OBS Freezing When Streaming MSFS 2024 – Need Help Diagnosing Issue

[Empire24453]

Hey everyone,

 

I’ve been struggling with an issue where OBS freezes when streaming MSFS 2024, and I’m running out of ideas on what’s causing it. I’ve done a lot of testing and tweaking but haven’t found a solution yet. I’m hoping someone here might have insights or suggestions. Below is a detailed breakdown of my PC specs, what I’ve tried so far, and the results I’m getting.

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My PC Specs:

• CPU: Intel i7-10700K
• GPU: RTX 3090 (Latest drivers installed)
• RAM: 64GB DDR4
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix Z490-E
• Monitor: Asus ROG Swift PG279QE (G-Sync, 165Hz)
• Streaming Software: OBS 31.0.2 (Latest version)
• Game: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
• OS: Windows 11 (23H2)

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Summary of the Problem:

• OBS freezes randomly while streaming MSFS 2024 (usually within 10-15 minutes).
• No crash logs from OBS, but Event Viewer shows an AppHangTransient error.
• Bitrate drops to 0 right before the freeze, and OBS becomes unresponsive (white screen, not clickable).
• MSFS 2024 runs fine before OBS starts freezing.
• MSFS 2020 does NOT cause OBS to freeze, but FPS is lower, and CPU bottlenecks are more noticeable.
• GPU usage spikes in MSFS 2024 compared to MSFS 2020, even when settings are lowered.

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OBS Encoding Settings:

• Encoder: NVENC (New)
• Bitrate: 6000 Kbps
• Keyframe Interval: 2
• Preset: P5: Slow (Good Quality)
• B-Frames: 2
• Lookahead: Disabled
• Psycho Visual Tuning: Enabled
• GPU: 0
• Max Quality Mode: Enabled

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Tests & Changes I Have Tried So Far

GPU Usage & Encoding Analysis

• Checked Task Manager while streaming:
  • With HAGS ON: GPU shows 50% usage, CPU at 49%, 3D inactive.
  • With HAGS OFF: GPU shows 61% usage (Graphics_1), CPU at 55%.
• OBS uses 40-50% of GPU when streaming.
• Video Encoding utilization is high (~45%) in both MSFS 2020 & 2024.
• MSFS 2024 runs smooth but eats more GPU.
• MSFS 2020 runs laggy (24-35 FPS), but OBS doesn’t freeze.

Testing Different Aircraft & FPS Locks

• A350 (Heavy Aircraft, MSFS 2024 & 2020):
  • MSFS 2024: GPU ~54%, CPU ~52%, feels smooth but OBS freezes after 10 mins.
  • MSFS 2020: GPU ~20%, CPU ~23%, feels laggy, low FPS but OBS stable.
• C172 (Light Aircraft, MSFS 2020):
  • GPU ~51%, CPU ~30%, FPS locked at 36, much smoother experience, no OBS freeze.
  • GPU drops to 43% after locking FPS to 36.
• Haven’t tested a light aircraft in MSFS 2024 yet (will do soon).

NVIDIA Control Panel Tweaks

• Power Management Mode: Prefer Maximum Performance
• Low Latency Mode: OFF for OBS (left it ON for global/games)
• G-Sync enabled (for fullscreen & windowed mode)
• Tried disabling “Optimizations for Windowed Games” → No change.
• Turned off Variable Refresh Rate → No change.

Checking for Driver/OS Issues

• No NVENC errors in Event Viewer.
• No “Display driver nvlddmkm stopped responding” errors.
• Reinstalled GPU drivers using DDU (tried both latest & older versions).
• OBS was reinstalled completely, settings reset → No difference.

Alternative Encoding Tests (To Rule Out NVENC Overload)

• Tested recording instead of streaming (CQP 15-20 instead of CBR 6000 bitrate).
  • OBS did NOT freeze, suggesting NVENC isn’t completely broken.
  • However, streaming still causes freezes.
• Tried switching NVENC Preset from P5 (Slow) to P4 (Quality).
  • Slight improvement but still freezes after ~10 mins.
• Did NOT try switching to x264 CPU encoding yet (not ideal for MSFS).

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Final Thoughts & What I Need Help With

I’ve done a lot of troubleshooting, but I still can’t stream MSFS 2024 without OBS freezing after 10-15 minutes.

Since OBS is stable in MSFS 2020 (even with low FPS), I’m wondering if:

• MSFS 2024 is overloading NVENC/GPU more than MSFS 2020, causing a stall?
• Something in OBS’s NVENC settings is conflicting with MSFS 2024?
• OBS’s bitrate drop to 0 means network issues, or is it just a GPU/encoding issue?
• Should I try locking MSFS 2024 to 36 FPS like I did in 2020?

I’d love to hear if anyone else is having a similar issue, or if anyone has ideas I haven’t thought of yet.

Thanks in advance!

[Rahal]

I also have the same issue with MSFS 2024. But with the same settings I can stream MSFS 2020 without any issue.