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If you have just started streaming on the internet, then you’ll need dedicated streaming that can easily handle multiple tasks at a single time. Streaming has totally changed, and now you’ll need a reliable PC with decent hardware to get along with it. Especially, if you are playing games and streaming them at the same time, you’ll have to opt for a powerful PC to avoid any lags or freezes.
So, playing and streaming at the same time can put a lot of load on your hardware. This may slow down your performance if you are playing AAA games and streaming them at the same time. Ultimately, you’ll end up having reduced frame rates and stutters most of the time.
Another way around is to buy a PC that is purely dedicated to streaming. You can build your own streaming PC or you can buy a prebuilt one from Amazon or eBay.
If you don’t want to waste your time building a custom streaming PC, then you can go straight away for a prebuilt streaming PC. These are pre-made machines that are equipped with the most compatible hardware to deliver decent performance in streaming.
Building your own streaming PC is fairly simple. You’ll need a reliable GPU and CPU to get the most out of your streaming PC. Nvidia GPUs come with a dedicated NVENC encoder which takes a huge load off your CPU and shifts it to your GPU.
For streaming, a quad-core CPU with a higher clock speed would be enough to handle the streaming tasks. But going after a CPU with more than four cores would make things much smoother.
Also, you’ll need the right amount of RAM when building a dedicated streaming PC. 8GB is a good start, however, 16GB will make things future-proof for a few more years.
Most people stay away from building a dedicated streaming PC due to its higher cost. However, we’ll try our best to keep things under your tight budget while squeezing out more performance.
Keep in mind that you should spend a large portion of your budget on buying a powerful CPU and GPU, and the remaining budget on other parts.
List of the Best Budget Prebuilt Dedicated Streaming PCs
If you want to play games and stream content at the same time, then here are some of the low-budget picks from our side:
CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming PC – Best Overall Streaming PC
CPU: Intel Core i5-11600KF clocked at 3.9 GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Storage: 500GB NVMe SSD & 1TB HDD | Operating System: Windows 11 Home | Connectivity Options: 6 x USB 3.1 | 2 x USB 2.0 | 1x RJ-45 Network Ethernet 10/100/1000 | 802.11AC Wi-Fi | Audio: 7.1 Channel
Why You Should Buy This PC:
CyberPower offers performance-oriented dedicated streaming PCs in the Xtreme lineup. This rig comes with a six-core processor, where per-core has a higher clock speed of 3.9 GHz.
Moreover, you can easily overclock the CPU up to 4.9 GHz to squeeze more juice out of it.
Furthermore, this build comes with the Nvidia RTX 3060 12GB graphics card. Now, there’s plenty of video memory ram on this GPU to scale your gaming resolution up to 4K quality.
Also, RTX 3000 series GPUs are equipped with NVENC technology, which makes dedicated streaming much faster.
If you don’t want to spend a lot of time building your own streaming PC, then CyberPower offers you the best possible solution in this case.
The CyberPower Xtreme lineup gives you a lot of options to pick from. You’ll find a lot of different specifications at the time of buying this PC.
We have chosen the Intel Core i5-11600KF and RTX 3060 12GB graphics card for our system. These were the most budget-oriented specs that we’ve found to give the most value in streaming.
However, you can even go with other configurations from Intel and AMD chips as per your budget and needs.
The Intel Core i5-11600KF is a six-core CPU that meets the bare minimum requirement for playing AAA games. Also, Intel chips are better in single-core performance, which in gaming makes a lot of sense.
To fuel up the graphics performance, we have the Nvidia RTX 3060 with 12GB GDDR6 video memory. This is a mid-range card that’ll deliver smoother performance in any AAA tiles at even 4K resolution.
Moving on, we have plenty of ram on this PC to avoid any bottlenecking or lag issues. Generally, 8GB of ram is enough for a low-budget streaming PC, however, 16GB of ram would make things future-proof for upcoming years.
