Are you looking for the best laptop to help take your streaming to the next level?
You need the right equipment to make your videos look professional. In this article, we will discuss the best laptops for streaming on services like YouTube or Twitch.
We'll cover everything from portability to performance so that you can make an informed decision about which laptop is right for you.
With the right laptop features, you'll be able to create professional-grade content with ease. You'll have all the power and performance you need to run intensive software and stream seamlessly without any lag or dropped frames.
Plus, we give you a range of picks in a variety of sizes and styles so that you can find the perfect one for your needs.
So whether you're a beginner or a pro, keep reading for the ultimate guide on the best streaming laptop for you!
How We Choose The Best Laptops For Streaming
It can be hard to know which is the best laptop for streaming, especially if you're not tech-savvy.
With so many different laptop versions on the market, it's hard to know which one is right for you. Do you go for a budget model or splurge on the latest and greatest? Do you need a lot of storage or will a small SSD be enough? And what about the GPU and CPU - are they good enough for video streaming?
We've done all the hard work for you. After reading thousands of online user and product reviews, and found the best laptops for streaming based on important features like GPU, CPU, RAM, Storage, and Display.
Whether you're looking for a budget option or are a gamer that needs the top-of-the-line, we've got you covered.
Best Non-Gaming Laptop For Streaming (Editors Pick)
2021 Apple MacBook Pro M1 14-inch
Why We Love It
If you're not streaming PC games, look no further. Mac laptops are long-time favorites among professional content creators for a reason, especially for video editing and streaming. Apple is largely synonymous with quality in the computer world, and they deliver powerful hardware with color-perfect displays right out of the box.
This is no normal laptop. M1-equipped Macs offer some of the best laptop CPU and GPU performance in the industry with long battery life and cool, quiet performance, in a lightweight package.
One thing that we cannot get enough of is Apple displays. Creators will love the MacBook Pro with the latest Liquid Retina XDR display, featuring realistic colors and contrast that will turn heads and make for easy viewing over extended periods.
Streaming means working with video, and working with video means you need to pay attention to your colors and lighting. Many entry-level streamers overlook this, but to make your work look professional this is a must. Apple is the category king here for making color-accurate displays.
If you want incredible performance that puts normal laptops to shame with the efficiency of a tablet, you certainly can’t go wrong with the 2021 MacBook Pro.
Specs At A Glance
| CPU: | Apple M1 Pro 8-core (10-core optional wM1 Max) |
| Graphics: | Apple M1 Pro 14-core (32-core optional w/M1 Max) |
| Screen: | 14.2” up to 16.2" Liquid Retina XDR |
| RAM: | 16GB (64TB optional) |
| Storage: | 512GB SSD (8TB optional) |
| Weight: | 14.2" model @ 3.5 lbs. 16.2” model @ up to 4.8 lbs. |
| Size: | 14.2" model @ 12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches 16.2” model @ 14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches |
| Battery Life: | Up to 17 hours (11 hours web) |
What You Should Know
The MacBook Pro has been an industry staple for more than a decade. But if you have not already bought into the Mac ecosystem then it can be an added expense to consider.
We love Macs for content creators, but there are some exceptions where you may want to go with a PC instead even if you prefer Macs. For example, the gaming industry is still largely dominated by PC compatibility. Because of this, we do not recommend buying a Mac if you plan to stream or play PC games.
For streaming, you may also need to purchase a separate USB-C hub with additional ports for your USB interfaces and Ethernet network cables. Ethernet no longer comes standard on Mac computers, but it is generally best practice to avoid wireless networking when live streaming.
Ready to take the plunge on a MacBook Pro but don't like the price? Don’t worry! If our pick is outside of your budget, there are still mid-range laptops from Apple that you may be able to afford.
There are other MacBook Pro models and even an Apple MacBook Air that can save you money. With Apple's new powerful chipset, even budget models are capable of streaming.
Why We Love It
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 Laptop is no normal laptop. It is designed for gamers who demand the best. If you plan to stream your gaming sessions, you will need a GPU that is up to the task. The Strix comes with one of the most powerful GPUs you can get for a laptop, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti which is easily up to the task.
