---
title: 'The BEST Virtual Desktop CODEC for YOU?'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=NMaZW3kTg-U'
video_id: 'NMaZW3kTg-U'
date: 2026-07-28
duration_sec: 1036
---

# The BEST Virtual Desktop CODEC for YOU?

> Source: [The BEST Virtual Desktop CODEC for YOU?](https://youtube.com/watch?v=NMaZW3kTg-U)

## Summary

This video compares five codecs (H.264, H.264+, HEVC, HEVC 10-bit, AV1 10-bit) for Virtual Desktop on a Meta Quest 3, using a controlled test with an i9-12900K and RTX 4080. The creator runs a lap in Assetto Corsa Competizione with identical settings, varying only the codec, and analyzes latency, frame rate, and visual quality.

### Key Points

- **Test Setup** [0:27] — PC: 12th gen i9, RTX 4080, 64GB DDR5. Wi-Fi 6E router dedicated to Virtual Desktop, 2.4 Gbps on 6 GHz. Headset: Meta Quest 3. In-game: Assetto Corsa Competizione, ultra preset, Monza, McLaren GT3, midday.
- **Virtual Desktop Settings** [0:53] — VDXR runtime, adaptive quantization and two-pass encoding off, auto bitrate off, bitrate set to max per codec. FOV stencil on, VR quality ultra, 90 fps, synchronous spacewarp off, Snapdragon game super resolution off, video buffering off.
- **H.264 Performance** [3:15] — 200 Mbps. Lowest latency (31-48 ms), average 37 ms. Frame rate 87-90 fps, average 90 fps. Visual fidelity clearly lower.
- **H.264+ Performance** [5:13] — 500 Mbps. Latency 34-55 ms, average 40 ms. Frame rate 86-90 fps, average 90 fps. Visual clarity not as good.
- **HEVC (H.265) Performance** [7:12] — 200 Mbps. Latency 37-52 ms, average 48 ms. Frame rate 84-90 fps, average 90 fps. Visuals a step up from H.264.
- **HEVC 10-bit Performance** [9:09] — Latency 32-56 ms, average 37 ms. Frame rate 86-90 fps, average 90 fps. Sharper, more colorful image.
- **AV1 10-bit Performance** [11:07] — Latency 32-56 ms, average 37 ms. Frame rate 86-90 fps, average 90 fps. Almost identical to HEVC 10-bit.
- **Conclusion and Recommendation** [13:56] — All codecs performed well. For lowest latency: H.264. For best visual quality: HEVC 10-bit or AV1 10-bit. Creator slightly prefers HEVC 10-bit for consistency.

### Conclusion

The best codec depends on your priority: H.264 for lowest latency, or HEVC 10-bit/AV1 10-bit for superior visual quality. The creator personally favors HEVC 10-bit for its balance of sharpness and consistency.