In terms of storage, we are welcomed by just 500GB NVMe SSD and 1TB of 7200RPM hard drive. To be honest, HDD is a thing of the past now, try you can just go with 2TB of NVMe with this build.
Furthermore, this streaming comes with plenty of I/O options like built-in Wi-Fi, USB 3.0s, and USB 2.0s to connect your hardware.
In terms of performance, this dedicated streaming PC blows every workload that you’ll throw on it. Its powerful hardware can crush any streaming workload that you threw its way.
We have played and streamed games on YouTube at 1080p quality, and throughout that time, FPS was well-above 60fps in titles like GTA V, Fortnite, and PUBG.
Yes, streaming AAA games at 4K quality would slow down things or may cut a lot of FPS from your gameplay.
A mid-range Alder Lake CPU wouldn’t be able to catch up with the pace of an RTX mid-range card like RTX 3060.
But, if you want to stream at 4K, you’ll have to opt for a high-end CPU and GPU, leaving your budget to one side.
We haven’t found any issue running any streaming application on this PC. We tested a few streaming applications like Wirecast, OBS Studio, and FFmpeg.
Although it’s a decent gaming and streaming station, there are still some downsides to it.
The stock CPU cooler that comes with it isn’t enough to take care of the massive heat produced by the cores at 3.9 GHz. Look for a reliable aftermarket CPU cooler that works best with the Intel Alder Lake CPUs.
Another thing that needs replacement is the 600W power supply. It’s better to replace the current power supply with a 700W or 850W power supply.
The Nvidia RTX 3060 consumes a lot of power out of your PSU, so it’s better to be on the side and get a higher-wattage PSU to fuel this card.
Overall, it is a well-built computer with decent specs to stream your content and play games. It also has decent aesthetics to it with a side glass panel, through which you can see the RGB lights booming inside your case.
Last but not least, CyberPower gives you 1 year of warranty to replace this machine if anything goes wrong with it.
SkyTech Blaze II Gaming Desktop – Best Value Dedicated Streaming PC
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 clocked at 3.6 Ghz | GPU: Nvidia GTX 1650 4GB GDDR5 | RAM: 8GB DDR4 | Storage: 500GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit Home | Connectivity Options: 4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Ports, 2 x USB 2.0 | 1 x HDMI and 1 x DisplayPort, x1 PCIe Wi-Fi card with Antenna, Audio & Mic port.
Why You Should Buy This PC:
The SkyTech Blaze II comes with the Ryzen 5 3600 six-core processor that delivers excellent multi-threaded performance in streaming and content creation.
Also, the Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card is a great deal for someone who isn’t a hardcore fan of gaming. However, this entry-level card would let you stream your videos at 720p or 1080p quality without any issue.
The SkyTech Blaze II comes with mid-range specs to tackle effective streaming and content-creation workloads. This prebuilt steaming machine is powered by AMD Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, which gives you the best price to perform as compared to similar Intel chips.
Let’s talk about the graphical performance of this desktop. To be honest, the Nvidia GTX 1650 with just 4GB of video memory looks a bit outdated.
But if you don’t want to play and stream graphically intense AAA games, then the GTX 1650 4GB would be a cheaper deal for you.
At least, playing less intensive games at 720p settings and streaming them on YouTube is still possible with an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and GTX 1650 4 gigs card.
If you need more performance and want to play games at higher resolution and better frame rates, then SkyTech Blaze II gives you the option to choose RTX 3060 instead of GTX 1650.
For streaming Esports titles and multiplayer online games like PUBG, Volarant, and Fortnite at 720p settings, this machine is still a cheaper option to go with.
You can expect 60fps in most game titles without any issues. However, some heavier titles might struggle on this PC due to entry-level graphics like GTX 1650.
To play the latest advanced titles, you may have to lower the settings to get those crispy frame rates.
This desktop comes with 8GB of DDR4 ram, which is sufficient if you are just limited to light content creation and streaming. But if you need more ram, there’s an extra slot on the motherboard to fill up.
