Streaming your own video to the internet has become an important part of modern culture. For millions of people, it’s a favorite hobby and even a viable career path, with billions of views around the world.
While you can stream with nothing more than your smartphone or laptop’s camera, there are some serious limitations. It’s difficult to get the right camera angle, the video quality is often poor, and you’re unlikely to be able to stream the latest games unless you have a powerful gaming laptop. It’s also important to remember that you’re not the only one on camera; the space you’re streaming into is as well.
With this in mind, if you’re serious about streaming, you might want to invest in a comprehensive streaming setup that will improve both your and your viewers’ experiences. Increasing the value of your production can be extremely beneficial and can aid in the growth of your audience. This guide will show you three great streaming setups that include the core components of a streaming setup at various price points to deliver the best streaming experience for your money.
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Best Budget Setup
What We Like
- Desk is large and spacious
- Webcam includes built in ring light
- Affordable total price point
What We Don’t Like
- PC could be more powerful
- Chair isn’t very durable
| Desk | Mr. Ironstone L Shaped Workstation |
| Chair | OFM Essentials Racing Chair |
| Desktop | Dell G5 |
| Webcam | Razer Kiyo |
| Mic | Jlab Audio TALK GO |
The desk that supports your streaming setup is essential, and if you’re on a budget, the Mr. Ironstone L Shaped Workstation provides plenty of desktop space for a low price. Its L-shaped design fits perfectly in a room corner and can also be used as a background for your streams. You could, for example, place your monitor and camera on one side and your PC on the other to show off your gaming rig.
While the Dell G5 isn’t the most flashy gaming PC on the market, it does have a nice front panel design and is powerful enough to play competitive games like DOTA 2 and League of Legends. If you want to play more graphically demanding games, you should consider upgrading your graphics card and other components. You can always upgrade your graphics card and other components later.
The chair you sit in is another important part of your streaming setup aesthetic, and the OFM Essentials Racing Chair screams “Gamer” with its vibrant colors and radical design. It’s a simple chair, but it’s reasonably priced and a good choice for a budget-friendly setup. You might want to upgrade to a better, more adjustable gaming chair made of more durable materials.
Of course, you’ll need a camera and a microphone, and fortunately, you won’t have to spend a lot of money to get good gear. The Razer Kiyo can record in 1080p and has a ring light that helps to illuminate your stream and improve video quality. The Jlab Audio TALK GO microphone captures crisp, clear audio while also looking great. Volume control, a quick mute button, and two directional pattern modes are all included.
Best Mid-Tier Setup
What We Like
- High quality microphone
- PC is capable of running most games
- Good overall balance of quality and affordability
What We Don’t Like
- PC might struggle with max settings in the latest games
| Desk | Arozzi Arena | |
| Chair | Respawn 205 | |
| Desktop | HP Omen 30L | |
| Webcam | Logitech C922x Pro | |
| Mic | Razer Seiren X |
The HP Omen 30l is a good middle ground between performance and affordability if you’re looking for a balanced streaming and gaming experience. Most games can be played at high settings with its AMD Ryzen 7 3700X CPU, 16GB of RAM, and Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 GPU, though you won’t be able to play the latest games like Cyberpunk 2077 at maximum settings. With a 1TB hard drive and a small 256GB SSD, it has plenty of storage space and speeds up the entire system.
The Logitech C922x Pro is a great choice as a high-quality webcam for high-performance 1080p streaming, and the Razer Seiren X will deliver top-notch audio recording. This microphone has a sleek, compact design, a built-in shock mount, mute button, and a zero-latency 3.5mm headphone monitoring port.
With plenty of adjustments and both head and lumbar support cushions, the Respawn 205 racing style chair is ideal for marathon streaming sessions. This goes well with the Arozzi Arena Gaming Desk, which has a great design and a custom-sized mouse mat for the desktop. It has a cutout back design to help prevent overheating, as well as a great cable management system on the underside to keep your streaming setup neat and tidy.
Best High-End Setup
What We Like
- Premium quality gear
- High powered gaming PC
- Versatile camera
What We Don’t Like
- Expensive
| Desk | ApexDesk Elite Series |
| Chair | Razer Iskur |
| Desktop | Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 |
| Webcam | GoPro HERO9 Black |
| Mic | HyperX QuadCast S |
If money isn’t an issue, you can put together an exciting setup that will wow your viewers with audio and video quality, as well as deliver high-quality footage of the latest games. The Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 desktop PC, which, in addition to looking like a UFO, comes with an Nvidia RTX 2080 Super graphics card, 32GB of RAM, and an AMD Ryzen 9 3900 XT processor, as well as a 1 TB SSD, is at the heart of this high-end setup. You’ll be able to provide a spectacular high-end gaming experience to your audience with this.
You’ll want to use it with the HyperX QuadCast S microphone, which, in addition to a sturdy shockmount and built-in pop filter, has dynamic RGB lighting effects to give your stream some serious style. Similarly, the Razer Iskur is about as good as a gaming chair gets, and it’s just as comfortable as it is stylish. It has sculpted lumbar supports, as well as a variety of adjustable elements and high-density foam cushions.
To capture all of this flashy gamer bling, you’ll need a good camera, and the Gopro Hero 9 Black will do just that and more. While it’s a capable streaming machine, the Hero 9 Black, like other Gopros, is designed as an action camera with the ability to record both your deskbound video game adventures and your real-life travels. It can stream in 1080p and can be used anywhere there is a cellular signal when connected to your phone. It’s water- and shock-resistant, and it has incredible electronic image stabilization.
The ApeDesk Elite Series is difficult to beat for a desk. It has a lovely walnut finish on the top, as well as motorized height adjustment and a sturdy steel frame. This desk is the icing on the cake for an epic, albeit pricey, streaming setup.
Nice to Have
Mic Boom: Samson Microphone Boom Arm
Squatting with your mic on your desk is rarely the best way to get the best audio quality. With a mic boom, you can position your microphone for optimal quality while also saving space on your desk. The Samson Microphone Boom Arm is both inexpensive and high-quality, making it a great addition to your streaming setup.
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Key Light: Elgato Key Light Air
Too many people believe that buying a better camera is the only way to improve their video quality. Consider that investing in better lighting for your setup will likely deliver a much more noticeable boost in production quality before spending thousands on such an upgrade. The Elgato Key Light Air is a 1400 lumen light that you can control with a Wi-Fi-connected app on your smartphone. It’s a simple way to improve your video quality.
Capture Card: Elgato HD60 S
While you can easily capture gameplay footage on your PC, it may have an impact on game performance. You can eliminate this negative impact on your gaming experience by using the Elgato HD60 S, which also allows you to capture gameplay from the latest console platforms.
Stream Deck: Elgato Stream Deck Mini
When you’re streaming, you have to be able to do a lot of things quickly. If you’re only using a keyboard and mouse, everything from controlling your stream and interacting with your viewers to launching apps and activating in-game actions can be overwhelming. The Elgato Stream Deck Mini allows you to tie virtually any task on your PC to the six buttons on the stream deck, each with its own programmable LCD screen, greatly simplifying your streaming experience.
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Green Screen: LYLYCTY 5x7ft Green Screen
A green screen can be an excellent solution whether your room is a complete disaster or you want to create a more engaging environment for your viewers. The LYLYCTY green screen is 5×7 feet in size, easily filling the frame of your camera and allowing creators to express themselves more freely.
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