay' was, so I figured, why not do some tests! I was honestly surprised with how well 'Shadowplay' records gameplay, while maintaining good performance while gaming.
Love the effort and how clearly the data is presented. Keep it up brotha
@@notme5226 Thanks! I appreciate that
Great video. I just installed Shadowplay for clipping gameplay. I may need to set it up to stream with also by the results of your video. Thanks
@@skootsmctootsgaming Thanks for watching, I appreciate your kind words!
To be fair, I haven't used Shadowplay for streaming, but the performance hit should be similar to recording. I mainly used OBS for streams so I could use overlays and stuff.
If you do get it set up for streaming, I'm interested in your experience with it.
Many thanks for this, been scanning a lot of threads and others vids over a long while...but you nicely condensed the bottom line I was aiming for.
Thanks! I did the same thing before I started using Shadowplay for recordings. For the longest time I'd read about problems with quality or it being buggy, but so far, so good!
was looking for a comparison of the performance Impact and found it - thanks for your work!! nice clean presentation as well
Thanks, I'm glad I could help!
I been on my last leg with OBS and it's performance issues. You just sold me. I'm subscribed. keep up the good work
Thanks for the compliment and the sub, I appreciate it!
Just keep in mind, that if you're streaming, OBS will be the better platform, overall. If you're just recording, however, Shadowplay offers a lot of value, and is built into the driver set.
Came here to learn, ended up actually being the most entertained this entire week, great video
Thanks, I'm glad you found it entertaining! I thought it was a bit info heavy, so I try to inject a little humor where I can.
My eyes are very sensitive to motion and notice that the OBS recordings have micro-stuttering (aka frame-delay) vs none on Shadowplay. Even though you are getting over 60fps, it doesn't feel like it's 60fps. It's very noticeable on OBS CQP settings, slightly noticeable with CBR.
I appreciate the enthusiasm for Shadowplay, as I personally prefer it for the work that I do over OBS. The judder/stutter that's visible in the video is from the video processing during production. This was produced on my previous Intel system, and the files were on a much slower drive than in my current system, so the information in the video files wouldn't always sync up quite properly, especially in high framerate video, even though recordings were only recording at 60fps. Making the F1 2019 videos was especially brutal on my old system.
@@hardlytech9072 the micro stuttering I could solved and is very easy you have to locked the frame rate in 30 or 60fps with RTSS or Rivatuner hehe and you'll have perfect frame pacing without micro stuttering with RTSS search the program obs studio and lock the frame rate and then tell me how did you go ^^
@@oxilon9872 No.. I feel like you didn't read my reply to Goshtic. The stutter present in the video IS NOT present in the gameplay.
The stutter present in the video is from the video processing during render.
You are correct in that you can set frame-rate limits using RTSS and in some cases smooth out frame pacing/stuttering in a number of games.
I have my entire live stream setup on OBS Studio. I can't mess up with my scenes, sources, bot, or any settings at all. So I would say that keeping both is far more good. When I have to record stuff, use Shadowplay and when I have to live stream, use OBS Studio.
There's a use case for each, I cover that in the video to an extent. Use what works best for you and your specific use! The video isn't made to shame people or try to tell people they NEED to use one over the other. It's a comparison in quality and efficiency.
@@hardlytech9072 Yeah, I can understand that. Shadowplay is very efficient but why not use every software for each tasks. It is just Shadowplay don't have the option for webcam, multiple sources, or anything else. Although it has separate tracks and few other settings are being given in beta too. Still, how can anyone beat OBS who had this since beginning
@@DeathStriker88 Again, use what works best for your use case. If you watched the video, then you've heard my conclusions. I've never argued that you shouldn't or can't use both. They each have their strengths.
@@hardlytech9072 i know that and i never said that you argued about something. tbh i haven't watched the full video. it's been 1+ year and i haven't got much audience retention. first let me monetize my channel then i will think about watching other's videos till end
@@DeathStriker88 That's like reading the headline of an article and creating an argument based on the headline alone. Good luck 👍
wonderfully presented video, and this lines up perfectly with their new app release for me. the new overlay is truly wonderful
I'm not sure how the recent software package changes will affect Shadowplay performance, but hopefully it will be just as smooth as before.
