PC Gamer

space to store your footage, and the Seagate BarraCuda Pro
8TB has you covered.
Without a power supply, however, these components are
all just expensive desk ornaments. Normally an afterthought
for builders, power supplies can mean the difference between
a PC that constantly suffers crashes and one that runs
without a hitch. It’s better to oversize your PSU, especially if
you’re planning to upgrade your system’s components further
down the line, so I opted for the EVGA G3 850W. This 80
PLUS Gold certified PSU provides plenty of power while a
semi-passive mode is enabled by default, minimising fan spin
noise on your broadcast.
Streamers wanting to play
the latest games with
graphical settings cranked up
to max will do well to get the
GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. It’s
holding on to its spot as one
of the best GPUs in the world
right now, with the graphical
grit for games like Far Cry 5
and the ability to render video with ease – which makes it
brilliant for livestreaming.
Now your PC is beautiful on the inside, but with a camera
pointed at your desk showing viewers your setup, it’s
important to make sure it looks good on the outside, too. The
Corsair Crystal 570X sits pretty with a tempered glass front
and sides, which flaunts your build’s innards while lighting
them up with LED control. It’s large enough to contain most
motherboards and components, but still leaves enough space
for vital air flow that’ll keep everything cool. Another plus point
here is its tool-less design, which makes installing the
motherboard and other components a breeze.

You’ve got your workstation to play games, but now you

need the peripherals. Your webcam is an important purchase,

since its image quality will affect the overall stream. I chose

the Logitech C930e for its crisp, wide-angle visuals and the

fact it improves your PC’s performance with internal UVC

H.264 encoding, saving your PC the trouble. Consider a light

like the Rotolight RL48-B if you’re streaming in a fairly dark

room with a cheaper webcam; it’ll help prevent the feed

becoming grainy in low light.

There’s an enormous variety of microphones out there,

but condenser mics are a great choice for recording solo in a

quiet room thanks to their sensitivity and precision. The Rode

NT1-A consistently tops

best-of lists thanks to its

super clear sound that

delivers warmth as well as a

dynamic range.

SCREEN UNSEEN

Finally, you’re going to need

two monitors: one for gaming,

and one for monitoring the stream. These are for your

personal use and won’t affect your broadcast, so are a good

place to save money if you’re willing to sacrifice aesthetics.

However, I wanted a gaming screen with low lag and splashed

out on the BenQ ZOWIE XL2430. Used in esports events

worldwide, this 24-inch monitor boasts a 1ms response time.

That’s a whistlestop guide to a great streaming PC setup

that can be augmented and tweaked as you see fit.

Remember, the most important components are your CPU,

GPU and storage. Invest in them, upgrade the rest as your

audience grows, and you’re well on your way to stardom.

By Alysia Judge

LEFT:The growing

popularity of esports

hasbeenkeytothe

growth of streaming

audiences.

SWAPSIES Cheaper parts that perform well

3

ANOTHER GPU

Nvidia’s GTX 1060 6GB has the

power to play any game smoothly at

1080p, and most at 1440p.

4

LOOKS AREN’T EVERYTHING

TheNZXTSource530MatteBlack

case is fairly discreet with a small,

classy window.

1

UNDER £100 MIC

The Audio Technica AT2020 is a

high-quality entry-level condenser

microphone ideal for voice work.

IT’S BETTER TO OVERSIZE YOUR

PSU, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE

PLANNING TO UPGRADE

2

A SMALLER SSD

The Crucial MX500 250GB SSD

released in January 2018 in the UK with

great reviews.

HARDWARE

Tech Report