Tutorial Building a Custom Streaming PC for Content Creators width

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 17, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Best streaming PC build in 2024

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 youre looking to get into streaming but dont 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. Building the PC we recommend for streaming will be costly, but you can expect to play games in crystal clear 4k and stream to your viewers in 1080p 60FPS. Its often the norm to stream at a lower quality to lessen the demand on your system. Its also very common for streamers to build a separate PC just for streaming, and have their main system play the games, this is also a viable approach. You could build this PC for your main and use the PC you have now as your streaming rig. Do note, however, that you will need a capture card for this.

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 makeup of the CPU and other strong internal components ensuring a high-quality experience for you and your viewers. Building a PC of this nature is likely to be expensive, and a more complex build if you decide to do it yourself, but there are prebuilt PCs on offer if you do not think you are ready to assemble your streaming machine.

If you do decide youre ready its worth mentioning, that Amazon prices do fluctuate regularly. So, this means the builds might not always be under the intended target. Dont worry, though; we check the builds daily to make sure the most up-to-date and best-value products are being selected.

Upgradability And Future-Proofing your $300 build

As with anything, there are many ways you can improve upon it. With this build specifically, you could swap out the RTX 4080 for a 4090, you could upgrade the 7800X3D to a 7900X3D, get more Memory, and a bigger M.2. The trouble is that all of this will cost you, and you need to define your budget before you go diving into the parts. Hell, if youre on a tighter budget, you can downgrade and still get good performance. This build is not the be-all and end-all of streaming PC builds. If youre looking for a build that will do well in streaming workloads, but is a little more budgeted, we have a $1500 build for you.

Streaming PC build vs prebuilt streaming PC

Here at WePC we always recommend you build your 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. So its not economically viable to buy a prebuilt if you do have the skills to build your PC (its not too difficult). If you struggle, we have a guide on building a custom PC you can follow.

Performance

While the performance of a prebuilt streaming PC will be great, when building your own, you could 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 isnt 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.

Finance and purchase options

Buying computer parts in 2024 can be done in different ways, even if you dont have the money yourself right now. We dont think its a good idea to go into debt just to get parts for a streaming PC build, because you can end up paying interest. But dont worry, there are options like ClearPay and Klarna that let you pay in 3 and offer 0% interest. These can come in handy if your computer suddenly breaks, and you need a new one for work fast. If you dont want to borrow money, you can always look for used parts, which can save you a lot of money.

We dont suggest buying certain parts like hard drives and PSUs secondhand. But everything else is usually fine if you make sure theyve been taken care of. Before buying, ask the seller to prove the part works. If you can, test it out yourself to avoid any tricks or funny business.

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How to Live Streaming Instagram via PC for Content Creators

Live streaming on Instagram is one of the content creators efforts to increase their engagement with the audience. However, it is not uncommon for creators to need a more comfortable live streaming media with a wider screen than using a mobile phone.

Instagram itself allows content creators to broadcast live on a PC. However, creators must first select and install their streaming software.

According to the official Instagram page, creators can take advantage of the Instagram Live Producer feature that allows users to broadcast live on Instagram using streaming apps, such as OBS, Streamlabs, and others.

Well, for those of you who are curious about how to live streaming via PC and connect it to a streaming app, heres the tutorial.

How to live streaming Instagram

Choose the streaming application you want to use for your event. (Examples include Streamlabs, OBS, and Streamyard.) Make sure it is installed on your PC.
Open your streaming app and find a place to enter your URL and your streaming key.
These are the URLs and streaming keys that allow you to broadcast your streaming application settings directly to Instagram Live.
Open instagram.com and click the Add Posts button (plus symbols in the box) and select Live Stream from the drop-down menu.
In the Go live screen, enter your live video title and select your audience.
You can choose Practice which means it wont be aired to anyone and Public if you want to aire to your followers like a regular live video.
Next you will see a screen containing your unique URL and your streaming key.
Copy the streaming key and the URL. You can also reset the key if you need a new one.
Next Add Instagram Live. Enter the URL and streaming key to your streaming software by choosing the Custom RTMP option.
Start Streaming. Once youre done, start streaming from your streaming app.
A preview of your streaming will appear in the Live Producer at instagram.com
Click Live broadcast in the Live Producer after you have verified that the preview has been matched.
Use the Comments tab to read and respond to comments from viewers.
Next. Click End Live Video when youre done streaming.

Technical requirements

Streaming PCs

Discover quality PCs for Streaming

We know that as a content creator you need a versatile PC that can han...

Discover quality PCs for Streaming

We know that as a content creator you need a versatile PC that can handle gaming, live streaming, editing, and anything in between. We've got you covered with our multi-core high performance PCs. Built to the highest specifications, our smooth performing streaming PCs are incredibly powerful and are able to handle multi-tasking like no other system. Engineered with the best quality components, our dedicated streaming PCs are built to last and can manage all of editing, broadcasting, recording and gameplay needs.

Why Choose Our Streaming PCs?

Made with ultra-slick features, like multi-core hardware, airflow cooling systems to enhanced visuals, your streaming experience is taken to the next level.Using our online custom pc builder, you can create the streaming pc of your dreams and choose your ideal components from our advanced range of PC parts.

Our custom streaming PCs allow you to create the most effective gameplay streams and animations, bringing you unbeatable gaming moments and quality entertainment for your audience. Shop yours today and we'll be there to help find you the perfect match for your needs.

If you're interested in checking out our other quality PC gaming products, why not browse our Esports PCs, Ready to Ship Gaming PCs and Glorious PC Gaming Keyboards?