## Transcript

I make a lot of videos related to
virtual desktop, like a lot. But one
question keeps coming up repeatedly.
Which is the best codec to use? So today
I'm going to address this question with
a comparison under the same strict
testing regime where all settings are
the same and the only variation is the
actual codec itself. Let's get straight
into it then. And remember, we're born
to respawn.
the test. My PC is running a 12th gen i9
CPU and RTX 4080 GPU with 64 gig of DDR5
RAM. I run a TPLink Archer AXC75 Wi-Fi
6E router in access mode exclusively for
virtual desktop to maximize wireless
performance which sits at a steady 2.4
Gbits pers on the 6 GHz channel. Virtual
desktop's PC streamer app settings are
as follows. On the options tab, open XR
runtime. I am using virtual desktop's
own VDXR runtime. Adaptive quantization
and two pass encoding are off as they
only support the 10- bit codeex.
Automatically adjust bit rate is off. I
have manually set each bit rate to its
maximum allowed so that there are no
anomalies. On the advanced tab, I have
the horizontal and vertical tangent
sliders at 100% with the FOV stencil
ticked just to ek out a bit more
performance. In headset, VR graphics
quality is at ultra. VR frame rate is 90
fps. Bit rate is set to the maximum
allowed by the codec. For example, H.264
allows up to 500 megabits per second.
Synchronous spacew walk is off.
Snapdragon game super resolution is off.
and video buffering is also off. These
settings are purely to eliminate any
interference and keep the test as pure
as possible. I made sure that Virtual
Desktop was running the latest build and
that there were no interfering apps
either. I am using my MetaQuest 3
headset and all footage you will see was
recorded internally so that you could
see the virtual desktop performance
overlay in real time. All in-game
graphics were on the ultra preset except
for trackside TV displays which are
turned off and the grid was restricted
to 20 cars. That's it for the settings.
As I stated, all these will remain the
same throughout all five tests and the
codec will be the only variable. I will
do one lap of Monza in my favorite
McLaren GT3 car at midday with the same
weather for each test. I will show the
whole lap with the virtual desktop
performance overlay showing in real time
so that you can see how each codec
performed. Then I will run the same laps
side by side for a direct comparison.
The final part of the video will be my
conclusion which if you haven't fallen
asleep by then will be less
science-based and more on the feeling of
which codec delivered the best balance
of latency and visual performance for
me. So, if you're a proper geek like me,
make sure to stay till the end of the
video for that. Ready? Let's go.
H264,
the oldest codec here, running at 200
megabits pers. It should deliver the
lowest latency, but with video quality
compromised. Let's see how it does.
Yeah.
[Music]
[Music]
Heat.
Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
Heat.
[Music]
Heat. Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
H264
Plus. This is a modification of the
H.264 codec, allowing for better
compression efficiency and can run up to
500 megabits per second.
[Music]
Hey,
hey,
[Music]
hey.
Heat. Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
Heat. Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
Heat. Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
HVC,
sometimes referred to as H.265.
This is the successor to H.264 and
should allow better compression and
quality over its predecessor.
[Music]
Hey,
[Music]
hey,
hey.
[Music]
Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
Heat.
[Music]
Help.
[Music]
[Music]
Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
HEVC 10bit. An evolution of HEVC where
the 10 bit refers to each color red,
green, and blue being represented by 10
bits and evolution required for higher
resolutions like 4K and 8K.
[Music]
Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
Heat.
Hey,
heat.
[Music]
Hallelujah.
[Music]
Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
AV1 10 bit offering better compression
and color than older codecs. This is
currently the most modern codec used by
virtual desktop.
Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
Heat.
[Music]
Heat.
[Music]
Heat.
Heat.
[Music]
Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
Right, let's sit back and run them all
side by side for a direct comparison.
[Music]
[Music]
Heat. Heat.
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
Conclusion. Unsurprisingly, all the
codecs performed well with consistent
frame rates and manageable latency with
my PC and wireless setup. As expected,
H.264 264 at 200 megabits per second
consistently gave the lowest latency
overall between 31 to 48 milliseconds
with good frame rate between 87 and 90
and an average across most of the lab of
90 fps with 37 milliseconds latency. But
to me the visual fidelity was clearly
lower. H264 plus at 500 megabits per
second had higher latency between 34 to
55 milliseconds. probably due to the
higher bit rate. A good frame rate
between 86 to 90 with an average 90 fps
across most of the lap with 40
milliseconds latency. And like H.264,
my opinion is that the visual clarity
wasn't as good. HEVC at 200 megabits per
second had slightly higher latency at 37
to 52 milliseconds. Frame rate between
84 to 90 with an average across the lap
at 90 FPS with 48 milliseconds latency.
However, the visuals were a definite
step up from H.264 and 264 Plus. HEVC
10bit and AV110 bit had an almost
identical performance with both
latencies between 32 to 56 milliseconds.
Frame rates between 86 to 90 with an
average across the lap at 90 FPS with 37
milliseconds latency. In my opinion,
both these codecs gave a sharper, more
colorful image than the three previous
codecs. And if I had to choose between
them, it's a difficult one as the
differences are very very marginal. For
me, after this test, I would choose HEVC
10 bit just for the tiny difference in
consistency. But of course, this is my
opinion. At the end of the day, it is
your choice. Prefer latency, pick H.264,
which consistently had the lowest
latency overall. prefer graphical
sharpness and better colors, then either
HEVC 10bit or AV110 bit would have you
covered. Plus, for consistency across
the test, I had no adaptive
quantization, no two passing coding, no
adjustment of the horizontal field of
view sliders, plus synchronous spacew
walk and snapdragon game super
resolution were turned off. These
settings can have a massive influence on
performance, but can also cause issues.
I have done a full video on this subject
here. So, if this video has piqu your
interests, go check it out for some
serious performance gains with just a
few little tweaks. As always though,
what do you think? Do you prefer lower
latency over graphical fidelity, or are
you like me, a massive graphics tart who
must have all the shiny things? You know
the drill. Get involved and comment down
below. Well, that's it for today. If you
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