Additionally, the fast 240hz 3ms QHD display comes with 100% DCI-P3 color accuracy, which means it will handle even the most demanding first-person shooters, while also providing accurate colors for your streams and videos.
The latest 12th generation Intel Core i9-12900H Processor combined with 32GB of RAM makes this laptop a powerhouse of performance. This will come in handy for simultaneous gaming and streaming. And even if you are not streaming your game sessions, the extra performance will allow you to get optimal latency between you and your audience.
Connectivity is also excellent and includes built-in Ethernet, HDMI, two USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, two USB-A, and a headphone/mic input. This will easily allow you to connect multiple displays and still have room left over to connect a capture card and an external audio interface.
Whether you're a gamer or not, you can't go wrong with the ROG Strix as your next streaming laptop!
Specs At A Glance
| CPU: | 12th generation Intel Core i9-12900H |
| Graphics: | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti |
| Screen: | 15.6” 240Hz IPS QHD (2560 x 1440) Display |
| RAM: | 16GB or 32GB |
| Storage: | 1TB SSD |
| Weight: | 5.07 lb. |
| Size: | 13.94 x 10.2 x 1.07 inches |
| Battery Life: | 1 - 6 hrs (depending on settings and load) |
What You Should Know
It's hard to find fault with the ROG Strix. After all, this is our premium pick as the best laptop for streaming. However, any laptop you use for streaming will mean tradeoffs.
Most laptops for gaming will be pretty loud under normal operation and even louder when stressed. The ROG Strix is definitely in that category and has a fairly loud fan when pushed. At the same time, you can expect a fair amount of GPU heat to go along with that.
The chassis is also fairly thick compared to some other options out there. This may be due to the fairly large battery, however, even with this, it has very short battery life. While you can run this on max performance with the battery, do not expect it to last. You are better off keeping it plugged in.
Lastly, the lack of a webcam surprises us; however, we think if you are doing any serious streaming you'll have your own camera anyway, and the inputs are more than enough to support a third-party camera.
All things considered, various other laptop versions do not come close to the ROG Strix performance. It is still one of the best gaming laptops for streaming that will serve even the most performance-minded people well.
Why We Love It
Introducing the Alienware M15 R6 laptop, a powerful and versatile machine that is perfect for gaming, streaming, and other demanding tasks.
The M15 R6 features a stunning 240Hz QHD display, making it ideal for high-resolution gaming and other graphics-intensive activities. Powered by an RTX 3080 GPU and an Intel Core i7-11800H CPU, this streaming laptop can handle even the most demanding games and applications with ease.
Additionally, the M15 R6 comes with excellent cooling, a sleek design, and a keyboard that many reviewers say is one of the most comfortable we've ever used.
The connectivity options are also plentiful, and you should have no problem connecting additional displays, Ethernet, video capture, and audio devices. And with the great brand reputation of Alienware and Dell, you can expect excellent support.
If your looking for a high-end machine, but our premium pick is outside of your budget, you can't go wrong with the Alienware M15 R6 as a close second.
Specs At A Glance
| CPU: | 11th generation Intel Core i7-11800H |
| Graphics: | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 |
| Screen: | 15.6” 240Hz QHD (2560 x 1440) Display |
| RAM: | 32GB |
| Storage: | 1TB SSD |
| Weight: | 5.93 lb. |
| Size: | 14.02 x 10.73 x 0.89 inches |
| Battery Life: | 3 - 7 hrs (depending on settings and load) |
What You Should Know
Alienware's M15 R6 found the perfect sweet spot between high-end gaming laptops and more practical everyday machines. It has all the hardware you need to play the latest games at max settings and streaming programs.
Alienware took a conservative approach with this design, which is simple and fairly efficient compared to most gaming laptops. This may be why GPU is capped at 165 watts, which means it might not be able to reach the highest possible frame rates. But for most people, this is more than enough and the performance still punches well above its weight class.
The battery life is on par with other gaming laptops, but if that worries you can squeeze a few extra hours out of it by adjusting the settings.
All in all, this is a fantastic choice for anyone in the market for a new laptop to stream with.