To store your files, we just have a 500GB SSD drive on this desktop. If you don’t play games that swap a lot of storage capacity, then this amount should be fine to go with.
But if you are willing to have a massive gaming library installed on your PC, then it’s better to sway the 500GB with a 1TB SSD. Also, how much SSD storage do you need for gaming if you frequently install a lot of AAA games?
Moreover, this machine has the most advanced I/Os to connect any type of streaming equipment to it.
Overall, this PC is incredible for streaming content and entry-level gaming, it has fancy RGB fancy at the front, which looks stunning in dark from the side glass panel. Also, there’s a massive RGB exhaust fan that comes with addressable RGB light.
There’s vast room for upgrading this PC later on with a high-end graphics card and CPU. Also, CyberPower is a trusted brand known for building high-quality gaming and workstation builds. Just like the CyberPower Gamer Xtreme desktop, this machine also comes with 1 year of warranty from the manufacturer.
HP Pavilion Desktop – Cheap Dedicated Streaming & Content Creation PC
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300G clocked at 4.0 Ghz | GPU: AMD Radeon RX 5500 4GB GDDR6 | RAM: 8GB DDR4 | Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 11 Home | Connectivity Options: 4 x USB Type A, 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB Type-C, audio, and mic jack
Why You Should Buy This PC:
If you are tight on budget and need a PC for online streams, then the HP Pavilion desktop would give you the best bang for your buck.
This PC is equipped quad-core AMD Ryzen 3 5300G processor having each core clocked at 4.0 GHz. And a higher clock speed means you’ll get exceptional performance in gaming.
This rig comes with AMD RX 5500 graphics card, which is an entry-level card but it’ll let you play games at 720p and even 1080p medium-high settings.
As we’ve said earlier, having a quad-core will fulfill all your basic streaming needs. And this HP Pavilion pre-built desktop can tackle any complex streaming workload with ease. The AMD Ryzen 3 5300G on this machine delivers strong per-core performance to make your streams smoother.
At least with the RDNA-based RX 5500 graphics card, you’ll get an immersive gaming performance. With the prices of graphics cards falling down all over the world, the RX 5500 looks like a great deal if you are after a cheaper dedicated streaming PC.
With entry-level specs, this machine can let you play any game at low-medium settings. You cannot expect this PC to play AAA games at ultra settings with just a quad-core CPU and an entry-level graphics card.
But there’s room for an upgrade, and you can always pop in a higher-end CPU and graphics card to boost the performance of this machine.
Also, it could have been better if this PC had at least six cores to make streaming much smoother. But even with four cores, it is still possible to play games at lower settings and go live on YouTube.
But if you are doing too much multi-tasking and streaming your content at the same time, then this machine may slow down due to limited cores.
All in all, this is a budget-oriented streaming PC to play entry-level games and stream your content on famous platforms like Twitch, Youtube, or Facebook.
In a Nutshell
You can easily stream your game on Twitch without taxing too much load on your CPU, but only if your CPU has surplus cores.
Building your Own Dedicated Streaming PC
Building a PC from scratch saves you a lot of money as compared to prebuilt machines. Also, it gives you more freedom to choose your favorite parts. Custom PCs perform way better than prebuilt PCs in gaming or streaming.
If you are tight on budget, then building your own streaming PC could save you a lot of money that you could invest in buying other streaming accessories like a mic or headphones.
Keep in mind that, you’ll have to pick a powerful CPU with surplus cores for streaming and gaming. Also, you’ll have to choose the right type of GPU for your processor, so that the load is evenly distributed between both components.
