Performance Optimization

Segra is designed to have minimal performance impact on your games, but optimal settings depend on your hardware. This guide will help you get the best recording quality while maintaining smooth gameplay.

Understanding Performance Impact

Well-configured Segra typically causes 1-5% FPS reduction in games when using hardware encoding.

Performance Factors

The main factors affecting performance are:

Encoder Type (CPU vs GPU) - Biggest impact
Recording Resolution - Moderate impact
Frame Rate - Moderate impact
Bitrate and Rate Control - Minor impact
Audio Sources - Minimal impact

Choosing the Right Encoder

Your encoder choice is the most important performance decision.

NVENC (NVIDIA)
AMF (AMD)
QSV (Intel)
x264 (CPU)

Best for: NVIDIA RTX/GTX usersPros:

Dedicated hardware encoder (no game performance impact)
Excellent quality at high bitrates
Support for H.264 and HEVC
Very low CPU usage

Cons:

Requires NVIDIA GPU (GTX 600+)
Consumer GPUs limited to 3 concurrent sessions
Slightly larger file sizes than x264 at same quality

Recommended Settings:

Rate Control: VBR (Variable Bitrate)
Preset: Quality
Min Bitrate: 70 Mbps (1080p) / 100 Mbps (1440p)
Max Bitrate: 100 Mbps (1080p) / 150 Mbps (1440p)

Avoid x264 encoder if:

You have a hardware encoder available (NVENC/AMF/QSV)
Your game is CPU-intensive (strategy games, simulations)
Your CPU has fewer than 6 cores

Resolution and Frame Rate

Recording Resolution

Recording resolution is independent of your game resolution. You can play at 4K and record at 1080p.

Segra automatically scales your game capture to the configured recording resolution:

Resolution	Best For	Relative Performance Impact
1080p	Most users, streaming	Baseline
1440p	High-end systems, content creation	+30% encoding load
4K	Professional creators, future-proofing	+100% encoding load

Recommendations:

1080p: Ideal for most users, good quality, small file sizes
1440p: Sweet spot for modern gaming monitors
4K: Only if you have powerful hardware and storage

Frame Rate

Segra supports 30 FPS and 60 FPS recording:

60 FPS Recording

Pros:

Smooth gameplay footage
Better for fast-paced games
Modern standard

Cons:

2x encoding load vs 30 FPS
Larger file sizes

30 FPS Recording

Pros:

50% less encoding load
Smaller file sizes
Still acceptable quality

Cons:

Choppy for fast motion
Not ideal for competitive games

Recommendation: Use 60 FPS with hardware encoding. Only drop to 30 FPS if experiencing performance issues.

Bitrate and Quality Settings

Understanding Rate Control

Segra supports multiple rate control methods:

VBR (Recommended)
CBR
CRF
CQP

Variable Bitrate - Quality adapts to scene complexityHow it works:

Simple scenes use lower bitrate
Complex/fast scenes use higher bitrate
Specified as min and max range

Best for:

Hardware encoders (NVENC/AMF/QSV)
Most efficient quality/size ratio
Recording varied content

Recommended Values (1080p60):

Min Bitrate: 70 Mbps
Max Bitrate: 100 Mbps

Constant Bitrate - Fixed bitrate throughoutHow it works:

Always uses target bitrate
Predictable file sizes
May waste bits in simple scenes

Best for:

Streaming workflows
Predictable file sizes
Network recording

Recommended Values (1080p60):

Bitrate: 80 Mbps

Constant Rate Factor - Fixed quality levelHow it works:

Maintains visual quality target
Bitrate varies significantly
Used by x264 software encoder

Best for:

x264 (CPU) encoding only
Archival quality recordings

Recommended Values:

CRF: 18-23 (lower = better)

Constant Quantization Parameter - Hardware CRF equivalentHow it works:

Fixed quality per frame
Similar to CRF for hardware encoders
Lower values = better quality

Best for:

Hardware encoders preferring quality over size
High-end systems

Recommended Values:

CQP Level: 18-23

Bitrate Recommendations by Resolution

Higher bitrate = better quality but larger files. These values balance quality and file size.

Resolution	VBR Min	VBR Max	CBR
1080p @ 30fps	40 Mbps	60 Mbps	50 Mbps
1080p @ 60fps	70 Mbps	100 Mbps	80 Mbps
1440p @ 30fps	60 Mbps	90 Mbps	75 Mbps
1440p @ 60fps	100 Mbps	150 Mbps	120 Mbps
4K @ 30fps	100 Mbps	150 Mbps	125 Mbps
4K @ 60fps	150 Mbps	250 Mbps	200 Mbps

Audio Optimization

Audio Source Configuration

More audio sources = minimal performance impact, but larger file sizes and more complex mixing.

