Best streaming PC build in 2023: best PC for gaming & streaming

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As streaming has become increasingly popular in recent years, with the rise of esports and platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook, we’ve put together a guide on the best streaming PC build for your money.

This guide will walk you through the process of building a streaming PC and explain the key components that are important for streaming. Expect a visually impressive build, high FPS for all major games, top-notch streaming performance, and value for your money.

Despite the focus on streaming, we always prioritize overall performance and value. Let’s get started.

VIDEO: The Best Streaming PC Build

What You Get For Your Money

The budget for a streaming PC can be broken down like any other custom build – entry-level, mid-tier, and high-end.

If you’re looking to get into streaming but don’t want to take out a mortgage doing so, it can be done on a tight budget but you need to figure out what games you are likely to be streaming and how intensive they might be on the CPU, GPU, or both.

Performance

This article is dedicated to being the best streaming PC build, with the focus not just on streaming performance but gaming too.

With this streaming PC build, no longer will you have to worry about running the most demanding games in ultra settings, this build can do it all. Multi-tasking at the highest level becomes a breeze thanks to the hyper-threaded make-up of the CPU and other strong internal components ensure a high-quality experience for you and your viewers.

How We Test

Piecing together builds is something we do here at WePC on a regular basis, so creating the best streaming PC was just another day in the office. How we decide which component best suits each specific build is a process we’ve done hundreds of times. It all comes down to three simple core values:

  • Value for money
  • Respected, trustworthy brands
  • Maximum performance

By sticking to these values we know the end result will be something we’re proud to recommend to you, the consumer.

How We Choose

We build each of our selected PC’s from scratch to make sure all the parts we recommend work well together, fit into the selected case, and provide the best performance possible for the price range.

Once built, the PCs are used in the office for everyday work as well as a range of games from light to heavy-duty. While we test, we also run benchmarking tests to see how well our builds perform, all while keeping an eye on the temperature of the components themselves.

We know how much some of our readers enjoy overclocking their PCs, so we made sure to test that out too. So, you can feel safe knowing that these machines can be pushed beyond their basic capabilities. But, please make sure you know how to overclock before trying to over-task your builds.

NOTE: Due to the ongoing effects of the global coronavirus pandemic, some retailers are experiencing stock issues. WePC constantly updates our pages to reflect current availability, so if the PC you want shows as out of stock, check back later or check out these alternatives.

Prebuilt Gaming PC For Streaming

For anyone that doesn’t want to learn to build their own gaming PC, the CyberpowerPC prebuilt gaming PC alternative features all the processing and graphical power you are going to need to run your favourite games in max settings while streaming simultaneously!

Our Recommended Custom Build Details

  • Last Updated - Jul 17, 2023

We’ve discussed what this build can do and what the requirements are. Now, let’s talk about what components go inside of this streaming PC build.

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Our Best Streaming PC Custom Build

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This is by far one of the finest builds I’ve been a part of thanks to the nature of the build. What we wanted to create was the ultimate gaming/streaming machine and I think we’ve achieved that nicely.

Aesthetically this is one of the most attractive builds we’ve put together, it looks immense from every angle thanks to the sleek design of the case and the implementation of well thought over RGB options.

The CPU is one of the highest-ranked processor’s money can buy right now, it sits side by side with the best RTX 3080 available in today’s market and shows clearly we aren’t playing games (mind the pun) with this one. Our benchmarks suggest the 5900X is by far the best multi-tasking CPU without going overboard and opting for a 5950X.

With great overclocking capabilities and room for expansion, the Asus AM4 ROG Strix X570-E Gaming (Wi-Fi) is the perfect motherboard to accompany the Ryzen 9 5900X. The board comes with PCIe 4.0 support, fast RAM support, Wi-Fi6E,  USB 3.2 Type C, and 2.5Gb LAN. With this product from Asus, you are getting a reliable, feature-packed board of the highest quality.

