The Best Cpu For Game Streaming: Why The Processor Is Key Too
While your graphics card, no doubt, has its work cut out, your processor will be the vital part of your gaming and streaming computer. Multi-threaded and multi-core processors are the norm these days, but even modern chips meant for everyday use will bend under these demands, reducing your stream and gameplay quality. You can use your GPU to help with the encoding workload, but your processor will still have its resources split among the game, streaming, and running all of your stream-related applications. However you slice it, you’ll need a potent CPU.
Intel Core i9-11900K “Rocket Lake” CPU
As a broad guide, err on the side of a premium Intel or AMD CPU. If you don’t know where to start with these components, you can find many more details and suggestions in our deep-dive buying guides for gaming processors and graphics cards. The reviews that the latter links to can give you an idea of the frame rates you can expect from typical games with a given video card. 16GB of memory is also recommended. While the minimum requirements are likely a step below these recommendations , you should aim at least for these parts for a much smoother experience.
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Ways To Stream From Pc To Tv Or Digital Display
Adam LovinusMay 23, 2016
There are several tools that enable video content to stream from PC to TV. Here I will take a look at a few easy setups for doing this depending on the type of equipment you want to use.
This article assumes your TV or display has HDMI inputs. If you have an old TV with just component cables, so help youa HDMI composite converter is your only hope.
Also, there are a few basic networking concepts to understand when streaming video.
- Wired Ethernet network connections will always produce higher quality streams compared to Wi-Fi.
- To extend wired Ethernet range without hanging a lot of cable, a powerline adapter can pass Ethernet through the electrical wiring of a building. Learn about how they work.
- A dual-band IEEE 802.11ac wireless router is recommended for multi-device wireless networks and will suffice for the setups mentioned here.
- So-called Smart TVs simply connect to a wireless network without an external device. You do not need to have a smart TV for these setups.
How To Stream A Pc Game On Twitch With Obs
Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more…
Game streaming services like Twitch are bigger than ever. Whether you want to let your friends watch you play a game or try to build up a larger audience, streaming is easy.
Twitch.tv only supports public streams. If you want to broadcast a private stream to just a few friends, you can try using Steams built-in Broadcasting feature, which allows you to restrict game streams to your Steam friends.
If youve settled on Twitch, check the game you want to stream before going through this guide. Some PC games have built-in Twitch support. But, for most games, youll need a third-party streaming program to broadcast your gameplay like Open Broadcaster Software . Thats what well be setting up today.
Got all that? Alright, heres what you need to do.
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How To Set Up The Hardware For A Dual
Getting a dual-PC stream set up comes in two parts. The first is setting up the hardware so your stream PC can collect the video and audio output from your gaming PC. To make life as easy as possible, if you want multiple displays set up to display things like your streaming dashboard or social media feeds.
For this, you’ll need your two PCs, a capture card, and an HDMI cable.
There’s no requirement to then hook up the output on the capture card to your PC monitor as all you want is the feed going into the capture card for your PC to interpret.
Stream From Pc To Tv Directly With An Hdmi Cable
Pros: Simple setup HDMI cables are capable of full HD and audio in one cable.Cons: Usually not a permanent solution mobility is limited by the cable using a tower PC may be cumbersome.
HDMI cable HDMI inputs on a laptop PC and television
Setup overview: HDMI outputs come standard on newer laptops, PCs and Chromebooks. Many tablets have mini HDMI outputs, a smaller version of the same thing. Simply run a HDMI to HDMI cable between the HDMI ports of the computer and TV to mirror content on both screens. Use a Mini HDMI to HDMI for connecting a tablet to the larger display.
- iOS devices with a Thunderbolt output will use a Mini DisplayPort adapter for porting into HDMI.
- For streaming 1080p content onto a 1080p source a high-speed HDMI cable is recommended.
- Some HDMI cables are designated as HDMI w/Ethernet for device networking. Functionality is only available if both linked devices are HDMI Ethernet Channel-enabled.
Limitations: Standard cable length for HDMI tops out at 50 feet due to HD signal degradation at longer distances. An HDMI signal can be extended further using Cat5/Cat6 extenders and Ethernet cable. Note that higher resolutions like 4K have shorter max distances, usually around 100 feet depending on the extender.
Pro Tip: The resolution of laptop or tablet screen matters for picture quality. You can find Full-HD laptops priced under $600for example, there is a lot of value in Acer Aspire E as a multi-media laptop.
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How To Stream To Twitch From Ps4 Ps5 Xbox One And Xbox Series X/s
If you have a PS4, PS5, Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S, you can broadcast directly from your console without having to worry about any external hardware or software.