Best Practices:

Use only needed sources: Don’t add unused microphones/devices
Force Mono for microphones: Reduces file size with no quality loss (Settings → Audio → Force Mono)
Disable unused tracks: Don’t enable separate audio tracks unless you need them for editing

Audio Output Modes

Choose the right mode for your workflow:

All Audio (Default)

Records all desktop audio sources.Performance: Minimal impactBest for: Simple recording, no editing needed

Game Only

Records only game audio (mutes desktop audio when hooked).Performance: Same as All AudioBest for: Isolating game sounds, removing desktop notificationsNote: Requires game capture to hook successfully

Game + Discord

Records game and Discord voice chat on separate tracks.Performance: Slightly higher (additional audio source)Best for: Team games, collaborative contentNote: Creates separate track for Discord audio in recordings

Separate Audio Tracks

Enabling separate audio tracks increases file size by ~5-10% per additional track.

When to use:

Advanced video editing workflows
Need independent volume control in post-production
Recording podcasts or collaborative content

When to skip:

Simple clipping and sharing
Storage space is limited
Don’t edit recordings

Display Capture Method

Segra supports two display capture methods with different performance characteristics:

WGC (Recommended)
DXGI

Windows Graphics CapturePerformance: Best (uses modern Windows API)Requirements: Windows 10 1903+ or Windows 11Pros:

Lower CPU usage
Better compatibility with multi-monitor
Captures through window composition
Supports variable refresh rate

Cons:

May not work on older Windows 10
Some games have issues with WGC

Recommendation: Try WGC first. If you experience issues, switch to DXGI.

Replay Buffer Optimization

Memory Management

Replay buffer keeps recent footage in memory before writing to disk:

Formula: Memory Usage ≈ Duration × Bitrate ÷ 8Example: 30s @ 80 Mbps = ~300 MB RAM

Settings to adjust:

Buffer Duration (Settings → Recording → Replay Buffer Duration)
- Default: 30 seconds
- Longer = more memory usage
- Recommendation: 30-60 seconds
Max File Size (Settings → Recording → Replay Buffer Max Size)
- Default: 1000 MB (1 GB)
- Prevents buffer from growing too large
- Increase if you have RAM to spare

Hybrid Mode Considerations

Hybrid mode runs session recording AND replay buffer simultaneously, doubling the encoding load.

Performance impact of Hybrid mode:

2x encoder usage
2x write operations to disk
Higher memory usage

Recommendations:

Only use with hardware encoders (NVENC/AMF/QSV)
Ensure SSD for content folder (reduces disk bottleneck)
Monitor system performance during recording

System-Specific Optimizations

High-End Systems (RTX 3080+, Ryzen 7+)

Recommended Settings:

Encoder: NVENC/AMF
Resolution: 1440p or 4K
Frame Rate: 60 FPS
Rate Control: VBR (100-150 Mbps)
Recording Mode: Hybrid
Audio Tracks: Separate tracks enabled

Mid-Range Systems (RTX 3060, Ryzen 5)

Recommended Settings:

Encoder: NVENC/AMF/QSV
Resolution: 1080p
Frame Rate: 60 FPS
Rate Control: VBR (70-100 Mbps)
Recording Mode: Hybrid or Session
Audio Tracks: Single track

Budget Systems (GTX 1660, Intel i5)

Recommended Settings:

Encoder: NVENC/QSV (avoid x264)
Resolution: 1080p
Frame Rate: 60 FPS (or 30 FPS if struggling)
Rate Control: VBR (50-70 Mbps)
Recording Mode: Buffer only
Audio Tracks: Single track

Laptops

Laptops may throttle during extended recording sessions due to thermal limits.

Laptop-Specific Tips:

Use laptop cooling pad
Set power plan to “High Performance” when recording
Lower bitrate to reduce heat generation
Ensure dedicated GPU is being used (not integrated graphics)
Record to external SSD if possible (reduces internal drive heat)

Storage Performance

Drive Types

Drive Type	Write Speed	Recommended Use
NVMe SSD	2000+ MB/s	Best for all resolutions/framerates
SATA SSD	500 MB/s	Good for 1080p/1440p
HDD (7200 RPM)	150 MB/s	Only for 1080p @ lower bitrates
HDD (5400 RPM)	100 MB/s	Not recommended
External USB 3.0	Variable	Acceptable for SSD, avoid HDD

Quick Math: At 100 Mbps bitrate, you need 12.5 MB/s sustained write speed. Most SSDs can handle this easily.