Really great comparison!
Thank you!
Thank you for watching! I'm glad the video was helpful.
Awesome video dude, so much detail, I've recently started using Shadow Play I've used OBS for years. This video helped alot man thanks a bunch, have a great day dude
Hey, thank you for watching, I'm glad I was able to help!
I've been considering doing a quality/performance comparison between Shadowplay and AMD's Radeon Software sometime in the not too distant future as well.
@@hardlytech9072 welcome dude saved me a bunch of time. The quality and ease of Shadow Play just for simple recording is so nice. Cool about the upcoming videos, sounds great keep up the good work.
@@ConsoleNation Definitely! Especially for the performance cost, it's hard to beat.
Perfect comparaison ! you deserve more views
Thanks, I appreciate the support! If you haven't already, consider subscribing :)
Thank you for giving a detailed comparison, keep up the great work !
I appreciate that, thanks for watching!
I've been considering taking a look at Shadowplay, this video makes it a no-brainer. Greatly appreciate the vid bro!
No problem! Glad you found it useful. There are other considerations to keep in mind, but if you're just recording gameplay, it's a great option.
tbh Shadowplay is years behind at this point... No AV1, still VBR instead of CQP (sometimes creating asychronized footage), audio still only 192kbps and its Replay Buffer records to the hard drive instead of the RAM, significantly reducing its lifespan over time.
And with the Aitum Vertical plugin, you can even record without any overlays. (Just type in the resolution manually and you can record things horizontally too. Only downside atm is the inconvenient Replay Buffer.)
I agree that Shadowplay is behind the overall capabilities and available options of OBS. I wish nVidia would put more effort into a full streaming suite using their nVenc encoders. However, if someone just wants to record footage, Shadowplay matches the quality of OBS with its VBR, and does so at less of a performance hit.
As far as reducing the lifespans of theoretical drives, it's really not a problem, considering the rated lifespans of modern SSD's being above 1 thousand TB's written in the majority of cases.
On the personal usage side of things, I've never recorded asynchronous footage using Shadowplay, not denying that it's happened for other people, just that it hasn't in my use. On the other hand, I've had these problems, and more, with OBS.
Also like the little dr2.0 cameo.
I personally use Nvidia shadowplay, setting it to 1080p, 60fps, 10 bit rate, it only consumes 750mb every 10 minutes and it looks really good still. You can even have 2 audio tracks. While OBS is laggy and sucks up the storage. OBS has a lot more settings but most of them I don’t need.
Yeah, that's similar to what I do. I always have trouble getting good performance with OBS. The quality was good though. It's definitely more robust, but if you're just recording, Shadowplay is really good.
obviously
How such a great video has only 448 views and 5 comments? +1 sub
Thanks, I appreciate the support!
Good video. Keep it up. Very informative.
Hey, thanks! I appreciate that :)
Interesting topic!
I may do more comparisons on recording software and other resolutions.
Good vid bro, crazy that ur only on 227 subs
I appreciate the kind words! It's been slow but steady, hard to complain :).
It's like a comparison of dlss and fsr where if you don't have nvidia GPU then your stuck with obs but if you got nvidia GPU then you can easily use shadowplay
I suppose that's one way of looking at it! FSR has come a long way, I think it's finally at a place where it's at least close to what nVidia is offering with DLSS.
Great Vid!
Thanks, I appreciate that!
ShadowPlay is excellent until you want to split up to 5 audio sources. You will then need to use OBS.
That's true, Shadowplay is mainly for recording, it's not setup to be an OBS replacement for streaming.
what a great vid! thanks
Hey, thanks! I appreciate that.
Very good video thank you.
Hey, thanks! I appreciate that.
I wish if Geforce ever add that much customisation that offers by OBS.
It would be nice if they had a fully featured software suite that integrates with Shadowplay, similar to OBS.