Entry-Level Custom Streaming Intel Build
| CPU | Intel Core i5-10400F (Six Cores) |
| CPU Cooler | Vetroo U6PRO Dual Tower |
| Motherboard | MSI H510M-A PRO ProSeries |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 |
| Graphics Card | Nvidia GTX 1660 Super 6GB |
| Storage | Samsung Evo 1TB SSD |
| Case / Power Supply | Antec NX260 ATX Mid-Tower Case / NZXT C550 Bronze 550W PSU |
This is our Intel-based streaming build for someone who has just started a new streaming channel on Twitch or YouTube. The Core i5 10400F gives solid processing power when paired with Nvidia GTX 1660 Super graphics card.
Moreover, this setup can let you play most AAA games at medium-high 1080p settings. And if you are streaming at the same time, then expect this build to easily to high stable frame rates at 720p settings.
We’ve opted for the cheapest, yet decent gaming hardware for this build. Overall, this PC will cost you around $800. However, you can cut down the cost by opting for 8GB ram instead of 16GB.
Furthermore, you can for with a 500GB SSD drive instead of a 1TB capacity. Also, if you don’t need a fancy RGB PC case, then excluding the Antec NX260 will give you an extra $80 to spend on other peripherals.
Recommended AMD Custom-Built Streaming PC
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
| CPU Cooler | AMD Stealth Wraith Cooler (Included with CPU) |
| Motherboard | ASUS ROG Strix B450-F Gaming |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 |
| Graphics Card | EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 12GB |
| Storage | Samsung Evo 2TB SSD |
| Case / Power Supply | Corsair 4000D Airflow Mid-Tower PC Case / EVGA 700 GD, 80+ GOLD 700W |
This build will give you a solid streaming and gaming performance, no matter whatever type of workload you’ll throw on it. The Ryzen 5 5600X is a powerful processor that delivers tremendous performance with RTX 2060 graphics card.
You can expect this to deliver stable frame rates while gaming and streaming your content at 1440p quality.
Also, we have chosen a spacious PC case for this build so that you can, later on, upgrade with high-end peripherals.
This PC shows up as a great deal for AAA gaming at medium-high settings. We have opted for Nvidia RTX 2060 graphics card that shows ideal performance in streaming workloads.
Also, the graphic card has a massive 12GB video ram to play games at even 4K quality.
Overall, these specs would let you build a solid dedicated streaming PC that can crush any gaming or streaming workload without slowing down.
Verdict
Finally, you now are well aware of the best budget streaming prebuilt and custom-built desktops. If you don’t have enough time to build your own PC, then go with CyberPower or SkyTech Blaze II to get decent performance in streaming and gaming.
If we had to go for a dedicated streaming PC, then we would have built it from scratch. Not only does this saves you a lot of money, but it also gives you much control over the parts that matter a lot in streaming.
Lastly, don’t forget that a powerful CPU with extra cores would bring outstanding gaming and streaming performance to your desk. A six-core CPU would be a good start, and an eight-core would be tremendous.
A powerful CPU easily encodes your broadcast, resulting in a smoother stream.
FAQs
Can you boost the performance of a dedicated streaming desktop using a capture card?
Well, if you are gaming on a separate PC or console, and streaming your content on another PC, then capture can give you an edge here. But if you are streaming and gaming on the same PC, then you’ll not get any benefit out of a capture card.
The capture card acts as a bridge between your streaming PC and your gaming PC. It’s not working the way your CPU and GPU do, therefore, you’ll not get any performance gains here.
What type of CPU do you need in a dedicated streaming PC?
Well, it depends upon the type of streaming workload that you need out of your PC. For 1080p 60 fps streaming, you need at least a quad-core CPU with at least 3.0 GHz clock speed on each core.
Which broadcasting applications are best for a dedicated streaming machine?
There are a lot of broadcasting programs on the internet. However, below are some of the most common and popular applications to consider.
- OBS (Open Broadcast Software)
- Twitch Studio
- XSplit Broadcaster
Hi, this is Masab, the owner and founder of the PC Wire. I’m a PC enthusiast who loves to talk about computers. I have been testing PC hardware for several years now, and I hope my knowledge would answer your queries thoroughly.
