The long-standing debate for content creators has been NVENC vs. x264. For years, the simple advice was that x264 (software encoding) offered superior stream quality, while NVENC (hardware encoding) provided speed at the cost of quality. As of 2025, this information is wrong. Modern NVIDIA NVENC (Turing-generation and newer) has changed the equation completely.

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This guide uses VMAF analysis, performance benchmarks, and in-game FPS impact data to show why NVENC is now the clear choice for single-PC streaming, both for performance and objective quality. We also cover optimal OBS settings and the future of encoding with AV1 and HEVC.

NVENC vs. x264 Comparison – Faceofit.com

NVENC vs. x264: A Technical Analysis of Modern Video Encoding

A data-driven look at the popular encoder debate for content creation.

Last Updated: October 2025

The debate over NVENC and x264 is old. The common idea was that NVENC offered speed while x264 offered quality. This premise is now obsolete. Technology has advanced. The belief that x264 provides better quality is a myth, yet it is still repeated online.

Performance metrics and VMAF (Video Multimethod Assessment Fusion) analysis show a clear result. Modern NVENC, found in NVIDIA’s Turing-generation GPUs and newer, is not a compromise. For real-time streaming on a single PC, it provides better performance and objective quality. This article explains why, using performance data and technical analysis.

1. Foundational Mechanics: ASIC vs. Software

x264: The Software Library

x264 is a software library. It encodes video using your computer’s main CPU. This means it competes for resources with other programs, like your game. When you stream a game, x264 and the game both need CPU time. This competition can cause in-game performance loss and stream stutters.

Core Model: Resource Competition

Game <–> CPU <–> x264

NVENC: The Hardware ASIC

NVENC (NVIDIA Encoder) is a physical chip on your NVIDIA GPU. This chip, an ASIC, is designed only for video encoding. It runs separately from your main CPU and your GPU’s main processing cores (CUDA cores). It does not compete with your game for resources. This isolation prevents performance loss.

Core Model: Resource Isolation

Game (CPU) + NVENC (ASIC)

Data Pathway: The “Zero-Copy” Advantage

x264 Data Path (Slow)

GPU VRAM

(Game Frame)

↓

System RAM

(PCIe Copy)

↓

CPU

(x264 Encode)

This path creates high latency and system overhead.

NVENC Data Path (Zero-Copy)

GPU VRAM

(Game Frame)

↓

NVENC ASIC

(On-GPU Encode)

The frame never leaves the GPU. This is fast and efficient.

How Encoders “See”: Lookahead and B-Frames

Both encoders try to predict motion. They use two key features:

Lookahead: The encoder buffers a few future frames (e.g., 5 frames) to see “what’s coming next.” If it sees an explosion, it can prepare to allocate more bits to that frame *before* it arrives. This prevents a sudden quality drop.
B-Frames (Bi-directional frames): These are special frames that reference data from *both* past and future frames. This is extremely efficient for saving data. For example, if a character is moving left, a B-frame in the middle can “borrow” pixels from the start point and the end point. NVENC’s newer chips are much better at using B-frames, which is a major reason for their quality increase.

The x264 ‘medium’ preset uses a large lookahead and many B-frames. This is what makes it “high quality” but also “slow.” Modern NVENC hardware can now do this in real-time.

2. The Performance Equation

The cost of encoding is not just average FPS. It is also about gameplay smoothness. Average FPS is a poor metric for “smoothness.” The more important metric is frame pacing, or frame time consistency.

Frame Pacing vs. Average FPS

A smooth 60 FPS stream delivers one frame every 16.67ms. A stuttery stream might average 60 FPS, but the frame delivery is inconsistent. This is felt as a micro-stutter. x264 can cause these stutters on a single PC because the CPU must manage both the game and the encode. NVENC avoids this by using its separate hardware, keeping frame times stable.

In-Game FPS Impact (Single-PC)

This chart shows the performance loss *inside the game* while streaming a demanding title at 1080p 60fps. The “cost” of x264 is not just CPU usage; it is a direct loss of in-game frames. This makes the game feel less responsive.

Baseline (No Stream): 140 FPS. Data is representative of a modern 8-core CPU.

3. The Generational Leap: VMAF Data

The idea that x264 has better quality comes from a decade ago. Older NVENC (on Pascal GPUs, GTX 10-Series) was poor. The 2018 Turing architecture (RTX 20-Series) was a complete overhaul. This “New NVENC” produced quality equal to or better than the x264 ‘medium’ preset.

