Read them together
| Metric | What it answers | What it doesn't prove on its own |
|---|---|---|
| bitrate | how much data goes out per second | perceived quality or future stability |
| FPS | how many frames reach the output | whether the game is running at the same FPS |
| dropped frames | part of the flow couldn't keep up | the cause, without separating network, render and encoder |
| CPU | overall processing pressure | which process is to blame |
| GPU | overall graphics card pressure | whether rendering or an encoder session ran short |
A quick diagnosis
- Note the minute of the symptom.
- See whether the drop hit every destination.
- Open View → Stats in OBS.
- Compare network, rendering and encoding over the same window.
- Change one thing and repeat the same scene.
High CPU with a smooth stream isn't an error. GPU below 100% doesn't guarantee headroom to render a scene on time either. What matters is the change that comes with the symptom.
If it's still confusing
| Symptom | Confirm | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| bitrate drops on all of them | network dropped frames | test upload and cable |
| FPS drops with render skipped | game or scene uses the GPU | cap FPS and simplify sources |
| output skipped goes up | encoder fell behind | lower FPS, resolution or transcodes |
| only one destination reconnects | state of the other platforms | review that ingest |
Export the report or the diagnostic, never credentials or raw logs.