The Best Budget Streaming PC in 2022

So, you decided that you want to incorporate a streaming PC into your setup? I wrote this guide originally in 2021 to help you pick the best budget streaming PC for that time. A lot has changed in the last year, with a new generation of components that were released. However, I won’t be updating the parts listed here just yet, because it is still a very solid performing machine for the task.

Unfortunately, right now is one of the worst times in history to attempt to build a PC from parts. This is due to the massive silicon shortages going on right now, so if you don’t feel like you really need to update your rig just yet, I advise waiting until things start to normalize. Otherwise, you end up spending almost $1000 for a 3060 ti, like I ended up having to do because my old video card finally gave out.

At any rate, there are alternatives, including buying admittedly overpriced used video cards. You just need to be careful with that, as there have been cases where the product was not as advertised.

The Best Budget Streaming PC in 2022 – Pre-built

I hate the idea of recommending a rebuild, as they very often cut corners on important components, like motherboards and power supplies, and throw on a profit margin markup, but these are exceptionally strange times. There are a number of companies that offer pre-built gaming Desktop PCs, and they offer almost everything that you need, save a capture card and webcam.

One of the larger and more well-known companies is IBuyPower. When choosing a PC for yourself, there are a few component considerations to keep in mind – Mainly the Video card. You will want at the very least, a 1650 Super. Any RTX card will do as well. This allows you to access the better hardware video encoderAn encoder is a tool that processes a computer screen, webcam, or camera and, in the case of broadcasting, transmits it to an ingest server. Alternatively, it will convert the processed image and audio data into a filetype for recording. More that is included with that card, and that results in a higher quality video on stream with less performance impact on the rest of your machine.

The CPU doesn’t matter nearly as much, but if you plan to use the pc to also game on at the same time as streaming, then you would benefit from a faster CPU. Something like an I5 10 series for intel and a Ryzen 5 5600 for Ryzen.

Prebuilds tend to cut corners on the motherboards used, as well as the power supplies, so be aware that you will likely be unable to overclock these computers.

The final component consideration is the number of USB ports. A Streaming PC utilizes a large number of USB ports, and a motherboard that has a lot built in is extremely handy. Aim for 6+.

The Best Budget Streaming PC in 2022 – Build it Yourself

If you manage to sourceA source is a media element that is part of a scene. In OBS Studio, there are many different source types that capture many different things.
• Application Audio Capture (Beta)
• Audio Input Capture
• Audio Output Capture
• Browser
• Color Source
• Display Capture
• Game Capture
• Image
• Image Slide Show
• Media Source
• Scene
• Text (GDI+)
• VLC Video Source
• Video Capture Device
• Window Capture
More any of these parts for a reasonable price, then this table contains a list of components that will perform admirably as a dedicated budget streaming PC, even in 2022. The keyword being dedicated (2 pc setup.) If you are just using the machine itself, then you don’t need a capture card.

Note: Price and availability can not be guaranteed at this time due to extreme shortages that are a direct result of the ongoing human malware crisis. Parts have also been subbed out from the ones described below based on current availability.

Component	Under $900	Optional components
CPU	Ryzen 3 3100	Generic USB 2.0 Capture card
Motherboard	ASRock B450 Pro4	Seagate BarraCuda 2TB HDD
RAM (Memory)	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB 3200 CL16	Logitech C920
Storage	WD Blue 500GB SSD	Neewer 2-Pack LED light panel
Video Card	Zotac GTX 1650 Super	Samson Q2U
Case	Deepcool TESSERACT BF
Monitor	Sceptre E225W

Diving into the The CPU Choice – AMD Ryzen 3 3100

The power of a Ryzen 3100 is not to be dismissed if cost is a major consideration. This chip might be small, but it throws punches with chips like the I7 6700k. That is impressive in its own right, as that is the CPU that I am still using as my daily driver. The fact that the Ryzen 3100 at a price under $150, is able to meet the capabilities of the Skylake era Powerhouse is amazing. It’s a literal steal for what you are getting from it.

Of course, if you manage to score a Ryzen 5600, which is around 25% faster overall at a similar price point, than it might be worth considering that chip instead.

Our Reasons for choosing the Ryzen 3 3100

As I mentioned above, this thing is roughly equivalent to a Skylake I7 6700k. As I have personally used the Skylake chip for over 7 years continuously, with near-zero issues with streaming performance, I don’t see much reason to push the CPU to the next level, specifically if budgeting is a major concern for you. You aren’t making many compromises, even at this budget range.