Why We Love It
Are you looking for a powerful and versatile laptop that can handle both gaming and streaming? Then check out the 2022 ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16!
This laptop has a beautiful design and is built with high-quality materials, so you know it's built to last. Plus, there are multiple configuration options available to fit your budget.
The display on the Zephyrus M16 is great, with a wide color gamut that brings your games to life and will suffice for video editing. And if you're planning on using this laptop for streaming, you'll be happy to know that it has plenty of I/O ports to accommodate all your gear.
So whether you're looking for a great gaming laptop or a versatile streaming machine, the Zephyrus M16 will get the job done.
Specs At A Glance
| CPU: | 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11900H |
| Graphics: | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 |
| Screen: | 16" WQXGA (2560 x 1600) 165Hz 3ms Display |
| RAM: | 16GB - 40GB |
| Storage: | 1TB SSD or better |
| Weight: | 4.19 lb. |
| Size: | 14 x 9.7 x 0.78 inches |
| Battery Life: | 1 - 8 hrs (depending on settings and load) |
What You Should Know
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is one of the best laptops for streaming or gaming with a few things to be aware of.
First, the battery life is decent for productivity and far better than some machines that we've looked at, but it is still not the best. However, it will get you through a working day if you are just surfing the web.
Second, while we like the case design, it is made from a black material that can collect smudges.
Third, like most gaming laptops it can get very loud and hot under heavy load, but this should not come as a surprise if you are looking at gaming rigs. If you need the power to encode video or play games, it's going to cost you by adding heat.
Overall, these are minor points and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is a great gaming and streaming laptop for the price!
Why We Love It
Are you looking for the best laptop for streaming and gaming that is lightweight, portable, has a fast display, and has great performance? All gaming laptops handle streaming, but few are practical for travel. Look no further than the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14!
This laptop has a sleek design that is perfect for gaming on the go and everyday use. The WQXGA display is fast and responsive, making it perfect for gaming or multitasking.
We've also noted that many people give the keyboard and trackpad high marks for comfort.
The battery life is also impressive for general use, so when you aren't gaming you can work all day without having to worry about recharging.
The selection of I/O ports is also excellent and will mean you don't have to worry about connecting the devices you would need for streaming.
The Zephyrus G14 is the perfect laptop for anyone who wants a good balance of style, speed, and performance in a portable package.
Specs At A Glance
| CPU: | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS |
| Graphics: | AMD Radeon RX 6700S |
| Screen: | 14" WQXGA IPS (2560 x 1600) 120Hz Display |
| RAM: | 16GB - 40GB |
| Storage: | 1TB SSD or better |
| Weight: | 3.64 lb. |
| Size: | 12.76 x 8.74 x 0.7 inches |
| Battery Life: | 1 - 10 hrs (depending on settings and load) |
What You Should Know
When it comes to portable gaming laptops, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a great option to consider.
It's important to keep in mind that you're sacrificing a bit for that portability. In this case, you get a less powerful AMD CPU and GPU with some thermal throttling. However, this laptop will still get the job done and is more than capable of playing most games on high settings at 1080p.
Keep in mind that this laptop's screen is also fairly small which lends to its portability. Streaming on just the laptop is doable but could be a challenge so you may want to use external displays.
It's also worth mentioning that it does tend to get hot and loud under heavy load, but that's to be expected with any gaming laptop.
Overall, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a great option for gamers who are looking for the best laptop for streaming that offers good portability without breaking the bank.
Why We Love It
When it comes to high-powered laptops, it's hard to find one that is quiet. Well, look no further than the XPG Zenia 15 KC!
This laptop is one of the quietest gaming laptops we've seen. It includes an easy-to-use performance toggle that activates passive cooling, making it perfect for use in a variety of situations where you need to trade performance to minimize noise. This is especially helpful when streaming video.
The battery life is also impressive, with up to 8 hrs in airplane mode. Plus, the Intel Core i7 CPU provides excellent performance for demanding games and applications.
Lastly, there's plenty of I/O connectivity for running various displays and A/V devices, which most streamers will appreciate.
