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OBS has no officially stated universal RAM minimum for a 24/7 YouTube stream. The OBS system requirements page gives no RAM figure, and OBS says a computer’s streaming capability depends on factors including encoder, resolution, frame rate, and scene complexity. A stream’s duration alone does not establish how much memory it needs. Test your own setup before buying RAM.
Why there is no single RAM answer
OBS’s System Requirements page does not specify a minimum RAM capacity for streaming. It warns: “Having a compatible system does not guarantee that it is capable of streaming or recording using OBS Studio.” It also says: “The CPU requirements vary considerably depending on the chosen encoder, resolution, FPS and your scene complexity.” The page was published August 25, 2021.
That means neither a compatibility list nor a generic RAM recommendation can guarantee that your particular stream will run reliably. The official documentation reviewed does not give a 24-hour memory benchmark or establish that running longer, by itself, requires additional RAM.
What affects OBS performance besides RAM?
Encoder, resolution, and frame rate
Encoding a higher-resolution or higher-frame-rate stream can increase system demands. OBS’s Hardware Encoding guide generally recommends hardware encoders for performance because they move encoding work from the CPU to a specialized component of the GPU. This is a way to distribute encoding work, not a RAM recommendation. Older hardware may produce lower quality, so compare the available encoder options on your actual system. The guide was published January 11, 2022.
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Scenes and GPU rendering
OBS has to compose the sources in each scene. Its Encoding Performance Troubleshooting guide explains that the compositor needs GPU time and resources, and that simpler scenes and scene collections can reduce resource needs. If OBS is struggling, memory is only one possible constraint; GPU rendering or encoding can also be the problem. The troubleshooting guide was published June 12, 2021.
Upload bandwidth and stream health
A computer with sufficient memory can still have an unstable stream if its connection cannot sustain the stream bitrate. YouTube recommends leaving 20% upload-bandwidth headroom beyond the total bitrate and testing outbound capacity. It also recommends previewing the stream and monitoring stream health. These are network and operational requirements, separate from RAM.
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YouTube’s encoder guidance gives different bitrate recommendations by resolution, frame rate, and codec. For example, for H.264 it recommends 5 Mbps at 1080p30 and 6 Mbps minimum, 17 Mbps recommended, at 1080p60. For AV1/H.265 it recommends 10 Mbps at 1080p30 and 4 Mbps minimum, 12 Mbps recommended, at 1080p60. These are ingestion bitrate figures, not memory requirements; see YouTube’s encoder settings. The YouTube Help page does not state a publication year.
How to tell whether your computer needs more RAM
- Set up the actual stream you intend to run. Use the resolution, frame rate, encoder, sources, and scenes you expect to keep live. OBS’s Tools menu includes the Auto Configuration Wizard, which can help identify settings suited to your hardware.
- Test representative content. YouTube recommends testing with sound and movement similar to what you will stream, previewing before going live, and checking stream health. A static screen alone may not represent a scene with video, animation, or multiple sources.
- Observe the whole system during the test. Check whether memory is actually becoming a constraint, while also watching for GPU rendering or encoder problems and network instability. OBS’s troubleshooting guidance can help diagnose performance bottlenecks; do not assume every dropped frame or interruption calls for a RAM upgrade.
- Run a representative long-duration test and plan monitoring and recovery. The official material reviewed does not provide a validated 24-hour test duration or benchmark. A longer test can reveal issues specific to your own system, but it does not turn a particular RAM capacity into an official requirement.
- Upgrade only if the system shows memory pressure. Before buying a desktop RAM upgrade kit, verify the motherboard’s supported RAM type and generation, maximum capacity, and available slots. A RAM upgrade will not fix an encoder, GPU, or upload-bandwidth bottleneck.
Or let it run in the cloud
If you do not want a home PC to run OBS continuously, StreamNeo is a cloud service for keeping a YouTube channel live from uploaded videos. Upload a recording or make a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. The cloud keeps the stream running without leaving your computer or home connection on.
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