Realistic System Requirements

[RavenStreamer]

Hi folks. Not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but here goes. Could we please get an updated and clarified list of system requirements for OBS? The System Requirements page on obsproject.com hasn't been updated since 2021 and tells the average user next to nothing (Win 10/11 and a DirectX 10.1 compatible GPU). The page does note that there are a lot of variables at play when configuring OBS, and that "Having a compatible system does not guarantee that it is capable of streaming or recording using OBS Studio." but that's a bit of a cop-out on a page supposedly designed to inform users.

The confusion is evident on the OBS subreddit forum - there have been multiple posts in the last day or two by people wondering how to configure their 14 year old, 2nd Gen i5, 4Gb RAM and integrated graphics laptop for OBS v31. OBS isn't lightweight software, and there is a fairly easily identifiable line in the sand across which your hardware is not going to work as expected.

How about identifying minimum specs clearly in terms the average OBS user can easily understand - CPU, GPU and RAM? (For example, 8th Gen i7 CPU or better, 16Gb RAM, GTX 1650 or better GPU).

 

[AaronD]

OBS isn't lightweight software...

OBS itself actually is. It's the amount of data that you run through it, that determines the "weight". High-spec video takes a LOT, but OBS itself doesn't.

...and there is a fairly easily identifiable line in the sand across which your hardware is not going to work as expected.

Not really. Again, it's about what you want to do with it.

I tried OBS on a Raspberry Pi 4. It did just fine with 1920x1080p60 live video...until I tried to record it. Encoding takes a lot, and as soon as it tried to do that, it had a massive faceplant! The Linux sub-forum here has a thread for the Pi 5, with reports that it does in fact work, but I haven't tried it myself.

I've also had OBS on an old, basic laptop (basic even when it was new), watching a bread machine with an NTSC camera (640x480) to see when it would fail. (it didn't) I got it down to 10fps before it would record smoothly, which was fine for what I was doing, but you probably wouldn't want to stream a game at 640x480 and 10fps!

So like another one of us loves to say: it depends.

...there have been multiple posts in the last day or two by people wondering how to configure their 14 year old, 2nd Gen i5, 4Gb RAM and integrated graphics laptop for OBS v31.
...
How about identifying minimum specs clearly in terms the average OBS user can easily understand - CPU, GPU and RAM? (For example, 8th Gen i7 CPU or better, 16Gb RAM, GTX 1650 or better GPU).

What do you want to do? We'll start from there.

Again, OBS itself is light enough to run on almost anything. It's the work you make it do, that requires a certain amount of beef, and that work is different for each person.

 

[RavenStreamer]

You're being rather pedantic. Publishing minimum system requirements that allow the software to open but not perform in any realistic way is like selling a car with no engine or a house without a roof. If I were a new OBS user and my pc met the skimpy system requirements posted on this site, I would, quite rightly, expect the program to run on that system at a bare minimum of 720/30. And there clearly IS a bottom to the OBS barrel. If not, why have the log analyzer return an Insufficient Hardware warning on underpowered pcs?

Anyway, my purpose in posting was not to get into a semantic pissing match but rather to urge a little more clarity from the folks behind OBS on real-world system requirements to run OBS effectively. Yes, there are a lot of variables at play, No two use cases are identical, but I'm seeing a lot of frustrated new OBS users trying to record and stream on systems that simply cannot do the job. If they cannot find guidance on this site, where are they supposed to go to find the information?

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Said another way, there are masters of Operating System and OBS Studio optimizations that can get 1080p30 streaming working fine on really (10+yr) old hardware. And depending on requirements, a brand new US$10K workstation can be brought to its knees. so, like most things IT... 'it depends'
And not everyone is using OBS Studio for gaming... and even in the gaming realm, there is a huge variance in hardware resource requirements depending on user specifics. And don't get me started on some of the really poorly written (but popular amongst gamers) 3rd party plugins

the problem is your request is not actually defined. 'realistic requirements' is not a single value (or even close to one)... it depends.
And even then, one set of settings will work fine... and adjust one setting and that can have a huge performance impact... or running something problematic at OS layer in background.. the list is endless. And most users don't actually understand their Operating System to begin with (much less being expert in both config and real-time monitoring). This, unfortunately, means that a huge impactful performance variable is something many users can't even provide meaningful details about.

