Month: July 2021

This year crypto and the global chip shortage have dramatically inflated prices on PC components, specifically CPUs and GPUs. In fact, if you took a look at the video we published earlier this year about building a streaming PC, most of the builds we’ve looked at have doubled in price! These are the centerpieces of any new PC build and are especially important for determining the performance of your streaming PC. So what is an amazing streamer to do? Well, if you don’t mind some compromises, in this post we’re going to take a look at how you can snag yourself a cheap live streaming PC in 2021.

Criteria

One of the first things I’d like to point out is that no brands were involved in this, which is the case with all our content unless otherwise stated, the opinions here are purely subjective! – Ed

Our goal is to find a cheap live streaming PC that can encode a decent quality 60fps 1080p stream, on the GPU side, it will mean we lean toward NVIDIA since NVENC is such a powerful encoding tool for gaming and event streamers. On the CPU side, it’s basically dead even between Intel and AMD, all that matters is whichever gives the most cores at the cheapest price. Also, the focus will be people using these machines as dedicated streaming PCs rather than your primary gaming machine, so keep that in mind.

Custom Build

First up, this one is for all the diehard PC enthusiasts that only build their own machines. Now, if you’re planning to game and stream on the same PC, this isn’t going to be the build for you. You either have to eat the scalper’s tax to get a decent GPU or take a look at some of the laptop options we’ll discuss later on. But if you’re just building a cheap living streaming PC dedicated purely to encoding, then you have some choices.

Basically, you’re going for the CPU that will give you the best value. So, you’ll have to go back a couple of generations and go for a 10th Gen i7 or a 1st GEN AMD Threadripper, both of which clock in under $300 USD. Get the thread ripper if you’ll have a lot of capture card inputs and go for the i7 if it will just be your streaming PC. Both will allow encoding a solid 1080p stream.

I’ve linked some potential builds below, but you can make this even cheaper if you can use any spare parts you may have available.

PC 1 (AMD): https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pNgNt8
PC 2 (Intel): https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WqBYsX

Pre-built

If you’re going to want the latest and greatest components for your streaming PC, well you’re going to have to go to the land of pre-builds. These are the only options for getting access to the latest AMD and NVIDIA GPUS for reasonable prices. For some of the more boutique stores, you’re likely going to get the best prices from iBUYPOWER and Cyberpower, Linus Tech Tips actually did an amazing video where they go through the buying experience from different PC manufacturers.

Of the big boys like Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, etc it really depends on your region. I have to say that going back to Linus’ video, I would be inclined to give HP a try, especially their Omen series. They have 10th gen Intel PCs with 20 series GPUs that are great starting points for any game and event streamers looking for a cheap live streaming PC.

Laptops

Finally, chances are one of the best places you’ll find a deal on streaming PCs are laptops. Mainly because retailers constantly have to clear out supplies every year to make space for all the new toys that get announced at CES, Computex, and the like. So for a laptop, we’re primarily looking for two things, at least a 1660 GPU and thunderbolt ports.

MSI makes great gaming laptops with both, and it’s a thin and light laptop which means you’ll be able to take it with you to events or just keep it tucked away at home. The 1660 means you’ll have access to the best version of NVENC and the thunderbolt port means you can add an enclosure to install multiple capture cards.

Now if for some reason you need a gaming monster, Gigabyte’s aero line is usually a good bet, but with the 30 series cards one important thing to note is that the cards will have different wattages which will affect their performance, so be sure to check that if that is important to you for gaming.

Finally, there’s always a ton of refurbished laptops on the larger manufacturer’s sites, so be sure to check these sections as you can get an amazing deal on a like-new laptop.

We hope we have saved you a few bucks and got you up and streaming with this blog, but be sure to let us know the cheap live streaming setups you’ve made in the comments!

Having a dedicated gaming mouse can make all the difference when playing and streaming games but finding a cheap one can be tough. They often feature more buttons than a standard mouse, allowing for full control customization. They also tend to be more accurate and reactive when you need to make those precision shots. If you’re engaging in long gaming sessions through the night, then you might also want to consider how ergonomic your mouse is. Let’s have a look at what features you can expect in an affordable gaming mouse in 2021.

How many buttons do you need?

Extra mouse buttons allow for quicker input, which can make the difference between life and death in a gaming situation. In addition to the two standard buttons, an affordable gaming mouse will hopefully offer some side buttons or even trigger buttons. The Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed, for example, features six buttons, which can be customized further by creating macros to offer secondary use functionality.

For MMO players, check out the Redragon M908 Impact. You’re unlikely to find another cheap gaming mouse with 18 programmable buttons plus LED backlighting – it’s perfect for casting different spells or activating a vast range of abilities in a MOBA.

The comfort of ergonomics

If you plan on spending long sessions streaming or gaming, you need an affordable gaming mouse that’s comfortable in your hand. The Razer Basilisk V2 has a longer, angular shape, textured rubber grip, and thumb rest that allow for comfortable use over extended periods.

