What Are My Stream Settings? Free Stream Settings Calculator
What can your setup actually run?
Pick your gear, your game and where you want to go live. You get the exact settings your PC can hold, and an honest answer if it can't do it all.
Don't lose these
Email me my settings. Get your exact setup, plus a heads up when a game update, new graphics driver or platform change means your settings should change.
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Settings are step one
Now turn every stream into growth. Clean settings make your stream look right. They don't grow your channel. The Streamer Blueprint is the system around the stream: turning every broadcast into clips, Shorts and uploads, building beyond one platform, and a 90-day tracker that keeps you consistent.
Get the Streamer Blueprint → Starts at $15.
Help make this better
Did these settings work? Try them on a test stream, then tell me. Every answer makes the next person's settings more accurate.
How this works
Most "best settings" guides give everybody the same numbers. That's why so many streams stutter. A 3060 running Fortnite at 1080p and a 2080 Ti running Apex at 1440p are completely different jobs, even though both cards can "do 1080p60."
This tool checks four things for your exact setup:
- Your encoder. How many streams your graphics card (or processor) can encode at once, based on NVIDIA, AMD and Intel's own performance data.
- Your graphics card while gaming. The game you play, at the resolution you play it, eats into the room OBS needs to draw your stream. This is where rendering lag comes from.
- Your processor. CPU-heavy games like Tarkov, Rust and Battlefield leave less room for extra outputs.
- Your upload. Every platform you stream to directly costs upload. A free relay sends one stream and copies it everywhere.
It covers 140 graphics cards from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel plus integrated graphics, 207 processors, 24 of the most-streamed games, and OBS, Meld and Streamlabs, for YouTube, Twitch, Kick, TikTok, Facebook and X, including vertical streams, recording and clips.
Bitrates come from the standard bits-per-pixel method, so every resolution gets a realistic number for how much motion your game has, capped at each platform's limit. YouTube gets priority. If your setup can't do everything, it tells you straight and gives you the best version you can actually run.
It's a guideline, not a guarantee. Your PC runs more than the parts you pick here: background apps, browser tabs, overlays, drivers and your in-game settings all share the same hardware. Always run a test stream.
Quick answers
What bitrate should I stream at?
On Twitch, 6,000 kbps for a regular 1080p60 stream. With Enhanced Broadcasting turned on, Twitch now takes up to 7,500 at 1080p and 9,000 at 1440p (Affiliates and Partners). On YouTube, 6,500 to 9,000 at 1080p60 depending on how fast your game moves. 1440p60 looks clean around 11,000 to 16,000 in H.264, or about 40% less with AV1. Never use more than about 75% of your upload speed.
Is 720p bad for streaming?
No. Most viewers are on a phone. A stable 720p stream beats a choppy 1080p stream every time.
Can I stream to YouTube and Twitch at the same time?
Yes. OBS needs the free Aitum Multistream plugin, Meld does it built in, and Streamlabs needs a paid plan. If your upload is the problem, a free relay like Meld Multi sends one stream and copies it to every platform.
NVENC or x264?
On an RTX card, use NVENC. It matches x264 medium quality without touching your processor. x264 only makes sense on a big CPU or a graphics card with no encoder.
Why does my stream lag even though my encoder isn't maxed?
Usually your graphics card is at 100% from the game, so OBS can't draw frames in time. Cap your in-game fps and drop a setting or two.
What are the best OBS settings for streaming?
There isn't one set. The right settings depend on your graphics card, processor, game, upload speed and where you stream, which is why this tool exists. As a starting point on a modern NVIDIA card: NVENC H.264, CBR, 2 second keyframes, preset P5, 1080p60 at 6,000 to 8,000 kbps.
What upload speed do I need to stream?
Keep your total bitrate under about 75% of your upload speed. A 1080p60 stream to one platform needs roughly 10 to 12 Mbps of upload. Streaming to two platforms directly doubles that, unless you send one stream to a free relay like Meld Multi.
Can my PC handle streaming and gaming at the same time?
Most PCs from the last few years can, as long as the encoding runs on your graphics card's built-in encoder (NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCN or Intel Quick Sync). The bigger limit is usually the game using all of your graphics card. Pick your parts above to see exactly what yours can hold.
Should I stream in 1440p or 4K?
YouTube takes 1440p and 4K. Twitch takes 1440p for Affiliates and Partners through Enhanced Broadcasting. 4K needs a big upload and a strong encoder, and most viewers watch on phones. If your setup can hold it, 1440p60 is the sweet spot for YouTube.
Can I stream vertical and horizontal at the same time?
Yes. OBS does it with the free Aitum Vertical plugin, Meld with Multi Canvas, and Streamlabs with Dual Output. Twitch Dual Format sends a vertical stream alongside your normal Twitch stream. Verticals add work for your PC, so this tool lowers them first when something has to give.
Why is my stream laggy with a 4K webcam?
A 4K webcam running at 4K sends four times the pixels of 1080p, and your PC has to process every frame even if you stream in 1080p. Open the camera's properties in OBS and set it to 1920x1080 at 30fps. Same camera, a fraction of the load.
Settings are maybe 5% of growing a stream.
The other 95% is your schedule, your titles, your clips and showing up. That's what the Streamer Blueprint covers.
Picking a platform? Read Where to Stream in 2027. Thinking about a mixer? Read Best Mixer for Streaming: Do You Even Need One?