I get the request... BUT... there isn't a 'real' answer. Basically, if anyone tried to provide a detailed specific answer, I'd consider that person to one one to NEVER listen to again. There are NO easy answers... other than for folks who don't want to be bothered to learn how to optimize Operating System configs (turn off eye candy and other performance hindering defaults), applications, etc - for them the only answer is to buy newest, latest, most powerful, and stick with auto-config, no plugins ... and it will probably work.
seriously... to get anything more specific requires details. The lower-end the hardware, the more time one needs to spend optimizing the setup

 

[RavenStreamer]

Said another way, there are masters of Operating System and OBS Studio optimizations that can get 1080p30 streaming working fine on really (10+yr) old hardware. And depending on requirements, a brand new US$10K workstation can be brought to its knees. so, like most things IT... 'it depends'
And not everyone is using OBS Studio for gaming... and even in the gaming realm, there is a huge variance in hardware resource requirements depending on user specifics. And don't get me started on some of the really poorly written (but popular amongst gamers) 3rd party plugins

the problem is your request is not actually defined. 'realistic requirements' is not a single value (or even close to one)... it depends.
And even then, one set of settings will work fine... and adjust one setting and that can have a huge performance impact... or running something problematic at OS layer in background.. the list is endless. And most users don't actually understand their Operating System to begin with (much less being expert in both config and real-time monitoring). This, unfortunately, means that a huge impactful performance variable is something many users can't even provide meaningful details about.

I get the request... BUT... there isn't a 'real' answer. Basically, if anyone tried to provide a detailed specific answer, I'd consider that person to one one to NEVER listen to again. There are NO easy answers... other than for folks who don't want to be bothered to learn how to optimize Operating System configs (turn off eye candy and other performance hindering defaults), applications, etc - for them the only answer is to buy newest, latest, most powerful, and stick with auto-config, no plugins ... and it will probably work.
seriously... to get anything more specific requires details. The lower-end the hardware, the more time one needs to spend optimizing the setup

Oh I get it. Your average computer user these days can't troubleshoot anything. They know how to USE a computer but they don't understand HOW it works or, by extension, how to fix it when something inevitably goes south. Add in a severe deficit in reading comprehension and an unwillingness or inability to learn, and here we are, surrounded by a glut of "best settings" videos that don't work for anyone but the poster.

I've been using OBS to stream live sports for 6 or 7 years. We started with a 6th Gen i5 consumer grade laptop with 8gb RAM and integrated graphics. Just using a capture card for a single video camera maxed out that system at 720/30. I wouldn't wish that laptop on anyone starting streaming today, but it apparently meets the posted system requirements, which is a head scratcher for me.

 

[rockbottom]

Hi folks. Not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but here goes. Could we please get an updated and clarified list of system requirements for OBS? The System Requirements page on obsproject.com hasn't been updated since 2021 and tells the average user next to nothing (Win 10/11 and a DirectX 10.1 compatible GPU). The page does note that there are a lot of variables at play when configuring OBS, and that "Having a compatible system does not guarantee that it is capable of streaming or recording using OBS Studio." but that's a bit of a cop-out on a page supposedly designed to inform users.

The confusion is evident on the OBS subreddit forum - there have been multiple posts in the last day or two by people wondering how to configure their 14 year old, 2nd Gen i5, 4Gb RAM and integrated graphics laptop for OBS v31. OBS isn't lightweight software, and there is a fairly easily identifiable line in the sand across which your hardware is not going to work as expected.

How about identifying minimum specs clearly in terms the average OBS user can easily understand - CPU, GPU and RAM? (For example, 8th Gen i7 CPU or better, 16Gb RAM, GTX 1650 or better GPU).

2nd paragraph. You don't. The line in the sand was v27.2.4. Gen 6 & older are no longer supported as of v28.

 

[RavenStreamer]

2nd paragraph. You don't. The line in the sand was v27.2.4. Gen 6 & older are no longer supported as of v28.

