When it comes to choosing a streaming PC, there are many factors to consider. For me, the most important elements of a great streaming PC are a powerful graphics card (GPU), a powerful processor (CPU), adequate memory (RAM), and a large hard drive (SSD/HDD) to store your games.
If you are looking for a great streaming PC at a reasonable price point, then I recommend the Legion i7 Gaming PC. This is the PC I use for streaming and gaming and I love it. Let me break down why I think this PC is awesome!
| Computer Part | Where to Find | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | GTX 1660 Ti GPU (which you can see here on Amazon) | Great graphics card for the price. Well-suited for HD gaming. |
| CPU | Intel i7 3GHz processor (click here to view on Amazon) | 8 cores. One of the best processors on the market. |
| RAM | HyperX Predator (click here to view on Amazon) | Allows for smooth gameplay while streaming. |
| SSD | Western Digital SSD (click here to see on Amazon) | Great for storing games and gameplay footage. |
Even when playing and streaming graphic-intensive games like Warzone, I haven’t had any issues. My streams run smoothly without dropped frames and I am able to use medium-high graphic settings in-game.
Here are some reasons the Legion i7 Gaming PC is a great PC for hobbyist streamers and gamers.
- GPU—For starters, the Legion i7 edition features the GTX 1660 Ti GPU (which you can see here on Amazon). This GPU is widely considered the premiere graphics card at this price point. It is well-suited to full HD gaming and runs all of my games with crisp graphics. It is the recommended graphics card for Warzone.
- CPU—If you plan on streaming, then it is important for your PC to have a powerful processor (CPU). While the GPU is responsible for rendering the graphics of your game, your CPU does the work of packaging up (encoding) the output of your game and broadcasting it to your stream. The Legion i7 Gaming PC has an Intel i7 3GHz processor (click here to view on Amazon), which has 8 cores. In my experience, this has been plenty to stream smooth footage to my stream with Streamlabs OBS.
- RAM—Streaming requires a lot of programs to run on your PC simultaneously. When I stream, I usually have software such as Chrome, OBS, camera software, and my game running in the background. Having adequate memory, or RAM, ensures that your computer will not get bogged down from having so many programs open. At 16GB of memory, the Legion i7 edition has plenty of RAM to keep things running smoothly.
- HDD/SSD—One of the best features of this PC is that it has two forms of storage, a 256GB solid state drive (SSD), and a 1TB traditional hard drive (HDD). I use the solid-state drive to store my operating system, and the HDD to store my footage and games. Storing the operating system on a dedicated solid-state drive means this PC boots up super quickly. My boot time is less than 15 seconds.
- Value—At a price point of just over $1,000, the Legion i7 is a very affordable PC at a great value. Obviously, you could go crazy and spend over $10k on a gaming PC that is capable of downloading your intelligence and uploading it to the matrix; but for most beginner streamers or casual gamers, this PC really has it all.
- Reputable Brand—For years, I have exclusively owned Lenovo laptops and PC’s. In my experience, Lenovo makes high-quality and durable products that ship with very little bloat-ware. So when it came time to purchase a gaming PC, I knew immediately I wanted to purchase a Legion, which is Lenovo’s gaming brand. Lenovo offers good customer care and they are widely recognized as a solid computer brand.
- Look and Feel—Finally, this PC looks AMAZING. One side of the case is made of full plexi-glass so you can see the PC components and the glow of the CPU fan. The CPU fan is full RGB and you can adjust the colors of the fan with Lenovo’s Vantage software. The front of the case has a Legion logo that glows a light blue color. I even picked up a Logitech G gaming keyboard and mouse to match the light-blue glow of the PC. I must say, my setup with this PC looks super clean!