If you plan on live streaming, you want to make sure your hardware, software, and network are solid before going live. Here's a quick guide on things to look out for.
Is Your Computer Ready?
You need a strong motherboard because everything is connected to it!
Make sure it's the right form factor - ATX is the most common. It's the best option for more expansion slots, should you need to add more ports to your PC.
Pick a motherboard that allows more RAM space, slots for graphics cards, and storage.
When choosing your CPU, decide what type of workload you have.
More tasks means more cores. The top-of-the-line CPUs are Intel and AMD.
RAM allows programs and apps to open and close quickly. If you're streaming or editing videos, you will want to access your software as quickly as possible.
For high-quality streaming, a graphics card is necessary.
Whichever you choose, make sure it comes with dedicated memory. This will take some pressure off your RAM. A GPU with 6GB RAM is a great start.
The power supply (PSU) is the heartbeat of a PC. It powers the components inside and determines how long a computer can last.
Invest in a solid one. Cheap PSUs can fail randomly and short out other parts like the motherboard or graphics card.
Is your Software Ready?
Computers always have many different applications running in the background.
Before your live stream, make sure you close all the software applications that you will not use during the broadcast—for example, unused Chrome tabs.
If you are on a Windows machine, you can use Task Manager to do this.
In the Processes tab, the first thing you want to look at is the percentage of the total resource used for the processor, memory, hard drive, and network.
Right-click on the application and click end task to close the program.
Different streaming platforms have recommended guidelines. Here are some recommendations for a few live streaming platforms: YouTube, Kick, and Twitch.
Adjust your settings accordingly and try to find the sweet spot between minimal lag and maximum quality.
You may also want to do dry runs to test stream quality.
Is Your Internet Ready?
Before you start streaming, make sure your internet connection is fast and reliable.
If you want to improve your live streaming quality, use an Ethernet cable connection instead of Wi-Fi.
Wired connections will always be faster and more reliable. Just bear in mind that cables shouldn't be too long and have kinks.
Make sure a bunch of files aren't being uploaded or downloaded. With live streams, maximizing upload speed is crucial.
If possible, try to plug your machine directly into the router.
Malware can cause high bandwidth usage and slow your internet speed down. Use a solid anti-virus program.
Check your computer for software or driver updates to address bugs and improve internet speed.
Wrapping Up
Make sure your streaming machine is built to last for maximum streaming performance.
Check out my PC Streaming Builds! I can also spec out a build that fits your needs and budget!
Eliminate unnecessary apps from running in the background. Make sure your streaming software is free and clear.
The best internet is wired internet. Your machine should plugged into your router with an Ethernet cable.