Thank you for making my point for me. Why isn't that info on the system requirements page? I can assure you that 99% of users are not scouring the release notes to see if their CPU is supported or not.

 

[AaronD]

Oh I get it. Your average computer user these days can't troubleshoot anything. They know how to USE a computer but they don't understand HOW it works or, by extension, how to fix it when something inevitably goes south. Add in a severe deficit in reading comprehension and an unwillingness or inability to learn, and here we are, surrounded by a glut of "best settings" videos that don't work for anyone but the poster.

Media production is inherently technical. You *could* find and use something that only does one specific thing and "just works" for just that and nothing else, or you could use something that does what your unique application needs, and learn to think technically to make it do that. There's really not much else.

If I were a new OBS user and my pc met the skimpy system requirements posted on this site, I would, quite rightly, expect the program to run on that system at a bare minimum of 720/30.

Why? Where does 1280x720p30 come from?

• What about those who insist on 3840x2160p240 with lots of effects while playing a processing intensive game on the same machine?
• What about those who only want to transfer their (640x480i) VHS and Hi-8 tapes full of memories to something that doesn't degrade (nearly as fast)?

Neither of those extremes know beans about beans. Are you going to require them both to have the same machine because the specs page says so?

---

The problem here isn't so much accurate information, because that information can't exist. Too much variance, and dependence on the specific application.

Rather, the (solvable) problem is education. Maybe there needs to be a page about *that*, but no absolute specs.

 

[rockbottom]

Thank you for making my point for me. Why isn't that info on the system requirements page? I can assure you that 99% of users are not scouring the release notes to see if their CPU is supported or not.

Agreed but a 14 year old PC should not be considered viable. Gen 6 is even a stretch, mine was relegated to e-mail duties 3 years ago. Anyway tell them to rollback & make sure the latest driver is installed. Drivers can be found on the Intel CPU support page.

 

[RavenStreamer]

Media production is inherently technical. You *could* find and use something that only does one specific thing and "just works" for just that and nothing else, or you could use something that does what your unique application needs, and learn to think technically to make it do that. There's really not much else.


Why? Where does 1280x720p30 come from?

• What about those who insist on 3840x2160p240 with lots of effects while playing a processing intensive game on the same machine?
• What about those who only want to transfer their (640x480i) VHS and Hi-8 tapes full of memories to something that doesn't degrade (nearly as fast)?

Neither of those extremes know beans about beans. Are you going to require them both to have the same machine because the specs page says so?

You seem intent on picking a fight here, Aaron. I would expect a minimum viable output of 720/30 because that is the lowest common streaming resolution.

Your 4k vs 480i argument is idiotic, and I think you know it. OBS's posted "system requirements" are so basic as to be meaningless. As they stand, no one could actually run a stream or record anything based solely on a system running "Win 10/11 and a DirectX 10.1 compatible GPU".

It's not that hard to imagine that people might expect the software to work on a system that meets the posted minimum specs.

 

[RavenStreamer]

Agreed but a 14 year old PC should not be considered viable. Gen 6 is even a stretch, mine was relegated to e-mail duties 3 years ago. Anyway tell them to rollback & make sure the latest driver is installed.

You are preaching to the choir, man. I just wonder why the relevant information isn't easier to find on OBS's official website. Anyway, thanks for the reply.

 

[AaronD]

You seem intent on picking a fight here, Aaron. I would expect a minimum viable output of 720/30 because that is the lowest common streaming resolution.

No, I'm just looking at the entire userbase. Not just one small part of it.

Your 4k vs 480i argument is idiotic, and I think you know it.

That *is* the common range. Unless OBS officially narrows its scope, which I really doubt is going to happen, you have to include *all* of that. Thus, no absolute numbers.

OBS's posted "system requirements" are so basic as to be meaningless. As they stand, no one could actually run a stream or record anything based solely on a system running "Win 10/11 and a DirectX 10.1 compatible GPU".

Like I said, that's what it takes (directly or emulated) to have OBS run *at all*. Actual content is on top of that, and not included.

It's not that hard to imagine that people might expect the software to work on a system that meets the posted minimum specs.