To help ease your building process, we have selected the Corsair iCUE H100i Elite 280mm CPU cooler. This liquid cooler features two 140mm fans, which are, of course, quiet and feature impressive RGB lighting. The radiator is 280mm, giving you plenty of room for heat dissipation and keeping those temps down. There are cheaper alternatives the quality of this model speaks for itself, it features an LCD display, and works well with the selected Corsair case.

When you look up the perfect RAM pairing for a Ryzen 5000 CPU, 3600MHz is pretty hard to beat for the price. The G.Skill 32GB 3600MHz RAM kit is an excellent choice for this streaming/gaming PC build. With 32GB at your disposal, you’ll be able to run every game you could imagine, plus stream, multi-task, and do plenty of heavy workload tasks as well.

While this is a streaming PC build it is also designed to be gamed on simultaneously so is going to need a monster graphics card. Well, what about Nvidia’s latest RTX 3080? That’s right; we are going for one of the best cards on the market. This GPU is one of the highest performing cards in the benchmarks and features the specifications you are going to need to stream and game without a hitch. Please note this is an LHR (Lite hash rate) model, meaning if you are looking to crypto mine you may want to change the GPU.

The Sabrent PCIe 4.0 SSD features sequential read and write speeds up to 5,000 MB/s and 4,400 MB/s, which is already much faster than the highly regarded Samsung EVO 970 Plus (PCIe 3.0). With this 1TB device, you have enough space for your operating system and a selection of your most played gaming titles. This SSD may not improve streaming quality but it will enable you to load everything much quicker.

Backing up the SSD, we have a 4TB HDD, giving you plenty of room to store your media files.

Corsair 4000D Airflow

Corsair 4000D Airflow

Type

Mid-tower

Motherboard Support

ATX, mATX, Mini-ITX

Dimensions

17.83 x 9.06 x 18.35 inches

Included Fans

2 x 120mm AirGuide fans

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Corsair is widely known as one of the biggest case manufacturers in the business. They offer extremely high-quality cases with superb aesthetics and endless features geared towards gamers. This case is perfect for the streaming PC for two reasons – performance and style.

A safe and efficient PSU is essential for a build of this quality, and that’s why we’ve gone for the popular Corsair RM850x gold-rated PSU. It offers superb efficiency and enough power to allow maximum overclocking potential from this PC. It is gold-rated, which means it’s extremely safe and efficient, exactly what a PC of this quality deserves. We could have gone for something more powerful, but it would just be unnecessary spending.

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Things To Consider

Streaming PC build vs prebuilt streaming PC

Here at WePC we always recommend you build your own computer as it often saves you money and gives you the skills required to maintain and upgrade your PC for the future. A PC for gaming and streaming simultaneously is no different from any other computer but you will find they tend to be very high-end, with the latest CPU and GPU, along with beefed-up RAM and storage capacity.

The reality is that a prebuilt streaming PC will come with a markup (around $100-$300 depending on the build price) to cover the physical building and software of the machine. Just to put it into perspective, the markup of a prebuilt can essentially be the same price as an entire component.

Performance 

While the performance of a prebuilt streaming PC will be great, when building your own you could in theory include a better CPU or GPU into your computer without spending more. This means you could get even better performance for your hard-earned cash, get better in-game results, and future-proof your investment for longer.

Convenience

The main selling point behind a prebuilt is it saves you the hassle. We understand that not everyone knows how to build a computer and may not even have the time to learn this new skill, so the convenience of a prebuilt makes a lot of sense. Of course, there are many more benefits to buying a prebuilt gaming PC from manufacturers, obviously, it takes the stress away from finding all the compatible components, while also preventing damage to said components when the time comes to build it.

With a prebuilt streaming PC, you are going to be able to send it back to the manufacturer if anything goes wrong. Furthermore, if you feel you need an upgrade, suppliers will often do this for you or at least insist you send it to them for an upgrade. Manufacturers will also dish out a warranty, usually covering parts and labor for around a year but some companies offer impressive warranties and you can always spend extra on insurance, giving you a lengthy/ lifetime warranty.