Thanks for the video. I primarily will keep using OBS as I prefer to record and use the mic settings that are easily accessible within that system. If I can figure out how to get that mic settings while using Shadowplay I'll switch over and play around with it.
So in the Shadowplay Pop Up menu, there is a toggle for Microphone Recording, and under the settings cog there is the option to turn on Microphone Recording and set the source and quality just like in OBS. The one downside to the implementation in Shadowplay compared to OBS, though, is that you don't have the option to enable filters like a Noise Gate or Compressor and Noise Suppressor etc.
If you have a good Mic that has these built in, in some way, then your audio should still be pretty good. I use the HyperX Quadcast, which has some filtering built in (not the best, but it's decent) so for me, personally, it's not a huge issue. But I definitely understand wanting/needing those features! They really help clean up audio.
@@hardlytech9072 Thanks for that info! I'm using a decent USB mic, but it doesn't have onboard options, but if it did I could see that working easily. Also, if I was using some other hardware it'd work too. I'll keep that in mind for tinkering around in the future when I eventually upgrade the mic.
@@imAgentR Glad I could help! If you end up using Shadowplay at some point, let me know what you think.
Hey man, quick question. What editing software do you use that makes the videos so crispy and sharp. or is it just the base game res?
For this video, I was using Cyberlink Powerdirector. Newer videos I'm editing with Adobe Premiere Pro.
But I also record my footage in 4K at the highest bitrate I'm able to with the software I'm using, whether it's Shadowplay/OBS/AMD Software depending on the hardware used in the video.
@@hardlytech9072 understood, thanks man.
You should do another comparison with outplayed I keep seeing that it lags alot less then shadowplay.
I may do this at some point, both programs have updated a number of times since this video was made. That said, in my usage, Shadowplay always performed better, but OBS does offer a lot more when it comes to streaming. It would definitely be interesting to see where both are at now.
Is the Shadowplay inside Geforce Experience? Is it possible to get just the Shadowplay only? WKWKWK
Yes, Shadowplay is part of GeForce Experience. As far as I know, there's no way to separate it from GFE. There may be a way, but I unfortunately don't know it.
Damn i sould've been using shadowplay, but i'm hypersensitive to bloated drivers.
I didn't use Shadowplay for the longest time because I didn't want to deal with 'GeForce Experience'. So far, it hasn't been an issue.
Excellent video, lots of good infos! Thanks for showing the file sizes too! 👍
5:26 & 7:35 How did you select 130mbps @1080p in Shadowplay? Is there a config/ini file somewhere to do it manual?
Because the maximum value I can select @1080/1440p is 50mbps?! (On 4k/8k I can select 130/150mbps too.)
I have a 12600k & 3070Ti.
edit: I've used Shadowplay for almost a year now, today tried OBS recording for the first time.... what a horrible terrifying experience. Microstutter every few seconds. 👀 Shadowplay ftw!!!
No, I didn't use any .ini tweaks or anything. I just opened up the Shadowplay overlay (alt + z) then in the 'Video Capture' settings I set my Quality to 'Custom', select '1080p' and '60fps', move the slider up to '130-Mbps' (the maximum I was able to select for 1080p).
It's possible that driver updates have changed the maximum bit-rates for certain resolutions. Or maybe certain GPU's have different limitations. If selecting 'Custom' quality doesn't work, it's possible setting the resolution to 'in game' might allow you to select the recording bitrate up to 150Mbps.
Hope this helps, let me know if any of this lets you get above 50-Mbps for recording.
@@hardlytech9072 Wow thank you man, instant fix! At least I thought so, until I checked...
I changed the resolution to "ingame" and could finally slide up all the way to 150mbps. (I was always on "Custom" quality, so that wasn't it.)
BUT when I check the video file, it says Bitrate is 48.412kbit/s, so it doesn't work for me... Did you check if your 1080p&1440p Shadowplay files were actually saved as 130.000kbit/s?