It does work. Again, actual content is on top of that, and not included. Maybe the official specs page could be clearer about that.

 

[bcoyle]

Wow, heated but an interesting thread. There are so many different configurations that it is hard to say what is the min. You really have to narrow down your wanted performance. It might be a good suggestion to start a new thread where people discuss their experiences.

So, for example: What is the most typical hardware configuration that works with::

win 7, obs 27.2.4 (last win 7 ) version.
win 10,11 obs 30+

So what do you want to do:

1. Configuration 1 : 1080p, 4500mbs, 30fps, recorded material only, steaming
2. Configuration 2: 1080p, 4500mbs, 30fps, game/win capture,y, steaming etc, monitor connection to youtube
etc

You need to specify your application.

Then you ask peoples experience.

Most of these questions are really about low performance OLD computers.

My experience with a HP pavillian Latop running win 10:

1. C drive updated to fast SSD
2 Memory upgraded to 16g.

cpu speed 1.6 ghz (really slow)
4 cores
no gpu

Target video size 1080p, 4500 mb

I could stream, but record at 24fps - cpu almost maxed out

I had to have all other apps, not running , including chome.

I could not run a normal stream and watch the youtube streaming monitor at the same time.

I haven't tried 720 yet.

So my experience was not good.

Also the laptop did thermo/utilization profiling and as the utilization got towards 100%, the clockrate went from 2.8g to 1.6

definitely not for gaming.

Now I have a dell precision laptop, 1080 screen, running at 2.8 g and it "works" fine for what I want to do

A simple test is to use Task Manger and see what % cpu cycles OBS is using, if >40%, you are in trouble.

ok, gotta go

Good luck, don't go cheap


Bill

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

real-time video encoding is REALLY computationally demanding... which can be helped with encoding offload to GPUs [some better than others]

So I get the question... but how does one answer it, in a way that is useful and accurate, kept up-to-date, and can vary based on unrelated OS, driver, and 3rd-party application updates? And how do you clarify that some CPUs include a GPU that might help, to a certain point for select encoding use cases only ... and how to figure that out? etc

Approaching this from another perspective, what might be useful is clarity on the spec's page on
- minimum specs to run OBS studio, with optimized (not default) Operating System setup with minimal to no background apps or process [that is a starting point]
- then maybe some performance metrics for

- Disk I/O requirements for recording at certain bitrates (easy I know to translate, but average user probably wouldn't know how to do that or what to look for)​

- OBS Studio RAM for various typical resolutions/frame rates​

etc​

​

with clarity that the above​

- is with ONLY base OBS Studio settings, and NO plugins/filters/effect active​

- ie, maybe add a caution over certain CPU intensive effects (chromakeying, etc)​

- is in ADDITION to any existing hardware resource utilization, yes user will have to investigate/determine on their own, and usually varies over time]​

and then one must leave buffer room in each spec area for the unexpected, which there will almost always be​

For Windows, and with typical use case being streaming, that means Internet connectivity and required security measures (so no unsupported/patched OSes)... so for Windows that means basically ~2018 or newer CPUs for Win11 as of Oct of this year [ugh... I do NOT like every-other PoS Windows OS release for last almost 30 yrs and Win11 like ME, Vista, 8 ].

but once you have the above, have you really helped typical new user? probably not... as typical new user hasn't read the manual and just wants a simple answer to a multi-variant equation [and in a typical case with undefined variables]

Oh, and then there is the typical user scenario of starting simpler to get it working, then wanting to polish the look and sound, which increases hardware resource requirements, and to manage effectively requires real-time monitoring... ie, base hardware requirements no longer sufficient? and user may run into a brick wall, so to speak, because they are effectively driving blind-folded (no real-time monitoring)... so do you recommend/list a conservative/over-spec?

In reality, a user will either
- try to make do with what they have; OR,
- have fixed requirements and can ask for that specific use case; OR
- should go get whatever their budget allows, and make due with that
- and in rare cases, with actually define a bunch of the variables, and can ask about that specific setup... in my 5 years here, I've not seen this... as it takes experience to know what one wants (typically) in terms of a Compositing config, so this is something one gets to /does for a 2nd rig