So if you're looking for the best laptop for streaming that won't make a lot of noise, the XPG Xenia 15 KC should be at the top of your list.
Specs At A Glance
| CPU: | 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H |
| Graphics: | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 |
| Screen: | 15.6” QHD (2560 x 1440) 165Hz IPS Display |
| RAM: | 32GB |
| Storage: | 1TB SSD or better |
| Weight: | 4.00 lb. |
| Size: | 14 x 9.2 x 0.81 inches |
| Battery Life: | Up to 8 hrs (depending on settings and load) |
What You Should Know
The XPG Xenia 15 KC is the best laptop for streaming if you care about noise but don't want to sacrifice performance. It is one of the lightest gaming laptops on the market, and its generic design makes it easy to carry with you.
However, while it still has great performance, it is not the most powerful option on the market. To get the quietest operation, you do lose quite a bit of performance, up to 19% based on some reviews we've read.
The display is also very good with a great color gamut but suffers a bit in brightness.
Overall, if you are looking for a streaming laptop that is portable and has great performance, then the XPG Xenia 15 KC is a great option for you.
Why We Love It
ASUS has been in the business of making top-quality laptops for many years now, and they have consistently delivered by providing innovative and powerful machines at a variety of price points. The TUF Dash 15 is their budget-friendly line, and it does not disappoint.
This laptop is designed for gaming, but it is also versatile enough to be used for a variety of other purposes. It has a sleek and attractive design, and it comes configurable in a range of hardware options to suit your needs and budget.
Whether you are looking for a powerful machine to stream your most demanding games or a more affordable option for casual use, the TUF Dash 15 is a great choice.
Specs At A Glance
| CPU: | 11th gen Intel Core i7-11370H 12th gen 2022 model |
| Graphics: | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (or 3060) |
| Screen: | 15.6" FHD 1080p 144Hz Display |
| RAM: | 8GB - 16GB |
| Storage: | 512TB SSD |
| Weight: | 4.4 lb. |
| Size: | 14.17 x 9.92 x 0.78 inches |
| Battery Life: | 1 to 7 hrs (depending on settings and load) |
What You Should Know
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 is the best laptop for streaming if cost is a concern, but there are a few tradeoffs to consider.
We think that it has a great-looking and versatile design, but some people may find that it has a budget feel due to hard corners and budget lighting. And while it does have a good selection of I/O, some of the ports are inconveniently placed and somewhat squeezed together.
One major trade-off for the price is the average 1080p display that comes with the lowest price offering. We would recommend upgrading to the better 300Hz or QHD options if you can afford it.
The 144Hz version is fairly poor, including color accuracy with only 70% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. This may be a concern if you will heavily edit video directly on the laptop screen, although, less so if plan to use external displays.
The cooling design is also very similar to the Zephyrus series, so you can expect it to get pretty loud if you are pushing it in turbo mode, but that can be minimized when not gaming.
However, despite these drawbacks, the TUF Dash 15 is still an excellent laptop for the budget-minded and has a lot to offer. It's a great choice for anyone looking for a powerful and stylish laptop that doesn't break the bank.
Buyer's Guide - How To Make An Informed Choice
A laptop for running online video streaming can be a fairly basic video platform. However, certain features can drastically improve the performance when streaming videos or games.
Even if you are not a gamer, if your machine runs games very well, that's a good indicator of a potentially great streaming rig. So if you narrow your search to gaming computers that is a good starting point.
This guide will help to inform you on what to look for beyond that.
Display / Screen
A laptop's display is important for more than just high-definition gaming or movies. Ensuring accurate image quality is critical for video editing and streaming videos. A good HD display should have high brightness, great contrast, and a wide color gamut.
Brightness is important because it ensures that you can see the image quality clearly, even in well-lit rooms. Contrast is important because it allows you to see both the very dark and very light parts of the image.
A wide color gamut means that the display can show a wider range of colors, which is important for accurate color reproduction.
Muti-display setups also help as you can have one screen for monitoring the stream, and another for streaming software.
All of these factors are important for video editing and streaming videos. A good display can make a huge difference in the quality of your work and helps to set apart professionals from hobbyists.