Objective Data: VMAF Score Showdown

VMAF is a metric from Netflix to measure perceived video quality. Recent benchmarks show how encoders compare. The data below is for a 1080p, 60fps, 8 Mbps stream. Higher scores are better.

Data sourced from Tom’s Hardware 2024 analysis. Scores are approximate.

4. The Quality Debate: Objective vs. Perceived

The VMAF data shows NVENC wins, but some users still perceive x264 as “crisper.” This contradiction is the modern debate. Some users notice that facecams and overlays look “crisper” on x264, while NVENC can show “blockiness” on static elements during fast motion.

The “Crispy Overlay” Paradox

This paradox has a likely technical explanation. NVENC uses “Psycho Visual Tuning.” This feature moves bits to where the human eye will notice them most: high-motion areas (the gameplay). It may “steal” bits from low-motion, static parts of the image, like an overlay or facecam border. x264 distributes its bits more evenly.

x264 Bit Allocation

Bits are distributed more evenly.

Gameplay

Overlay

Facecam

Result: Static overlays may look “crisp,” but motion quality is lower. Overall VMAF score is lower.

NVENC (Psycho Visual Tuning)

Bits are focused on high-motion areas.

Gameplay

Overlay

Facecam

Result: Motion (gameplay) looks better. Static overlays may look “blocky.” Overall VMAF score is higher.

5. Practical Application: OBS Configuration

Incorrect settings can pollute test results. Many user complaints about “NVENC stutter” come from configuration errors, not the encoder itself.

x264 CPU Presets

x264 presets trade CPU time for quality. This trade has diminishing returns. Presets ‘slower’ than ‘medium’ give tiny quality gains for a huge performance cost. ‘Fast’ or ‘Faster’ are common for single-PC streaming.

Preset	Relative CPU Cost	Recommended Use
Veryfast	1.0x	Single-PC (Standard)
Faster	~1.2x	Single-PC (High-CPU)
Fast	~1.5x	Single-PC (Beefy CPU)
Medium	~2.0x	Dual-PC Streaming
Slow	~2.7x	Dual-PC / Offline Render

The “Max Quality” Trap (NVENC)

In OBS, users see ‘Quality’ and ‘Max Quality’ presets. ‘Max Quality’ sounds best, but it enables 2-pass encoding. This feature uses your GPU’s CUDA cores. This breaks the “resource isolation” of NVENC. It re-introduces a resource conflict with your game.

This user error can cause the same “rendering lag” that NVENC is supposed to prevent. The user then blames NVENC, not the setting.

For Live Streaming (Single PC)
DON’T USE	Preset: ‘Max Quality’ (or Multipass: ‘Two Passes’)
DO USE	Preset: ‘Quality’ (or Multipass: ‘Single Pass’) Tuning: ‘High Quality’

Common Myths & Troubleshooting

Symptom / Myth	Common Cause & Solution
Myth: “x264 looks better on Twitch.”	This was true in 2016. It is no longer true with modern NVENC (RTX 20-Series+). This myth persists from the old “Pascal” (GTX 10-Series) encoders.
Symptom: “My stream is lagging/stuttering with NVENC.”	Check: Are you using the “Max Quality” preset? Solution: Change it to “Quality.” “Max Quality” uses CUDA cores, which conflicts with your game and causes rendering lag.
Symptom: “My game lags when I stream with x264.”	This is expected. Your CPU is overloaded. Solution: Use a faster preset (e.g., ‘veryfast’), lower your in-game settings, or switch to NVENC.
Symptom: “My stream is blocky/pixelated.”	This is almost always a bitrate problem, not an encoder problem. Solution: Ensure you have a high, stable upload speed. Set your bitrate to 6,000-8,000 kbps (for Twitch) and use a wired (Ethernet) connection.

6. Strategic Recommendations by Use Case

Choose your encoder based on your specific setup and goals. Select your use case below to see the recommended configuration.

Use Case: Single-PC Streamer

Recommended Encoder: NVIDIA NVENC (H.264) (on RTX 20-Series or newer).
Rationale: This is the logical choice. It gives near-zero impact on game performance and avoids the frame stutters x264 can cause. Its objective quality is better than x264 ‘medium’ settings.
OBS Settings:
- Rate Control: CBR (6000-8000 kbps for Twitch)
- Preset: P5/P6 (Quality)
- Tuning: High Quality
- Multipass: Single Pass

7. The New Encoders: HEVC & AV1

The entire H.264 debate is about a 20-year-old standard. Its relevance is fading. The future of encoding is hardware-accelerated.

