<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nYou know how to record gameplay on PC, and you already understand what affects your recording quality. Now let’s look at some tips to optimize your settings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Close everything except your game and recording software.<\/strong> Discord, Chrome, Spotify, shut them down. All those apps use CPU power that your game needs. Honestly, doing this can give you 5-15 more FPS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use GPU Rendering<\/strong> \u2014 Whenever possible, use GPU encoding instead of CPU. In OBS, go to Settings > Output > Recording and choose your GPU’s encoder (NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCE, or Intel QSV). If you’re using NVIDIA ShadowPlay, it’s already set up this way by default.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Lower motion blur and particle effects in your game settings.<\/strong> These look cool but tank performance during recording. Dial back motion blur to zero, reduce shadow quality one notch, and cap particles at medium\u2014your viewers won’t notice, and you’ll gain 10-20 FPS easily.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Turn down motion blur<\/strong> \u2014 They look great, but they can hurt your recording performance. Turn off motion blur, lower shadow quality a bit, and set particles to medium. Your viewers won’t notice, and you’ll get 10-20 FPS more easily.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use an external SSD for recording<\/strong> \u2014 Your C drive is busy with Windows and your game. And now recording? That causes stuttering. You’d better get a $50-60 external SSD, plug it in, and tell OBS to save there. Your main drive stays free, and recordings write faster.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Enable Game Mode<\/strong> \u2014 It kills background processes and boosts gaming performance with just one toggle that works. Pair this with turning off notifications. This way, Windows won’t interrupt your gameplay with pop-ups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Record at 60fps, not higher<\/strong> \u2014 Unless you’re capturing competitive esports, 60fps is the max for YouTube and most streaming. It means that if you record a video at 120fps, which is a higher frame rate<\/a> than usual, you will need more storage space and processing power.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Disable Game Bar background recording when using OBS<\/strong> \u2014 Windows secretly records gameplay, even with OBS active. You can turn this off in Settings > Gaming > Captures. Just switch “Record in the background” to off.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Turn off in-game overlays<\/strong> \u2014 Overlays like Steam’s FPS counter, Discord’s “Now Playing,” and GeForce Experience’s instant replay indicator add rendering layers that impact GPU performance. Disabling them can boost FPS by 5-10 and prevent accidental pop-ups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use replay buffer<\/strong> \u2014 To save storage space, use OBS’s Replay Buffer. In Settings > Output, enable it and set it to save the last 30-60 seconds. After a cool moment, hit your hotkey to save just that clip.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Set Windows power plan to “High Performance” mode<\/strong> \u2014 Open Control Panel > Power Options. Select High Performance. This mode keeps your CPU at full speed, to make sure optimal recording frame rates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Best Way to Record Gameplay on PC: A Wrap Up<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n