Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The best PC build for streaming is the one that plays your game smoothly while it encodes the stream at the same time — and that means cores, a good encoder and enough memory to run the game, the stream and the chat all at once. A streaming PC is doing two jobs at once, so it needs a different balance than a gaming-only PC.
What streaming actually asks of a PC
Streaming adds a second workload on top of the game: the PC has to capture the picture, encode it and send it out, all while the game keeps running. That needs CPU cores for the encode, memory for all the open apps and a stable internet connection. Our best CPU for streaming guide picks the best chips for the job, and our best desktop CPU for streaming guide lists the best desktop picks. If you are on a tight budget, our best budget CPU for streaming guide shows the cheap chips that still stream well.
The CPU: cores for the stream, speed for the game
For streaming you want both cores and speed. The Core i7-14700K, with its 20 cores, is a great streaming chip because it has cores to spare for the encode — see our 14700K vs 7800X3D comparison for the trade-off between work and play. The Ryzen 7 9700X is another strong pick, and our 265K vs 9700X comparison shows how the two mid-range chips compare. Our CPU bottleneck guide explains how to check that the CPU is not holding the game back while it streams.
The encoder: GPU or CPU?
Most streamers should use the GPU encoder, not the CPU encoder. The graphics card’s hardware encoder does the encoding with almost no impact on the game, which frees the CPU to run the game and the stream apps. A mid-range graphics card with a good encoder is enough — you do not need the flagship card to stream at 1080p. If your card’s encoder is old or weak, the CPU encoder is the fallback, and that is where all those extra cores earn their keep. See our best PC build for gaming guide for the graphics card choice.
Memory, storage and the second monitor
Streaming apps add up: the game, the streaming software, the browser with chat, and maybe a music app and a voice app. 32 GB of memory is the right amount for a streaming PC, and a fast SSD keeps the recording smooth if you record while you stream. A second monitor is the single best upgrade for a streamer — it holds the chat, the stream preview and the controls, so the game screen stays clean. Our how to check CPU compatibility guide covers memory and board compatibility too.
One PC or two?
Some streamers use a second PC to do the encoding, so the gaming PC only runs the game. That gives the cleanest stream, but it doubles the cost and the complexity. For most streamers, one good PC is the right answer — a single PC with a strong CPU and a good GPU encoder streams well and is far simpler to run. Start with one PC, and only add a second one if the stream quality is still not good enough. Our best CPU for esports guide is worth a read if you stream competitive games, where the frame rate matters most.
The bottom line
The best PC build for streaming is a many-core CPU, 32 GB of memory, a graphics card with a good hardware encoder and a second monitor. Build it with our how to build a PC guide, check the parts with our best CPU and motherboard combos guide, and browse our PC build guides for more builds.