The other option you could look at is a vertical mouse like the DELUX M618 Plus. It looks like a hybrid between a joystick and a regular mouse. The vertical form of the mouse might take some getting used to, but it’s designed to fit your natural grip better. Its unusual shape should help prevent hand fatigue and reduce muscular strain.

Wired or wireless?

When you’re streaming games, it’s highly recommended that you use a wired Ethernet cable rather than rely on Wi-Fi, which can drop and affect the quality of your stream. However, the same rule does not necessarily apply to wireless mice.

The wireless Corsair Harpoon, for instance, is a relatively affordable gaming mouse, especially from this high-end brand, and removes the need for wires cluttering your desk. It comes packed with Corsair’s Slipstream wireless technology, which means you could reach latency speeds of under 1ms. The battery will last for 30 hours in Slipstream mode or 60 hours if you switch to the power-saving Bluetooth mode. For a wireless mouse with longer battery life, check out the aforementioned Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed, which offers ultra-fast wireless performance for up to 285 hours on a single charge.

Pinpoint accuracy for FPS sniper shots

For some games, the DPI of your mouse may not matter considerably, but for FPS games like the Counter-Strike or Call of Duty series, you need pinpoint accuracy to pull off game-winning shots. The Corsair Sabre RBG Pro has been designed and tested by esport professionals for this very purpose, with an 18,000 DPI optical sensor and 450 IPS tracking at up to 50G acceleration.

An alternative is the aforementioned ergonomic Razer Basilisk V2, with a 20,000 DPI optical sensor designed to detect the slightest movement. Similarly, the wireless Basilisk X HyperSpeed features a 5G advanced optical sensor with 16,000 DPI to track your every move with ultra-fine precision.

Finding the right affordable gaming mouse can reduce your input lag and make for better streams thanks to some better gaming skills on display. You also want to make sure you have a gaming keyboard that is just as durable and as fast as your mouse, something we will cover in a future post so be sure to head back to the blog for more on that! What mouse do you use? Be sure to let us know your favorite gaming mouse in the comments below!

When it comes to upgrading your streaming equipment, we’ve argued a few times that audio is the first thing to pay attention to. Clarity of voice to most viewers can be more important than the quality of a webcam. Once you have a decent mic, however, you might be wondering how you can get that deep, boomy, bassy-sounding microphone tone that you hear in podcasts, talk radio, and basically any spoken word on the internet. Content creators have been replicating it for a little while now so we’re going to take a look at how you can recreate this professional microphone sound.

Placement

The most important thing straight off the bat for a professional microphone sound is microphone placement. The closer the microphone is to your mouth, the better it will pick up your voice and not your room. Many microphones have what is known as the proximity effect, which means the closer the microphone is, the greater the amount of lower frequencies (bassy sounds) are picked up. Some microphones like the EV RE-20 actually have tech built in to limit this effect, but basically, if you want to sound like Barry White, you gotta get close to that mic.

One important thing to consider with placement is how you will mount your mic. Articulating arms are pretty common, but can get pricey. If you have desk space, a simple microphone stand is always a good option. Get one with a nice weighted base that can go on your desk, this will minimize the amount of noise made if you’re using a keyboard at the same time.

Type of microphone

As I mentioned, different microphones have their own unique purposes and you should pick the correct microphone for your use case rather than trying to get a microphone that can do everything. That being said, the gold standard mic is the Shure SM7B. Pretty much any podcast and most streamers these days are using this mic for professional microphone sound. It doesn’t pick up too much background noise and the proximity effect will give you those quiet storm vibes

If you don’t have the budget, the Shure MV7 is basically the cheaper version and functionally the same with the addition being a USB mic. Other devices that work well are the Rode Podcaster and the classic Shure SM58. Types of microphones for content creators is something we’ve discussed here before so be sure to check out this handy guide!

EQ and Compressor

Now you’ve got the right microphone and it’s placed in the perfect spot, but you’re just not getting the professional microphone sound that you want? Well, now it’s time to add some EQ to the mix. XSplit Broadcaster has DSP plugins built-in and one of them is the EQ. Basically, EQs lets you target and boost or lower certain frequencies. Now everyone’s voice is different which means you will have to experiment to find the right frequency, but generally speaking around the 100-200 range is what you want to boost if you want more bass or presence. If you’re looking for more clarity, try the 4000-6000 range as well.

Setting up the EQ in XSplit Broadcaster is simple, simply head to Tools and click Audio Effects, which will open up a host of settings you can tweak. Applying some compression can help achieve a certain tone as well. As we’ve said, all voices are different so feel free to experiment and find that tone you want!