For under $150, you are getting a chip that literally outclasses previous generation flagship models that are still completely valid in today’s market. That is to say, older USED chips still sell for around $240. Literally $90 cheaper, and it supports PCI-E 4.0 if you pair it with a B550 or X570 motherboard.

But another reason is the fact that it can be upgraded to a much faster chip later on. That AM4 socket motherboard it’s on can be used even when the new generation of CPU’s come out, the 4000 series. If you haven’t seen it’s performance in the laptops, rest assured, that’s something to look forward to.

Matching the CPU to the Motherboard

AM4 compatibility is getting to be a bit confusing, so we made this table here to help you determine what motherboard is compatible with which generation. So long as your generation is not marked with an X, your CPU will work with that motherboard.

AMD Ryzen Motherboard Compatibility Table

CPU Generation	A320	B350	X370	B450	X470	B550	X570
Ryzen Gen 1 (Ryzen 1000)	O	O	O	B	B	X	X
Ryzen Gen 2 (Ryzen 2000)	B	B	B	O	O	B	B
Ryzen Gen 3 (Ryzen 3000)	X	B	B	B	B	O	O
Ryzen Gen 4 (Ryzen 5000)	X	X	X	X	X	O	O

AMD Motherboard choice – Socket type, features to look for & more

For the Ryzen 3100, Motherboard compatibility is determined by a number of key features. The first is the socket format, which is the type of socket that the CPU is keyed to fit into. The socket format AM4 socket type is ultimately what determines that the “Ryzen” series of CPU’s are the ones to be used in it.

The next thing to consider when choosing a motherboard and CPU pair is their chipset. For example, B350 is a chipset for the first generation of Ryzen processors. This type has a specific feature set available and will require a bios update in order to be used with generations that it wasn’t initially designed for. This is not ideal for a few reasons:

• It adds end-user complexity,
  • Most users don’t even know what the bios/UEFI is.
• User error or power loss can “Brick a board” during a bios flash, essentially rendering the chip that the bios is stored on useless, and in need of replacement.
• It limits the capability of the new generation of CPU’s by disabling features that the motherboard is simply incapable of using

So they released the chipset revision B450; which is essentially that very same B350 chipset with that bios update in place, along with new features that the next generation of Ryzen CPUs was capable of, and optimizations to the internal circuitry of the chipset itself. Still, there is a bit to be said about backward and forwards compatibility among the many iterations.

We’ll quickly mention some handy info regarding this subject. In recent news, the long-awaited B550 Chipset motherboards are on the way, and they come with PCI-e 4.0! Stay tuned on that when they do release.

The Higher End – Flagship Motherboard chipsets

Another chipset choice for the AM4 socket is the X470 & X570 series, the flagship of the Ryzen Zen+(2000) and the Ryzen Zen 2(3000) series. However, streaming does not really make use of those features, therefore we do not need to invest in the extra cost of the X470 or X570.

As for what those features are, you should read our article about it that explains what they are in more detail. Long story short, stick with the B450 until the B550 is released, and then go with that.

Our Recommended Motherboard for your streaming PC

ASUS ROG Strix B450-F – This board is a bit on the pricey side, but given our savings on the CPU, we can afford this board. Just remember that any B450 board will be sufficient, just try to prioritize quantity of USB ports. As a streamerA streamer is somebody who engages in the activity of live streaming. More, we use a heck of a lot of those, especially when using a single PC setup.

Our Reasons for Choosing the Asus ROG Strix B450-F for our Dedicated Streaming PC

In case you are wondering, dedicated streaming PCs use a lot of USB devices all at once. This is the main reasoning when choosing this board. 8 Ports on board already are pretty rare. This is because we need to connect up a LOT of separate devices:

1. Your Webcam
2. A Capture card for your Gaming PC input
   • Either USB or PCI-E works here.
3. Your Audio Interface or Mixer
4. Your Elgato StreamDeck (If applicable)
5. A mouse for controlling your setup (Optional PS2 slot available on the board)
6. A keyboard, again, to control the setup.
7. An optional additional Webcam for the second point of view later on.

Theoretically, you could use an app like Synnergy to do this, saving two USB ports.

That is 7 separate potential USB devices to set up. This uses up all of the USB Type-A slots in that hypothetical setup. It is also worth mentioning that you will more than likely run into USB bus limits with all of these devices. If you find your PC starting to bog down, or your audio becomes robotic on stream, or your fps suddenly drops off the face of the earth, shuffle your devices around on the USB ports. If, for example, you put two webcams on the same bus or a Mixer/interface/USB mic on the same bus, it will saturate all of the bandwidth on that bus. You’ll know when you have this issue, trust me.