To stream to Twitch on PS4 or PS5, simply press your controller’s Share button, select Broadcast Gameplay and choose Twitch. Once you’re logged in, you can go live with the push of a button.
Streaming to Twitch on Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S is similarly simple, though you’ll have to download the free Twitch app from the Xbox Store before you get started. Once you have the app and are logged in, fire up whichever game you want to stream. Then, open the Twitch app and select Broadcast from the main menu.
Both Sony and Microsoft also let you chat with your viewers from your headset, as well as show your face via either the PlayStation Camera or Microsoft’s Kinect. You won’t get to customize the look and feel of your stream the way you can on a PC, but console streaming is a great way to test Twitch’s waters and start building your audience.
Tips From Twitch’s Biggest Stars
Twitch is home to a growing population of bona fide gaming celebrities who make their living broadcasting but not just because they play the latest games or have a fancy stream setup. The top Twitch streamers are true entertainers some are known for their incredible Call of Duty headshots, while others are famous for blowing through entire Mario games at record-breaking speeds. But more than that, they’re just great personalities.
” are humble, friendly, highly interactive and treat the people in their chat as if they are the stars of the show,” said Chase, Twitchs director of public relations.
If you’re looking to get into the finer points of growing an audience, popular Hearthstone player Jeffrey “Trump” Shih’s “Streaming 101” video is an excellent place to start. Shih neatly breaks down the core components of streaming into an acronym he calls OPTICS , noting that focusing on any number of these factors could help you make a name for yourself.
Grow big enough on Twitch, and you just might be offered a partnership, which allows you to get a cut of broadcast revenue and offer your viewers exclusive perks in exchange for a monthly subscription fee. No matter what level of Twitch stardom you’re shooting for, here are tips from some of the streamers who do it best.
Find your niche
Be consistent
Make some friends
Be interactive with your viewers
Don’t stress out about your gear
Be patient and make sure to have fun!
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Layouts Alerts And More
Once you have the basics of OBS and XSplit down, you can start customizing your stream with layouts and custom alerts. There’s a brace of popular toolsets for enhancing the look and feel of your stream are StreamLabs and StreamElements.
StreamElements is an all-in-one, browser-based tool that lets you design entire layouts complete with widgets, animations and more. Once you’ve created a theme, you can easily bring it to OBS or XSplit with a simple browser code.
StreamLabs offers a variety of customizable widgets, such as an Alert Box that shows on-screen notifications when viewers do things such as subscribe to your channel or make a donation. You can also use StreamLabs to set up Bots that help moderate your chat room.
Downloading And Installing Streaming Software
I will advise you to download and install the Open Broadcaster Software software. I will also add here that there are other similar applications available as well, one that comes to mind is called Xsplit. But I would suggest using OBS since I find it to be more user friendly. But you are welcome to check out both.
Follow these steps on OBS to start your streaming session:
- Go to your computer and install the Open Broadcaster Software
- Once installation is complete, open it and click on a button called Start Streaming to begin streaming your screen on the Twitch.TV site.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Remember to first enter the stream key in your OBS software. Otherwise your stream wont broadcast on Twitch.TV.
- You must also start your game first, right click in the sources of your OBS software, add a Game capture source and select your game, then validate.
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How To Stream On Twitch: Picking Your Software
Twitch is neat thanks to its ability to enable streaming from a variety of platforms. But some of the most notable places to stream Twitch from are gaming PCs and reasonably powerful gaming laptops. And to do, so you’re going to need the right software to get your stream up and running.
The two major choices are XSplit, which is a Windows 10-centric tool, and Open Broadcaster Software , which is available on Mac, Linux and Windows. With an intuitive interface, XSplit is the easiest to use, though it does require you to pay for it. OBS is a great free alternative and is probably one of the most popular pieces of streaming software, but it will require you to roll your sleeves up and do a bit more initial setup.
There are also custom versions of OBS available, including Streamlabs OBS and StreamElements OBS.Live. These programs sync up with Streamlabs and StreamElements respectively to let you easily set up custom layouts, alerts and more.
Those new to the world of steaming can take a look at Twitch Studio, Twitch’s very own streaming app that’s designed with beginners in mind. This app is free and offers guided setup for the main devices in your streaming setup, such as webcam and game feed. It also offers customizable templates to get your streaming career started quickly.
Other Considerations For Streaming
To start, you can test the quality of your internet connection on www.speedtest.net
Simply go on the website and press Go
Once you are done you will see something like this:
The most important thing here is the upload speed! Why? Because that is essentially what you are doing while streaming: uploading you content on the internet for others to view.