Keyboard And Trackpad
A laptop keyboard and trackpad are less important if you are only streaming videos, but if you are gaming and streaming directly on your laptop then it will likely be a critical component.
In most cases, we would recommend that you game with a dedicated external mouse if possible. However, both a trackpad and keyboard can work. What you look for typically comes down to personal tastes, and what you are used to.
Gaming with a trackpad can tricky if you are not used to it. In most cases, you will want to look for a trackpad that is large, not overly sensitive, or is at least adjustable, and preferably has gesture capabilities.
Keyboards on the other hand are a bit more generic and depend on what you are used to. Some people like very low-profile, minimalist-style keyboards for gaming, while others like a more traditional feel.
The best gaming keyboards are typically mechanical as they offer the fastest response, have adjustable RGB lighting that is helpful in low-light conditions, and have programmable keys and macros.
Operating System
While streaming can be done on a variety of operating systems, your choices will most likely come down to Apple Mac OS, or Windows.
Your choice here is really very simple. Are you a Mac user, and not planning to stream any games? Then you will want to pick a Mac OS-based laptop. Everyone else will want to select a PC capable of running the latest version of Windows 10 or 11.
Processor
Processors (or CPU) on modern desktops and laptops continue to evolve. What was once state of the art only a few years ago is now considered obsolete. As new processors come out, operating systems and applications are updated to take full advantage of them, so it becomes a constant race towards progress.
Laptop manufacturers will often save on processor costs first by using outdated or poor-performing processors in their budget models. This means that you can expect budget computers to show their age much sooner than their latest and greatest counterparts. At the same time, you can usually expect the more expensive machines to have a better processor.
Our simple recommendation is to always buy the most expensive laptop you can afford, and avoid budget machines unless you can’t help it. Slower processors will have a more significant negative effect on gaming performance and video editing than if you are strictly live streaming online videos.
A good rule of thumb is to avoid anything lower than an Intel Core i5 or an AMD Ryzen 5.
Graphics
A powerful graphics GPU not only gives you the best gaming performance, but the right one can offload some of the computing required when rendering photos and videos, improving rendering speeds on your laptop. This can be a major improvement to your workflow, and help to reduce latency while live streaming games.
Unfortunately, laptops notoriously have fewer graphics options than desktops, because high-end graphics GPUs consume enormous amounts of power and emit more heat.
However, there are still options available. Laptop manufacturers have been able to incorporate less powerful GPUs, and some even come close to what you may find on a desktop. You will typically find these in laptops dedicated to gaming, which is the reason most of our recommendations center on these types of machines.
The most important thing you will want to look for in a graphics card is whether it has integrated graphics or a secondary graphics card. A secondary graphics card will typically be of the Nvidia GTX/RTX or AMD Radeon variety.
An integrated graphics card such as the Intel Iris xe graphics may give you good streaming performance to stream movies or run live HD streaming, but at some point, you will likely want to edit the video as well.
A secondary graphics card will drastically speed up your workflow. It is also a necessity if you plan to live stream a game from the same machine.
We recommend sticking with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series for the best performance. However, if you are on a budget and don't mind very long video rendering times, the Nvidia GTX or AMD Radeon RX series will work fine as well.
RAM
Picking the right amount of RAM is easier than you might think. As with our recommendation on processors, more is usually always better.
Operating systems today are using more RAM and storage capacity out of the box than ever before. But as computers become more capable, this is inevitable.
RAM is like your short-term memory. As you run applications, your laptop will use RAM to store information for quick access. The more RAM you have, the more programs you can run at the same time. If you use more than you have, your computer substitutes your local storage drive instead, making your laptop seem sluggish.
RAM is especially important for both gaming and streaming purposes, and even more so for video editing.
We consider 8GB of RAM to be the absolute minimum for most laptops today. However, if you plan to run more than a couple of applications at a time, you would be wise to start your search at no less than 16GB.
Storage
A storage drive is primarily designed for long-term data storage such as your operating system, applications, and personal data. It doesn't need to be as fast as RAM.
However, the speed and free capacity of your storage drive do affect your overall laptop performance, which is why newer models now offer an SSD storage option.