• You do not want your Audio interface/Mixer on the same bus as a Webcam or DSLR if you happen to have one like one of the supported Canon EOS Cameras. They can share the same bus as a mouse or keyboard without worrying about oversaturation.
• The reason is that these devices are very high bandwidth devices, and can put a lot of strain on the bus’s maximum throughput.
• In some situations though, you may actually need a PCI-E USB card to deal with your USB needs. This card converts some of your PCI-E rails to USB, which is essentially a whole new bus.

With all of that said, you can very easily choose any B450 motherboard you’d like that is cheaper to cut costs further. This is barring any purpose-built boards like those used in Bitcoin mining rigs.

Our Recommended RAM

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB – Ryzen is picky about it’s RAM. Please ensure that whatever kit you decide on getting supports it by stating “Ryzen Ready” or “AMD Optimized.”

Our Reasons for Choosing the Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB

For the most part, RAM is RAM. However, you need to be careful when choosing Ram for Ryzen processors. LPX is a low-profile ram and has little to no compatibility issues with CPU cooler clearance. For example, we have the Cryorig H5A Universal kit, which, if it had a full-sized fan, would block the ram slot.

For older Ryzen CPUs, due to the way it works internally, It has some specific RAM limitations. See Windows Central’s list for which ram you should use for Ryzen Gen 1 and 2.

The Best Budget Streaming PC in 2022 Can Use ANY ATX Compatible Case

Cases have come a LONG way since the ’90s. Once upon a time, most cases were hit and miss for quality and features.

Just pick the one you like, and make sure it says “Supports ATX” or something to that extent. You’re the one that has to look at it all day, may as well pick the one you like.

Our Favorite case was recently discontinued (We wonder why. It was a nice case.) Budget being the name of the game, here is a cheap Mid-size ATX case.

The Best Power Supply For Most People

EVGA SUPERNOVA G3 550w is all you really need in a good quality power supply. Many people cut corners on the power supply; however, It is our firm belief that even on the most budget of budget builds, A power supply is one place you do NOT want to cut corners.

Here is a rather telling reason, if you aren’t convinced, but in short…If the PSU goes, it can take EVERY OTHER COMPONENT WITH IT. That said, you can save a few dollars here if you are really tight on budget. Modern components are shipped with high voltage protection circuits, so you will more than likely be fine, even if it were to go boom. However, for peace of mind, we personally opted for the Supernova G3, and suggest you do the same.

Note: If you plan to go SLI (No need to these days), or run a HEDT class CPU, you will need a higher wattage PSU.

The Video Card – The Center powerhouse of your streaming PC

The choice here for our video card is the GTX 1650 Super. While it may not be the best performing card by any means, for the purpose of streaming on a budget, and with the availability of higher-end cards questionable, it checks all of the boxes. Not to be confused with the 1050 ti, the 1650 super comes bundled with the new encoding ASIC that throws punches with X264 @ medium & even slow in some cases. All, without the major performance impact that comes with X264X264 is an encoder that uses your CPU to encode media content. It does a decent job of this at a low bitrate value, but has a high CPU overhead cost. This overhead results in a loss of performance in games that are heavy on CPU usage. More. See, The ASIC is an embedded processor designed to do one thing, encode video.

It was specifically designed for cameras in mind, for capturing DSLR & expensive media camera footage to PCs for the purpose of media creation. But that isn’t to say it isn’t fully capable of encodingAn encoder is a tool that processes a computer screen, webcam, or camera and, in the case of broadcasting, transmits it to an ingest server. Alternatively, it will convert the processed image and audio data into a filetype for recording. More screen capture content, like video games.

And so, the GIGABYTE GTX 1650 super is the ultimate winner for the criteria of your new streaming capable PC.

Storage Solutions

Now that we’ve covered all of the core components of the PC, It’s time to address the storage situation.

With how cheap SSD’s are these days, it is our first choice unless you are on an ultra-tight budget. With that being said, There are SSD’s that cost $40, with the cost of low storage quantity. They also cut corners, and eliminate or neuter the controller on the SSD itself, which can significantly impact the performance of the drive. It is our belief to invest in a halfway decent SSD for both your data’s integrity and your personal experience using your machine.