Here are the recommendations for different broadcast quality options:
Bass: 240p
Optimal: Its a mix between 480p and 720p
Optimal HD: Which corresponds to 720p
Here is a list of estimated connection / quality ratio:
Less than 0.75 Mb / second: 240p
Between 0.75 Mb / s and 1.0 Mb / second: I recommend low or medium
Between 1.0 Mb / s and 2.0 Mb / second: I recommend high quality
Between 2.0 Mb / s and 3.0 Mb / second: Optimal option possible
Greater than 3.0 Mb / second: Optimal HD is widely possible.
To know if your stream is lagging or if it is of good quality, I recommend that you test by watching your own stream on your laptop or smartphone.
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Tips To Grow Your Twitch Channel
Growing a channel can take many years and you will often only see a dramatic increase in viewership after a lot of work and dedication has gone into bringing a consistent channel to the public. If you start to gain traction on Twitch you could be offered a partnership that brings the benefits of monetizing your channel and gaining some of that broadcasting revenue.
Just like your favorite television shows you should schedule when you are going to be live on-air and stick to this. This consistent approach is favored by the viewers as they will always know when you are going to be streaming and wont miss a show unless they have to. Stick to your scheduling and advertise through social media in advance to going live to give your viewers the best chance of tuning in.
The main reason platforms like Twitch took off was this new interactive approach between the star and audience. The audience in a lot of Twitch channels get involved in some of the action, donate and chat as a community. Twitch features a chat box in all of its broadcasts which allows for this interaction and depending on if you are subscribed or not you get different privileges and options in your chat window as a viewer. Reacting and using the chat as a streamer allows you to connect with your audience which can start to bring a loyal following to your channel.
The Best Mics And Cameras For Game Streaming
Of course, you need a way to show off the moneymaker: You! For some skill-based users, the gameplay may be the real product, but even then, most viewers like to see and hear the person theyre watching play. For those who rely on their entertainment value as their “hook,” a good camera and mic setup is especially important.
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How To Use Laptops As A Monitor For Xbox One
To establish a wired connection, all you have to do is plug an Ethernet cable into your network router and your Xbox One. Now your gaming console will automatically detect the connection and will automatically connect itself with the new IP address.
As soon as it gets connected, it will start displaying images and will be ready to be used as a monitor.
One last option that you can finally use to convert your laptop into a monitor while connecting the Xbox One is via the Game streaming feature.
Connecting The Two Pcs
Connecting your two computers should only take a minute, though its important to connect everything in the right order.
1. If youre using an external card like the Elgato* HD60 S, plug an HDMI cable from your gaming PC into the in connection of your capture card. Then, connect the capture card to your streaming PC via USB.
2. If youre using an internal capture card, install it in your streaming PC by following the manufacturer-provided instructions. Then, connect your graphics card via HDMI from your gaming computer to the HDMI port labeled in on the capture card installed on the stream machine.
Once all the cables are plugged in, head to your gaming computer. On the Windows desktop, right-click select Display settings. From here, make sure that the HDMI cable connected between your gaming PC and your streaming machines capture card is a duplicated display from your primary gaming monitor. If its an external card, ensure the appropriate drivers are installed.
Connecting the two machines in this way ensures that any potential limitations of the capture card don’t interfere with the capabilities of your gaming monitor, especially if it runs at a higher resolution or refresh rate. Before you head to your stream machine, leave the gaming computer running on something in motion, like a video or animated game menu. The movement will help you determine whether the video is synced up when you connect the two machines.
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Building Robust Web Tv Entertainment System
If you want to build a robust web TV on laptop system instantly, then I highly suggest investing in a couple of low-cost 3rd party services for live television channels and video-on-demand. For instance, you might be interested in watching live sports online. There are 3rd party web-based websites that connect you to any and all live streaming sports online, worldwide.
See link for Top 10 Comparison Chart above, you will find 3rd party services that deliver all kinds of sports such as NFL football, NBA basketball, NHL hockey, MLB basketball, Soccer, Eurosports, Tennis, Boxing, NASCAR, Rugby, Wrestling, and so on. Live sporting events broadcast daily will be listed with designated times to watch them online. This is so easy and less time to do. Otherwise, good luck trying to find the content online yourself.
Theres one 3rd party service that delivers live sports exclusively and also delivers popular TV channels/networks to watch television shows, news, movies, music videos, etc. On the other hand, another 3rd party service delivers both live television channels and video-on-demand, with more entertainment to make you forget cable and satellite.