Now one thing we omitted is hardware compressors and EQ. That’s a bit outside the scope of this article, but the most important part is to get the right mic and get it as close as possible. This will really be a big factor in getting that professional microphone sound. If hardware compressors are something you’d like us to discuss, however, do let us know in the comments below and we can get a post out about them!

In the early days of streaming, it was miraculous enough just to get a stream online and stable. Nowadays, streaming is accessible to everyone, you can use your smartphone, any PC, or even a console. Streaming is easier than ever and this means there are more people streaming than ever, so while having a technically sound stream used to be good enough to start building an audience, there’s more competition than ever. So how do you stand out in a crowded market? Well, one solution we’ll talk about, is building a narrative!

What is “building a narrative”?

Well, it’s just a fancy way of saying you need to build a story with your stream or a “narrative hook” which is a term used to describe the key point of interest in a story. And like all stories, there needs to be a beginning, middle, and end. And like most stories, there needs to be a hero, which is you the streamer, and a goal that you will achieve. So what are some examples of streams with a narrative?

One example is speed-running streams. The beginning is the speedrunner practicing their runs, the middle is attempting the runs and the end is achieving a new personal best or record. The overarching goal is to get the world record for that game. But speedrunning a game takes immense amounts of practice and what if you’re not a hardcore gamer or your content isn’t focused on gaming at all?

If you’re planning to do IRL streaming, it’s good to give your streams a purpose for that day. It can be useful to follow cues from vloggers who generally focus their videos on one aspect of their daily life. So, your IRL stream for that day can be about achieving a particular goal, such as cooking your first pizza, which means your 3 act structure is getting the ingredients, cooking the pizza, and eating the food.

This also helps engage viewers who may join your stream late, they can quickly catch up on what part of your adventure you are on. I feel this is why battle royale games have been so popular for streaming, each match basically tells a different story. The goal is to survive, the beginning is looting, the middle is surviving until the final circle and the end is if you win or not.

The Long Story

What we’ve discussed so far is basically for single streams. It can be quite hard to come up with creative ideas for each and every stream you do. So what you can do is create storylines that will last over a period of time. Fundraising works really well with this. Whether it’s for personal benefit or charity, having a fundraising goal is a great way to get people to watch and support you.

Subathons are a great example of this content. The goal is how long can the streamer keep broadcasting. Other forms of this content are long-form art projects, like woodworking or cosplay. It can also be achieving a goal, like in games with global rankings, it can be your race to be #1 in the rankings or trying to achieve the highest gamerscore possible on Xbox live. Maybe you have a backlog of games you wished you beat when you were a kid and couldn’t afford. Maybe you want to start a podcast revisiting the albums of your youth or old cartoons.

One important note is if you are planning long-form or serial content, make sure you do a good job archiving as well so new viewers can get up to speed quickly. One of my favorite pieces of long-form content was video game championship wrestling, which emulated WWE-style storylines with video game characters. The community built a whole wiki page around the federation so new and lapsed viewers could revisit and catch up on storylines.

This can also be a great way to approach playing a narrative game, for example, Chris here at XSplit once streamed LA Noire, which already has a narrative flowing through but added the idea that his character was “the backward detective”, which essentially meant walking/driving backward at all times. This made the journey of Cole Phelps, the Backwards Detective, all the more exciting as parts of the game were completed.

The Never-Ending Story

Now I know I said every story has a beginning, middle, and end, but sometimes there doesn’t have to be an end. Sometimes there’s content that can just go on forever, and it’s more about the interactions the character has, rather than a storyline.

A good example of this is GTA RP, where the player develops the character and works on inserting them into a variety of situations and interactions with other role players. VR Chat works in the same manner as well. Create your avatar, explore some worlds and talk with other characters.

Also, something like a D&D stream (something we have discussed with Felicia Day and Tanya De Pass) can take this route where while you tell tales with beginnings, middles and ends the characters themselves can go from campaign to campaign. The audience gets to know them better and past events will always help shape future ones so it’s a great thing to consider if you want to build your narrative across streams.

Let the audience tell the story

Now the beauty of streaming is that it is interactive, unlike movies or novels, the audience can change the story and the onus is on the streamer to give the audience these tools. Some of these are staples of streaming, like sub-goals and donation rewards, if you haven’t set these up, then you should as you’re just tossing away potential income for your stream. All you need to do is add a web URL link as a source in XSplit Broadcaster. (Simply get the web URL from the service you’re using to get donations, set up alerts and ctrl+v that link into Broadcaster!)

Other things to do are adding lists of activities as a stream overlay or in your stream title. One good way to encourage engagement is to have a poll after you complete an activity to ask the audience what you will do next. Now you probably don’t want to make all aspects of your life a choose your own adventure type ordeal, but it’s going to give the viewers some type of influence into what they are watching.

Basically, you should always experiment with the format of your content. What have you found successful as a narrative device for your streams? Let us know in the comment section and if there’s anything else you would like us to discuss, that’s the place to do it!