SSD storage is short for solid-state drive and is a type of storage device with no moving parts. This allows your storage to run faster and be less affected by physical damage, which is a very useful thing for a laptop! For example, SSDs load games faster and enable smooth playback of large video files.
Optimally, no less than a 512MB SSD storage will do in our opinion, unless you are on a tight budget. In that case, you can get by with 256GB, but you may want to also consider an additional external storage device. If you intend to store large photos or videos, you may want an even larger drive.
Battery Life
Battery life on a laptop is very much a personal preference and has almost everything to do with travel.
When using your laptop from home, you will most likely keep your laptop plugged in throughout the day, so long battery life will not matter that much. This will also be necessary on some laptops to get the best performance. It’s not until you take your laptop on the road that the battery starts to matter.
It’s important to know that manufacturers sometimes inflate their battery life estimates. For this reason, we prefer to read first-hand buyer reviews regarding how good battery life is and not make decisions based on specs alone.
In general, we do not consider battery life to be an important factor when picking a gaming or streaming rig since you will almost always want to run it plugged in for the best stability and performance.
Connectivity
Second to processor and graphics, the connectivity options on your laptop may be the next most important factor to consider for a solid streaming system.
USB
USB ports are critical for solid performance. Any laptop will still need third-party devices to improve your stream.
As you graduate from a built-in webcam and become a more professional streamer, you will likely need to run a separate video camera and/or video capture card to get the best quality video.
At the same time, audio quality is also critical so you will want to avoid the built-in audio input/output and use an external audio device so that you can run professional quality microphones. A good gaming headset can work as well. These typically require USB-A or USB-C connectivity, depending on the device you choose.
Also, don't overlook the need for enough USB ports to also power one or more external drives, a keyboard, a mouse, and possibly USB-powered lighting.
Video Output
Professional video streaming platforms will also likely need multi-display connectivity as the small laptop screen simply will not do. In fact, multi-display setups are a standard for any professional.
You will need to look for multi-display connections in the form of 2 or more HDMI outputs or Thunderbolt/DisplayPorts.
Ethernet
Another critical thing that many entry-level streamers overlook is the availability of wired Ethernet with an excellent internet connection.
Like online gaming, a wired connection is the best as streaming requires very low latency and high quality of service.
The last thing that you want is for your stream to either go offline due to Wi-Fi interference or have a large delay between your video feed and your audience. We've seen high latency streams cause chaos with live audience Q&A due to the stream being several minutes behind what the presenter sees.
Wired Ethernet can even help a basic streaming platform support high-quality streaming.
Laptop FAQs
You want to buy the best laptop for streaming, but don't know where to start.
It can be tough to figure out which laptop is right for you when there are so many different models and brands on the market.
What if you're not just streaming YouTube videos. What if you are planning to stream videos or games on Twitch? How do you know if the stream will impact your gaming performance or vice versa?
We've researched and compiled a list of frequently asked questions to better help decide what's right for you.
Which type of laptop is best for streaming?
There are lot of factors here. As a general rule, a laptop with a good graphics card is best for streaming.
When streaming content, you want to have a computer that can handle the high-resolution video. Laptops with dedicated graphics cards (rather than integrated graphics) are generally better equipped to handle this type of activity.
So if you're looking for a laptop that is specifically good for streaming, make sure to check its specs to see if it has a good graphics card.
If you are also gaming, you will likely prefer a PC over a Mac as PCs will generally have better support for most popular games.
Do I need a powerful laptop for streaming?
Not necessarily. If your laptop has an Intel Core i5 or above processor with at least 8GB of RAM, it should be able to handle most streaming tasks. However, if you're looking to do more intensive tasks such as gaming or video editing, then you'll need a more powerful processor and more RAM.
You should also consider what resolution you plan to stream in. For example, a budget machine can generally handle 720p easily, but as you go up in quality the hardware and network bandwidth requirements go up drastically. Even if the machine can handle it, streamers often overlook that encoding high-resolution video adds latency.
This can cause delay issues with your stream if you are being interactive with your audience. Very few laptops can handle 4K streaming without adding unacceptable latency.
