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Good Computer Choices For Streamers

Good Computer Choices For Streamers

Computers For Live Streamers

There’s one thing that cam models must have to be successful (besides a good attitude). They need a good computer for streaming. Although some models are super techie and know the ins and outs of computer hardware – most don’t. For that reason, we’ve covered some of the things you need to know to meet typical streaming needs. There are various grades of machines and the prices will vary as you’ll find out. 

What I want to make clear here is that the recommendations/suggestions mentioned below are not related to streaming in the typical sense that most know. I’m not referring to streaming your favorite YouTube clip, Hulu show or watching that newly released movie. These recommendations are for those looking to stream live video to an audience via their laptop or desktop machine.

Streaming Live Computer Options

Computers For Streamers

What computer specs do I need for streaming live feeds? What’s the best laptop for streaming video? How powerful does my PC need to be to handle this? What processor is best for my Camsoda stream? These are all questions that we’ve been asked overtime. We’ve answered these individually one by one overtime and as a result of receiving so many of them, we’ve decided to cover things in greater detail here today.

As previously mentioned, there is no one size fits all answer here, but what I’ll do is try to give you enough information so you can make a purchase choice. If you’re still in the dark about things after digesting this blog post, reach out to us and we’ll help you further. I’ll kick things off with what might be the most important things to consider when purchasing a machine for streaming: 

  • CPU
  • Battery Life
  • Memory
  • Internet Speed

The Central Processing Unit aka CPU is one of the most important components of a computer for streaming. You’ll want to make sure you have a machine with solid CPU specs. I’ve covered various specs below but the low end of this is going to require an i5 processor. This most likely will not be enough to play games and stream a cam show simultaneously, but it’ll let you do one or the other at a low performance level. 

Now, the battery power matters most if you’re planning on being mobile or somewhat mobile while streaming. Some girls like to stream shows in their car and out in public. This is when the battery life matters most. If you’re planning on camming from your bedroom or dedicated cam room, then you’ll be plugged in almost always. Nevertheless, you’ll want a good battery if possible. 

RAM aka random access memory stores information on your computer temporarily. The more programs and things you’re running on your computer, the more RAM you’re going to need. To give you an idea of what level of RAM you’ll need for camming, well, that all depends on what you’re looking to do. When it comes to casually camming from time to time as a weekend or once a day cam girl, then you’ll have no problem running 16GB of ram. That should be sufficient for any casual camming. If you’re planning on doing some heavy streaming using high bitrate OBS either for camming or gaming, then you’ll want a machine equipped with 32GB. 

The last thing you need is a good Internet connection. You can have the most expensive computer with the most RAM, best CPU, and a long lasting battery, but without a good Internet speed connection, you’ve got nothing. Many cam models use OBS and they also use Twitch. Regardless of your broadcasting method, you’re going to want to shoot for 3MB per second in order to really deliver decent streaming quality for your fans. Last but not least, if you can hardwire your connection via an ethernet connection versus wifi, then do it – it will make a difference. 

Now that I’ve covered some of the basics and what’s most important to consider for decision making, time to get into machine options. Keep in mind, this is just a sample list of machines for camming. There are dozens of options outside of those listed below. However, the suggestions provided are good choices for any model to consider. 

Low-Cost (But Great) Streaming Machine 👍

Acer Predator Helios 300

If you’re on a tight budget, then you might want to consider the Acer Predator Helios 300 laptop. In terms of live streaming today, this might be the one that packs the most punch for the cost. You’ll be putting your faith in a machine that CNET and PCMag rated 4 out of 5. You’ll be getting a 7th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 With 6 GB Graphics Card, 16GB DDR4 RAM, a 256GB SSD hard drive and a 15″ HD monitor. 

All that comes at a low price of about $1,100. With this machine, you’ll be able to live stream your gaming with a 7-hour battery life. You will get great performance for the best price out there. This is the recommended machine for those without a major budget. You’ll accomplish all you need to with this. Many cam girls that dabble in gaming use this specific laptop. 

Mid-Tier Streaming Computer 😍

Macbook Pro

For a model with a slightly bigger budget who’s looking to just casually cam here and there, I’m going to recommend the Macbook Pro. This will cost about $1,799 upgraded to include 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory. You’ll be getting a 1.7GHz quad‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz. 

As for storage, this particular model offers 256GB SSD storage, 13-inch Retina display, and an Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645 card. This machine is actually one of the more common machines used by models today. I know $1,799 might seem like a high price, but it’s really not when it comes to live streaming.

It’s quite common to recoup the money invested in your new laptop in the first week or two of camming. That said, for the $1,799 investment, you’ll be able to exponentially improve your bank account balance. Not to mention, you’re able to do just about anything else you do outside of camming on this machine. 

High-End Computer 🤑

CORSAIR ONE i160

On the high-end, you’ve of course got more options, more features and more power. For this tier, you might want to consider the CORSAIR ONE i160 Compact Gaming PC. There’s no doubt about it, this is a high-powered gaming machine. 

It’s a compact PC with an Intel Core i9-9900K CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, 36GB delivered via two 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM, 480GB M.2 SSD, 2TB HDD and running on Windows 10. This machine will cost you $3,399 and it’s going to provide you with the best experience any streamer could ask for. 

DIY Computer 🛠️

do it yourself

The last suggestion that I have for models is the DIY approach. Some girls might wish to build their own streaming machines. Not many models choose to do this, but it’s worth mentioning since a few definitely take this route. You’ll be able to save some money taking this route, but it’s certainly going to be more work to get things up and running. 

If you’re looking to build a solid gaming and camming PC, then you’ll want to check out this suggested setup by PC Part Picker. They’ve suggested the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 for your CPU verus the Intel CPU which is built into the previous suggestions. If you’re married to Intel, then they have suggested a setup for that as well. Again, you’ll save more taking this approach, but you’re going to need to purchase the individual parts, put things together and familiarize with the assembly and setup process.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to kick start your camming career, regardless of your budget, one of these options should help get you the machine required. Remember, just as the live cam industry rapidly is changing, so does hardware. 
Machines become less powerful and obsolete overtime. You don’t need to spend a ton of money on the best hardware out there to successfully stream. Just get what fits your needs and budget. Equally as important if not more, get registered so you can set up your profile on Camsoda!

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