Hey!
HAGS (Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling) changes how the GPU handles scheduling and memory transfers. It moves part of the work from the CPU to the GPU, which can reduce latency and improve performance — especially in DX12 and Unreal Engine titles.
However…
Intel Arc GPUs are very dependent on HAGS being enabled.
The driver stack for Arc cards was designed around it. Turning HAGS off forces the GPU to fall back on legacy scheduling, which often breaks or destabilizes DX12 games and Unreal titles (hence your crashes and poor FPS).
OBS with HAGS on can introduce stuttering or frame pacing issues when using hardware encoders (like AV1 or HEVC), especially if you’re using multiple capture sources or browser-based overlays.
So you’re stuck between:
HAGS ON: Games run great, but streaming struggles.
Root Cause (in your setup)
In your case, the problem is a driver + encoder scheduling conflict between:
Intel’s Arc driver (which requires HAGS for stable DX12 behavior)
Windows’ GPU scheduling system
OBS’s hardware encoder pipeline
Basically, OBS and the game are “fighting” over GPU scheduling priority when HAGS is off — and when it’s on, the Arc driver handles it better for games, but the encoder timing gets messy.
🧩 Fixes and Workarounds
Try these in order — they’ve helped a lot of Arc streamers:
1. Keep HAGS ON
You really shouldn’t turn it off on Arc cards anymore. The performance and stability hit isn’t worth it. Instead, tweak OBS:
These settings balance quality and latency while keeping GPU overhead manageable.
2. Run OBS on the iGPU or CPU (if possible)
You can reduce the Arc card’s workload by:
Forcing OBS to run on a different GPU (use Windows Graphics Settings → choose OBS → set GPU preference to Power Saving)
Or use software encoding (x264) if your CPU can handle it (your Ryzen 7 5800XT definitely can).
Use the preset “veryfast” and 6000 kbps bitrate — it’s fine for 1080p60 Twitch streaming.
3. Update Intel Drivers (critical)
Use the Intel Arc Control → Driver → Beta driver (not WHQL).
The beta drivers often include encoding pipeline and OBS stability fixes.
4. Disable Game Capture Hooks for DX12 Titles
OBS sometimes conflicts with DX12 render hooks. Try:
In OBS → Right-click game source → Properties → Enable “Capture specific window”
Check “Use anti-cheat compatibility hook”
If it still crashes, switch to Display Capture temporarily to test stability.
5. Double-check PSU load
A 500W Bronze PSU might be borderline for a 5800XT + Arc B580 combo under streaming load.
Arc GPUs are spiky with transient power draws — even if your system looks fine, unstable voltage delivery can cause crashes when OBS and the game both spike VRAM and power use simultaneously.
If you notice:
Then your PSU could be dipping under load. Ideally, go for 650W+ Gold-rated PSU to eliminate that variable.