The Western Digital WD Blue SATA SSD is a fantastic little drive, and it is a very manageable price.

The Essential HID’s(Human Interface Devices)

Finally, We’ll need a basic mouse, keyboard, monitor/tv to be able to interact with your PC.

The Amazon Basics package has you covered for the mouse and keyboard.

And the Sceptre E205W will handle your Monitor needs. Since twitchTwitch is a popular, gaming-focused live streaming platform. It is one of the most well-known streamer-first platforms out there and has millions of active streamers and viewers. More imposes a bandwidth bitrateBitrate is the rate at which data is sent to the encoder in your broadcasting program. The maximum bitrate you are capable of is calculated by multiplying your internet upload speed in Mbps by 1000. More limit of 6000 for non-partners, we recommend you stream at 936p60 at the max resolution.

However, If you’d prefer to have a 1080P Monitor, try the Sceptre 22 Inch LED 1080p Monitor E225W

Your Operating system

Well, you could technically use a Linux OS such as POP! OS or Manjaro and be fine; however, if you are unfamiliar with Linux, it isn’t very easy or intuitive to use without some sort of guidance. As such, going against the grain of the best budget streaming PC 2022 edition, I’m going to have to recommend Windows 10 Home Edition.

You can use whatever modern OS you’d like, so long as it supports OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More and a capture card really.

And finally, the Capture card

This final recommendation is completely optional unless your goal is to stream old retro consoles or are looking to use a DSLR or mirrorless camera as a face cam, and that is the capture card.

A capture card takes an input video signal and captures it to a virtual device on your PC. That virtual device can then be sent to a stream via OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More Video Capture Device sourceA source is a media element that is part of a scene. In OBS Studio, there are many different source types that capture many different things.
• Application Audio Capture (Beta)
• Audio Input Capture
• Audio Output Capture
• Browser
• Color Source
• Display Capture
• Game Capture
• Image
• Image Slide Show
• Media Source
• Scene
• Text (GDI+)
• VLC Video Source
• Video Capture Device
• Window Capture
More and streamed over TwitchTwitch is a popular, gaming-focused live streaming platform. It is one of the most well-known streamer-first platforms out there and has millions of active streamers and viewers. More or recorded for YouTube Videos later.

Modern capture cards use the widely available HDMI inputs and outputs, but some can use Composite, Component, DVI, VGA or even Display Port sourcesA source is a media element that is part of a scene. In OBS Studio, there are many different source types that capture many different things.
• Application Audio Capture (Beta)
• Audio Input Capture
• Audio Output Capture
• Browser
• Color Source
• Display Capture
• Game Capture
• Image
• Image Slide Show
• Media Source
• Scene
• Text (GDI+)
• VLC Video Source
• Video Capture Device
• Window Capture
More.

For our purposes, we opt for the HDMI format, as Display port capture cards are…quite expensive and hard to find.

Elgato 4k60MK2 Is a bit overkill for most streamers’ needs, so cutting the budget back to the 1080p60 capture cards, we have the Elgato HD60Pro. But then, those all exceed the ideal of “Budget”. Luckily, this little USB 2.0 card just popped up out of nowhere and it performs extremely well. It is limited to 30 fps, so it isn’t as good as some of the more commonly used capture cards for streaming. But for the purpose of streaming, honestly, 30 fps is totally fine.

Can’t afford a capture card? Use NDI. You can capture pc-pc using NDI, but console streamers will need one of the capture cards above or a console capable of streaming itself.

The Best Budget Streaming PC Parts in our 2022 Guide Final Word

When buying a streaming machine, You need to consider a number of inputs. That’s the reason we prioritized motherboards with a high number of USB ports. Our stream machine needs a mouse, A keyboard, A capture card if you opt for a USB variant, a webcam or two, or three(Depending on how intricate you want to get on your camera angles), an Audio Interface, or a USB microphone, a bluetooth dongle, which means you are using a grand total of 8-9 USB ports.

Yikes.

The challenge, then, is that you are cutting it very close. If you are using a USB headset, you hit your limit outside of USB hubs or USB expansion ports on the motherboard headers. And then there is USB bus bandwidth to contend with. If you are going to use more than one webcam, each webcam will need its own bus to function properly. A capture card must be on its own bus, with maybe a mouse or keyboard being the other occupying slot. Weird things happen when that bus gets saturated.

Finally, if you haven’t read this guide yet, you’ll want to check out our article on whether or not you need a dedicated streaming pc and what you will need for it.