Content Folder Location

Optimal content folder locations:

Best: Dedicated NVMe SSD (separate from OS drive)
Good: Secondary SATA SSD
Acceptable: Same SSD as OS (may impact system responsiveness)
Avoid: Mechanical HDD (may cause dropped frames)

Monitoring Performance

During Recording

Check Task Manager

Monitor CPU, GPU, RAM, and Disk usage:

Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)
Performance tab
Watch for maxed-out resources

In-Game FPS Counter

Use game’s built-in FPS counter or tools like:

NVIDIA GeForce Experience overlay
MSI Afterburner
Steam FPS counter

Check Segra Logs

Look for warnings about:

Encoding lag
Dropped frames
Disk write errors

Location: %AppData%/Segra/logs/

Signs of Performance Issues

Watch for these symptoms:

Stuttering gameplay
Dropped frames in recording
Audio desync
Disk usage at 100%
CPU/GPU maxed out

If you see these issues, reduce recording settings incrementally:

Lower bitrate by 20%
Reduce resolution one step (4K → 1440p → 1080p)
Drop frame rate to 30 FPS
Disable separate audio tracks
Switch recording mode (Hybrid → Session or Buffer)

Advanced Tips

Process Priority

Segra automatically sets itself to High priority during recording to ensure smooth encoding.

This is handled automatically in OBSService.cs:928:

GeneralUtils.SetProcessPriority(ProcessPriorityClass.High);

Multi-GPU Systems

If you have multiple GPUs (e.g., laptop with iGPU + dGPU):

Ensure Segra runs on dedicated GPU:
- Windows Settings → System → Display → Graphics
- Add Segra.exe → High Performance
Use matching encoder:
- NVIDIA dGPU → NVENC
- Intel iGPU → QSV (only if game isn’t GPU-intensive)

4:3 Aspect Ratio Games

Segra automatically detects and stretches 4:3 content to 16:9 (configurable in Settings).

This adds minimal performance overhead and prevents black bars in recordings.

Benchmarking Your Settings

Set Baseline

Measure game FPS without recording (5-minute session)

Test Recording

Record 5 minutes with your desired settingsMeasure average FPS during recording

Calculate Impact

FPS Impact % = ((Baseline - Recording) / Baseline) × 100Target: < 5% impact

Adjust Settings

If impact > 5%, reduce settings incrementallyRetest until acceptable

OBS Integration

Understand how Segra uses OBS

Troubleshooting

Fix common performance issues

Hardware Requirements

Check system requirements

Contributing

Improve Segra’s performance

Get Started

Core Features

Configuration

Advanced

Documentation Index

​Understanding Performance Impact

​Performance Factors

​Choosing the Right Encoder

​Resolution and Frame Rate

​Recording Resolution

​Frame Rate

60 FPS Recording

30 FPS Recording

​Bitrate and Quality Settings

​Understanding Rate Control

​Bitrate Recommendations by Resolution

​Audio Optimization

​Audio Source Configuration

​Audio Output Modes

​Separate Audio Tracks

​Display Capture Method

​Replay Buffer Optimization

​Memory Management

​Hybrid Mode Considerations

​System-Specific Optimizations

​High-End Systems (RTX 3080+, Ryzen 7+)

​Mid-Range Systems (RTX 3060, Ryzen 5)

​Budget Systems (GTX 1660, Intel i5)

​Laptops

​Storage Performance

​Drive Types

​Content Folder Location

​Monitoring Performance

​During Recording

​Signs of Performance Issues

​Advanced Tips

​Process Priority

​Multi-GPU Systems

​4:3 Aspect Ratio Games

​Benchmarking Your Settings

​Related Resources

OBS Integration

Troubleshooting

Hardware Requirements

Contributing

Understanding Performance Impact

Performance Factors

Choosing the Right Encoder

Resolution and Frame Rate

Recording Resolution

Frame Rate

Bitrate and Quality Settings

Understanding Rate Control

Bitrate Recommendations by Resolution

Audio Optimization

Audio Source Configuration

Audio Output Modes

Separate Audio Tracks

Display Capture Method

Replay Buffer Optimization

Memory Management

Hybrid Mode Considerations

System-Specific Optimizations

High-End Systems (RTX 3080+, Ryzen 7+)

Mid-Range Systems (RTX 3060, Ryzen 5)

Budget Systems (GTX 1660, Intel i5)

Laptops

Storage Performance

Drive Types

Content Folder Location

Monitoring Performance

During Recording

Signs of Performance Issues

Advanced Tips

Process Priority

Multi-GPU Systems

4:3 Aspect Ratio Games

Benchmarking Your Settings

Related Resources