HEVC (H.265): Supported by NVENC on RTX 20/30-Series GPUs. More efficient than H.264.
AV1: The new, royalty-free standard. Hardware encoding is a main feature of RTX 40-Series GPUs.

AV1 Bitrate Efficiency

AV1 provides a 40% bitrate saving over H.264 at the same quality. A 6 Mbps AV1 stream can look like a 10 Mbps H.264 stream. These new codecs are so complex that real-time software encoding (the x264 model) is not feasible. The only way to use them for streaming is with a dedicated hardware encoder like NVENC. The trend is clear: real-time software encoding is being replaced by real-time hardware encoding.

Bitrate for Same Quality (Approx.)

H.264

10,000 kbps

HEVC (H.265)

~7,000 kbps

AV1

~6,000 kbps

Quick Comparison: AMD, Intel & Apple

NVENC and x264 are not the only options. AMD (AMF) and Intel (Quick Sync Video) also provide hardware encoders. Apple’s M-series chips have a “Media Engine.”

Encoder	Type	Relative H.264 Quality (2025)
NVIDIA NVENC (Turing+)	Hardware (ASIC)	Excellent (Best-in-class)
Intel QSV (Arc GPU)	Hardware (ASIC)	Excellent (Comparable to NVENC)
Apple Media Engine (M2+)	Hardware (ASIC)	Very Good (ProRes optimized)
x264 (Software)	Software (CPU)	Good (High performance cost)
Intel QSV (Integrated)	Hardware (ASIC)	Good (Viable, but lower)
AMD AMF/VCE (RDNA 2/3)	Hardware (ASIC)	Fair (Noticeably lower quality)

Note: This ranking is for H.264. For AV1 encoding, Intel Arc and NVIDIA RTX 40-Series are both top-tier, far surpassing all other options.

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which is better for streaming, NVENC or x264?

For a single-PC setup, NVENC (on an NVIDIA RTX 20-Series or newer card) is superior. It provides better objective quality than x264’s ‘medium’ preset with almost no impact on your game’s performance. For a dual-PC setup, x264 remains a powerful choice, as you can run it on the ‘medium’ or ‘slow’ preset using the dedicated streaming PC’s CPU.

Does x264 still have better quality than NVENC?

No. This is a persistent myth from the era of older GPUs (like the GTX 10-Series). Objective VMAF testing (see Section 3) shows that modern NVENC produces a cleaner, higher-quality image than x264 ‘medium’ at the same bitrate. x264 ‘slow’ can be better, but it is not feasible for real-time single-PC streaming.

Why does my NVENC stream lag or stutter in OBS?

The most common cause is using the wrong setting. If you set the OBS “Preset” to “Max Quality,” it enables 2-pass encoding, which uses your main GPU (CUDA) cores. This conflicts with your game and causes “rendering lag.” For streaming, you should always use the Preset: “Quality” and Multipass: “Single Pass”.

What is the best encoder for local recording for YouTube?

Neither. For high-quality recording, you should not use the H.264 codec (which both NVENC H.264 and x264 use). Instead, use a modern, more efficient codec.
• If you have an RTX 40-Series GPU: Use NVENC AV1.
• If you have an RTX 20/30-Series GPU: Use NVENC HEVC (H.265).
Both will give you much better quality at a smaller file size. Use the “CQP” rate control setting in OBS for best results.

9. The Final Verdict: Hardware Encoding Is the Standard

The x264 versus NVENC debate is over for most people. The discussion itself has become a relic of a time when hardware encoding was a compromise. Today, it is not.

The data is clear. Modern NVENC (Turing and newer) delivers a higher-quality image (measured by VMAF) than the x264 ‘medium’ preset. It does this while imposing almost zero performance cost on your game, preventing the stutters and input lag associated with CPU encoding.

While x264 remains a powerful tool for dedicated encoding machines, its use case on a single-PC has vanished. The industry’s push toward complex codecs like AV1, which are too heavy for real-time CPU encoding, confirms the new standard. The future of streaming is fully hardware-accelerated. For any gamer, creator, or streamer on a single PC, NVENC is the logical and superior choice.

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