While there is no one-size-fits-all formula for streaming success, a decent streaming PC can ensure that your stream’s video and audio quality is high, which can increase audience interest and retention. A high-quality stream with proper audio and visuals also tends to attract more viewers. Although it is feasible to stream from a console and a standard desktop, neither can equal the quality of a powerful PC designed specifically for streaming. And while having a great rig has so many great perks, picking the correct PC can be difficult, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Here is a list of the technical specifications you should consider while building your own personal gaming computer.
Hardware requirements for a good streaming PC
The essential equipment to consider if you only want to stream audio, as with a podcast, is equipment like microphones and headsets. If you intend to record your voice, avoid being that person with cheesy-sounding audio by making an investment in a dedicated, high-quality mic. However, if you want to stream video, there are many different lighting equipment options available, like LED video lights, Rim lights, portable lights, and studio lights, depending on your needs and budget.
Similar to choosing a good camera for live streaming, there are a lot of things to keep in mind while looking for good lighting; like quality, frame rate, the field of view, and built-in microphone. However, if you’re just starting out in the world of streaming and don’t plan to spend a ton of money, you can choose a reasonably priced camera that at least offers a high frame rate to get the job done.
Graphics requirements for a quality streaming PC
Depending on the type of games you intend to stream live, a graphics card is one of the most crucial pieces of equipment in a PC. A GPU that can handle those graphics at high frame rates is necessary if you want to play intense first-person shooters. On the other hand, you have the option of using a lower-quality GPU if you want to play less-complexed games like Among Us, Loop Hero, Age Of Empires 2, and Animal Crossing.
Streaming PC processor requirements
You’ll need at least four cores on your CPU if you want to stream any games that require a lot of graphic processing. This will make the game more enjoyable by reducing lag and stream stuttering. You can choose between AMD Ryzen 3 or 5 CPUs or Intel i5 processors if you anticipate requiring more than four cores to handle encoding and other background tasks.
Look at several builds before choosing one because it isn’t an easy procedure and can occasionally get frustrating and time-consuming. Here is an example of a good streaming PC design, that is both pockets friendly and highly efficient.
Budget streaming PC build
- CPU: Intel i3-12100F or AMD R5 5600X
- Graphics Card: GTX 1660 Ti
- CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black
- Motherboard: Gigabyte H610M S2H or Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black
- RAM: 8GB Dual-channel DDR4-3200
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Power Supply: Seasonic S12III 500
The highest quality choice in this price range will be used for hardware encoding in the Budget Streaming Build. This computer will have adequate power to stream independent games as well as less demanding modern games like Minecraft and Stardew.
Popular streaming PC configurations
iBUYPOWER Element 9260 (Budget pick)
- Processor: Intel Core i7-9700F
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB
- Storage: 240GB SSD + 1TB HDD
- RAM: 16GB
Acer Predator PO9-900 (High end)
- Processor: Intel Core i9 X-series 7980XE (2.60 GHz)
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB GDDR6
- Storage: 2 TB HDD
- RAM: 512 GB SSD
Related: 4 Tips For Improving CPU Performance While Live Streaming