@@Yoshi92 Yep, I even re-checked about an hour ago, the raw files are ~120-140- Mbps in real-time playback. Did you make sure your settings saved? I'm not sure why it would allow you to set the bit-rate to 150-Mbps if it's just going to limit you to the 50-Mbps maximum for 1080p in your Shadowplay settings.. checking forums online, I see that other people have a similar problem, and some others can record @130-Mbps like myself. I would look around a bit to see if there's a fix or if there's a specific limitation somewhere.
@@Yoshi92 If you do find a solution, would you mind posting it here so if someone else is experiencing the same issue, they can (hopefully) find a fix?
@@hardlytech9072 Yes I'm play around with it and if I find a solution, I'm keep you updated here. ;)
Suggestion: Add graphs on your videos with the softwares used on your video
I've considered adding graphs, I need to learn how to do that. I appreciate the feedback!
How to reduce noise cancellation and add audio filters just like OBS? while recording on shadowplay? I am using Quadcast S mic and hyperx software don’t have many features other then lighting effects.
Unfortunately, nVidia doesn't have a software suite like OBS. Shadowplay is really good at what it does and super efficient, but it doesn't have filters and such. There are other programs that are able to do these things that are independent of OBS and Shadowplay, however. For my own recordings, I don't use any filters and record my footage mainly with Shadowplay.
@@hardlytech9072 shadow play is good but sometimes it stop recording and shows freeze webcam screen only while playing game.
Any idea why it stop recording?
I have following setup:
Rtx 4080, i7 13700k, 64gb ram, m.2 2tb 980pro.
@@netfreak6993 Hmm.. do you have any time limits set for recording in Shadowplay?
@@hardlytech9072 i did not find any settings related to time limits. Do we have them?
yea but i like the preformance with shadow play but how do i record my console stuff with shadow play ??? is it pc exclusive this is why i use obs i do both pc and console walkthroughs
So, what I've done a couple of times, is use my capture card as the 'passthrough' but don't use the capture card software or OBS to do the recording.
Bring up Shadowplay with "Alt+Z" or whatever your shortcut is, then enable "Desktop Recording". You should then be able to record anything displayed on screen, including any audio passed through to your PC.
Just be sure you don't use the same keyboard shortcuts for OBS/Capture Software as you do with Shadowplay.
Would getting a capture card or what ever solve this or do i have to have a double pc setup to fix the micro stuttering and delay I'm getting on obs?
If you're recording from your PC's gameplay, a capture card wouldn't help unless you were running a dual PC setup.
If you're just recording, both Shadowplay and AMD's adrenaline software are both very good. Both in quality and performance. If you're streaming though, OBS is probably still the best option.
What settings are you using for your capture in OBS?
Hey. Great video! I have a problem with OBS that on recording it seems like the video itself is low FPS even though when I record it the FPS in the game is high 110+. But when I try to watch the recording it has like frame drops or something. I don't understand how it might have frame drops with 3080 ti and ryzen 7 5800x. Do you have any idea how to fix this? Thank you.
If you don't mind telling me what settings you're using, I may be able to help, or at the very least, point you to some good videos that helped me when I had trouble with OBS initially.
Depending on the settings used, even the best GPU's and CPU's will have trouble encoding.
I know this video is a little old, but I just want to know if you had any audio desyncs when editing your shadowplay footage? I keep reading that in editing softwares that the audio desyncs. Thank you.
As far as audio de-sync, I've experienced temporary de-sync that clears up when I pause playback and let the feed buffer. It only happens when the GPU I'm using ends up trying to process more video feeds than it's capable of handling. It happens regardless of which recording software I use (Shadowplay, Adrenaline, OBS). It's more a consequence of the GPU just not being powerful enough for whatever I'm trying to scrub/edit in real-time.
@@hardlytech9072 Awesome! Thank you for your response.
@@VentwosWingblade No problem!
Full obs settings pls? Why is mine 7minutes 4gb+? I use also cqp 21. Post full obs settings pls
Things haven't changed. OBS - quality. Shadowplay - performance.
thanks for the video must had a lot of work to do.
Thanks for watching, I appreciate it! It did take a bit of work, but I think this stuff is interesting.
