Performance & Hardware Recommendations
While you're live, your computer is usually running three programs at once: TikTok LIVE Studio (streaming/compositing), the overlay (the visual effects inside your Browser Source), and the console. Running all three together has real hardware requirements. Here are our recommended specs, plus what to do if you're seeing stutter or dropped frames.
Recommended specs
The numbers below are guidelines. Actual smoothness also depends on how many overlay sources you have open at once, the encoder settings you use in TikTok LIVE Studio, and whatever else is running on your machine.
| Item | Minimum | Recommended | Heavy (many sources / long sessions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10/11 (64-bit), macOS 11 or later | Same as Minimum | Same as Minimum |
| CPU | 4 cores (Intel 8th-gen i5 / AMD Ryzen 3 or better) | 6 cores (Intel i5-12400 / AMD Ryzen 5 5600 class) | 8 cores |
| RAM | 8GB | 16GB | 16–32GB |
| GPU | Integrated graphics with hardware acceleration is fine | Integrated graphics or discrete GPU with hardware encoding support (Intel QuickSync / NVIDIA NVENC / AMD VCE) | Discrete GPU (GTX 1650 / RTX 3050 class or better) |
| Upload bandwidth | 5 Mbps | 10 Mbps or more | 20 Mbps or more |
| Overlay sources open at once | 1–2 separate game sources | 3–5, or use the "All (Overview)" single source instead | Use the "All (Overview)" single source instead |
These are recommended values meant as a general reference. Your actual performance still depends on the requirements of your streaming software (TikTok LIVE Studio / OBS) itself.
If your computer is struggling or the picture stutters
The overlay has a built-in automatic lite mode. When it detects that the picture is under strain, it automatically turns off decorative effects like particles and glow, switches the 3D dice to a flat version, and reduces animations to a lower frame rate to keep things smooth — then automatically restores full effects once your machine recovers. This happens by default and needs no setup on your part. If you'd rather choose manually, the console's settings page also has an Auto / Force Lite / Force Full switch.
Beyond that, you can also:
- Use the "All (Overview)" overlay link instead of stacking individual sources. Adding many separate game/widget Browser Sources costs more than a single overview source — combine them when you can.
- Size your Browser Source to the recommended dimensions. Follow the sizes in Overlay Sizes & Layout rather than scaling it up beyond what's suggested; an oversized canvas slows down rendering.
- Turn on hardware encoding in TikTok LIVE Studio. Choose a hardware encoder such as NVENC (NVIDIA) or QuickSync (Intel) in the encoder settings instead of pure CPU encoding — this significantly reduces CPU load.
- Install the console and it will automatically detect your computer and apply suitable effect settings — you usually won't need to adjust anything by hand.
Network tips
- Upload bandwidth matters far more than download bandwidth. Streaming is about sending video out, so it's your upload speed that counts — a fast download connection doesn't make your stream smoother.
- Wired is better than Wi-Fi. Use an Ethernet cable when you can; an unstable Wi-Fi signal is a common cause of dropped frames and audio/video sync issues.
Last updated · Written and maintained by Novus