Every new streamer eventually hits the same wall: their stream drops frames, viewers complain about buffering, and no amount of tweaking OBS fixes it. The problem is almost always the same. The upload speed cannot sustain the target bitrate.
The math is simple once you know the formula. Your maximum stable stream bitrate should be about 75% of your upload speed. So a 10 Mbps upload plan supports about 7,500 Kbps of stream. That is enough for 1080p 60 fps at 6,000 Kbps with a healthy safety margin. A 5 Mbps upload plan supports about 3,750 Kbps — enough for 720p 30 fps and no more.
Different platforms have different caps. Twitch limits non-partner streamers to 6,000 Kbps. YouTube supports much higher bitrates, up to 40,000 Kbps for 4K 60 fps. If you plan to stream in 4K on YouTube, you need serious upload — 50 Mbps at minimum, ideally more. For a platform-by-platform breakdown of upload requirements, this Restream guide to a good upload speed for live streaming is a great starting reference.