What game were you playing at the start of the video? I forgor xd
The first game? It was Days Gone.
how about recording competitive gaming that needs 120hz up? i tried recording with 60 fps and it stutters. and performance impacts are so heavy if I try to record at 120fps. and also do you have any tutorial about vsync - framerate cap - stuttering recorded video related issue? im so confuse right now because everytime I record the videos always stutter
It sounds like it may be a hardware related issue. What are your system specs? Are you recording at high bitrate and framerate? Because that would increase the demand on your CPU/GPU.
@@hardlytech9072 im using rtx3080 10gb, i7 12700kf, 750watt gold PSU, 64gb of ram
@@hardlytech9072 im using CQP 18 with medium quality
I'm not sure why these comments didn't post, but I'll try to help. IIRC, cqp 18 is more CPU intensive than something like cqp 24. It does record more cleanly, though. Even though you're recording at Medium quality, I think CQP 18 may be too much. I would try reducing CQP a bit, and see if your recordings smooth out. Are you using the nVenc encoder?
yes im using NVENC HEVC encoder. Im using 1080p monitor with DSR 4.00x to get 4k res. after I tweak nvidia control panel in scaling section, i combine integer scaling + aspect ratio (i have no idea what im doing) and end up with different kind of 4k resolution and all the stutters disappears, i got very beautiful image on monitor, and while recording with obs i have almost zero impact in horizon zero dawn game. here is the video ruclips.net/video/zNLgE9wzJDI/видео.html, i dont have 4k monitor. i only can check from youtube apps on my iphone 13 pro but for my eyes thats the best quality of video i ever made since last few weeks. wdyt?@@hardlytech9072
is this just my eyes or feeling
OBS more smooth than Shadowplay?
Someone else in the comments asked a similar question but about Shadowplay.
The raw video files in these clips are smooth during playback. The stutter in the video is due to processing/rendering.
Which one do you think is better for better image quality?
If you're after straight up image quality, you're not worried about file size, and your PC can handle the extra load, OBS's CQP will give better image quality overall.
Comparing OBS and Shadowplay at the same controlled bitrate, personally, I think Shadowplay looks better.
Is that you boogie?
No idea who boogie is, lol. Hope you enjoyed the vid tho!
@@hardlytech9072 😂😂
Anyone else here after Medal added that damn watermark to your clips
What?
@@hardlytech9072 I used to use a clipping software called Medal to record my gameplay, but they recently attached a forced watermark to every clip you take so I was wondering how many other people are looking for recording software alternatives since Medal's decision has greatly shaken its userbase
@@idontlikekmart5582 Ohh, ok. I've never used it before, so I didn't know what you meant. Is it good quality/performance (minus the watermark)?
@@hardlytech9072 As opposed to other clipping software I'd say its maybe a tad less stable, I've used it for over a year and occasionally my recording settings would reset or a clip would randomly become corrupted and lost (but I assume this occasionally happens with all), but once you get your settings and everything lined up its a very solid software, its main draw is the ease of use. But I personally can't recommend it now due to the watermark requiring a subscription to remove, if someone isn't looking to make videos and just wishes to save some gaming moments its pretty solid, discarding the watermark I'd give it a solid 7.5/10
@@idontlikekmart5582 I've only had files corrupted on a system crash, so far. Hopefully that doesn't change. OBS can take a bit to setup, but it's pretty robust. If you're just recording or making clips, Shadowplay and AMD's alternative are pretty good, especially with the small performance hit. Some people have trouble with one recording software or another, some don't, but that's how it is with all things.
shadow play has fucked me over so many times. sometimes it won’t clip, sometimes the audio is just not there even though input and output are good, sometimes the audio is there but the video is scrambled. use obs, it’s way more reliable. shadow play is good but holy fuck
I'm sorry you're having those problems. I've never had any issues with Shadowplay, yet I've had every problem you've listed and more, using OBS. I recommend staying away from OBS.
All that said, use whatever works best for you and your system.
Or capture card 4k 60fps
No, can't use a capture card when recording from the PC you're gaming on. Besides, recording at 4K/60 isn't the same as rendering at 4K/60.