A prebuilt from the biggest manufacturers around the world aren’t just packaged nicely for you either, they normally stress test the system to ensure the components are working before shipping and that it performs as it should. You will also receive your system with software, usually with Windows and drivers pre-installed, so you can simply plug it in and start downloading games.

 

Processor

The processor is as most will know, the engine of your build and one of the most important aspects of any rig whether it be a work station or a gaming build.

The first thing to consider when building a gaming/streaming rig is whether or not the CPU can handle the titles you aim to play at the desired settings. Luckily, a lot of modern games have been designed to take most of their running power from the GPU, meaning you can get away with a lesser CPU and still get solid results.

However, streaming is a different kettle of fish entirely. Streaming requires multiple programs running simultaneously so you want to be looking at CPUs that are both powerful and multi-threaded.

Graphics Card

The graphics card (GPU) is a gamer’s best friend, even more so now technology has shifted towards GPU demanding games. The best way to increase FPS, 9 times out of 10, is to upgrade the GPU you have. Annoyingly, however, the GPU is the most costly aspect of a build to replace/upgrade so it can be pretty daunting to do so.

For this reason alone we’ve decided to equip our build with the latest tech making it extremely powerful for years to come. The GPU we have used is going to be able to handle AAA game titles at high/ultra without an issue.

We know the importance of a GPU and made it one of our priorities.

RAM

RAM or memory, is a bit of an enigma when it comes to gaming/streaming builds. But as a general rule of thumb the more the merrier. Because streaming/streamers depend on multi-tasking and heavy workloads you really are going to need some quick RAM to help bolster up the performance power of the rig.

Specifically, with the Ryzen chips, 3000Mhz+ memory will boost performance exponentially so it’s pretty vital, to us, that we included this.

Storage Space

Storage space, whether you’re a gamer, streamer, or browser, has varying degrees of importance. Streamers usually require a healthy amount of storage because many will not only stream live but will save the file after to clip the best scenes of their session. It doesn’t take long to fill up 250/500GB storage space when you’re saving 5 hour-long streaming clips daily.

Capacity aside, load times are another essential area when it comes to storage. For this reason, we have equipped each of the builds with the latest SSD storage solutions which as many will know, dramatically increase load times. There’s nothing worse for a streamer than having hundreds of people look at a loading screen. This certainly won’t be an issue with the SSD’s we’ve gone for in these builds.

I’d recommend checking out our SSD vs HDD page to find out more.

Chassis/Case

Lastly is the case. Many will think the case is a pretty mundane piece of kit unless you’re specifically looking for something that is going to be really quiet. Well, we don’t think they’re mundane at all here at WePC.

Picture the scene, you’re there in front of the camera, behind you is the gentle hum and raw presence of a gnarly looking build. Aesthetic appeal is pretty big for streamers and we can see why, they want to create the best environment possible for their viewers and one way of doing that is to splash out on a cool looking case, throbbing with RGB.

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Related Prebuilt Gaming PC Guides

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Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Brands

Every recommended prebuilt gaming PC in this article is from a reputable manufacturer. You are probably wondering how we know what the best gaming PC brands are? Well, we have done our research and purchased PCs from these brands.

Most notable brands:

Alienware
Corsair
CyberPowerPC
SkyTech
iBUYPOWER
Thermaltake
MSI
Scan 3XS
Overclockers UK

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Operating System & Peripherals

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Closing Thoughts

So there you have it, our best streaming PC build, which makes for an enjoyable, professional experience.

A few might say we could have done this cheaper, but in all honesty, we wanted to provide products that are going to be able to produce decent stream-ability. What I mean by that is, good FPS across a number of different games on decent settings, the ability to multi-task at a high level creating a seamless stream, and cutting-edge aesthetics.

What were your thoughts on our build? Leave us a comment below letting us know exactly what you thought!

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The Team That Worked On This Build

Team Shaun
Custom Build Specialist
at
WePC

Shaun Conroy

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Shaun is a gaming enthusiast and computer science graduate who has been working with computers for the last 15 years. He took a shine to competitive FPS back in the mid-2000s and hasn’t looked back since.

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