What is a good cheap laptop for streaming?
Many factors determine what is a cheap laptop that can handle streaming. This is largely dependent on what your particular needs are. You can stream on almost any modern PC if you are willing to sacrifice latency or streaming quality.
However, you will generally want something with a recent i5 or better CPU, a separate dedicated GPU, and no less than 8GB of RAM to stream 720p or 1080p content.
Can I stream with a gaming laptop?
Absolutely! Gaming laptops are often the most ideal platform for streaming, as the hardware requirements typically mirror that for streaming and post-video editing.
Also, many streamers today like to stream their gaming sessions, so having a laptop that can play all your games means that you already have what you need to stream it.
What specs do I need for streaming?
This depends on what your streaming needs are. Streaming a demanding PC game means that your hardware requirements should first be tailored to what the game demands. That's the easiest way to determine your streaming requirements.
If you are not a gamer, then the biggest factor will be what resolution and how much latency you can tolerate. On the low end, most modern PCs with a recent i5 or better CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a budget-level Nvidia GPU would be adequate.
If you plan to do post-video editing and need error-free 1080p streams with low latency, then an i7 CPU and a high-end Nvidia GTX or RTX would be better.
Video lighting and color accuracy are also important, so you will want a good quality display with accurate colors. Few budget laptops will have this, but most will allow you to connect external displays.
I/O should also be sufficient to support wired Ethernet for internet stability, and plenty of USB ports for video capture devices and audio interfaces.
How much RAM do I need for streaming?
The amount of RAM depends on how many things you are running simultaneously. 8GB is generally the lowest recommended amount of RAM for any laptop nowadays, and that will also suffice for most streaming tools. However, 16GB is a better standard to shoot for.
What CPU is best for streaming?
There isn't a "best" CPU for streaming, as it depends on several factors. For example, if you're looking to stream 4K video at 60fps, you'll need a more powerful CPU than if you're just streaming 1080p video at 30fps. Additionally, the software you're using can make a difference in how much power you need.
That said, some CPUs are better suited for streaming than others. For example, Intel's Core i7 series is often considered to be the best choice for streaming, as they offer good performance and value for money. AMD's Ryzen 7 series is also a popular choice among streamers.
Do you need a good graphics card for streaming?
As with most things, it depends on many factors and what you are streaming. If you are streaming games, a good graphics card is essential.
For general video streaming, if you have a good, stable internet connection with a high upload speed, then you may not need a good graphics card for streaming video. However, if your internet connection is unstable or has a low upload speed, then you may need a good graphics card to avoid lag and buffering.
Also, most streamers will be doing some level of post-video editing, and a good graphics card will also make this significantly easier.
Does streaming use CPU or GPU?
Interestingly enough, both the CPU and GPU are used when streaming video. The CPU is responsible for handling the decompression of the video file and then sending it to the GPU for decoding and displaying purposes. So, while streaming does use some processing power from both components, it's not as much as you might think.
How do I optimize my computer for streaming?
To optimize your computer for streaming, there are a few things you can do. First, make sure that you have a good internet connection. Secondly, close any applications that you're not using, as they can take up valuable resources.
Finally, adjust your computer's settings so that priority is given to the streaming application. By following these simple steps, you'll be able to ensure that your computer is optimized for streaming and will be able to provide you with the best possible experience.
What's The Best Laptop For You?
After countless hours of research, we’ve come up with the best laptops for streaming.
Whether you need a powerhouse laptop that can handle any game or video editing software out there, or if you’re looking for something more affordable that will still let you stream basic video in HD quality, we’ve got you covered.
Here are our picks again to help you decide! All these laptops will get the job done and more.
Best Non-Gaming Laptop For Streaming (Editors Pick)
2021 Apple MacBook Pro M1 14-inch
Best High-End Gaming Laptop For Streaming
Alternative High-End Gaming Laptop For Streaming
Best Mid-Range Laptop For Streaming
Best Portable Laptop For Streaming
Best Quiet Laptop For Streaming
Best Budget Laptop For Streaming
Thanks for reading, and good luck!
Adam
