Complete Streamer Setup

Mutterings from a streaming N00B

As you'll see, many of these components are OLD; some are VERY OLD. However, this post's point shows how I'm streaming and highlights how high-quality, low latency streaming is possible with repurposed gear. I also hope this list of components helps inspire you, maybe to reclaim some old equipment, repurpose something, or try things out.

When I started streaming, I had literally no idea what I was doing. I've been in developing cloud technologies for a long time, I've built systems to manage data-centers, and I've generally been a nerd for most of my life; so I had an idea of what was required from the technology standpoint but making it all go has been an adventure.

If you've followed my adventure thus far, you know I've enjoyed playing games, but really light up when I get to talk about the data and hardware. At this point in my streaming career, I can't help you grow your stream, and I have no sage wisdom on what to do while broadcasting; you should check out Harris Heller for that. That being said, I can help you build your stream; the lower level networking and encoding are what sparks joy for me. I would love to talk about components and their use cases, and it would be a delight to dive into the functionality of different pieces of technology.

Stream Components

This post is an itemized list of all the components I'm using to stream to Facebook, Youtube, and Twitch. While this is a lot of components, I didn't purchase a lot of these things recently. I've been accumulating stuff over the years and have cobbled my set from leftover or otherwise unused gear.

Streaming/Gaming/Workstation PC

The streaming/gaming/workstation PC I'm using was built years ago. I bought the Ryzen CPU when Ryzen first launched.

Component Link
CPU Ryzen 7 1700x https://amzn.to/35ckizL
Corsair water cooler https://amzn.to/352Om0B
Corsair 16 GiB RAM https://amzn.to/3gZILdQ
GPU Pulse RX580 https://amzn.to/3m1ltYK
1000W PSU https://amzn.to/3lRaVLx
Gigabyte Motherboard https://amzn.to/2Z8W71c
Case Fractal Design https://amzn.to/3gXhAQF

Dedicated Encoding GPU

My streaming/gaming/workstation PC has two graphics cards. To better enable stream encoding, my second GPU is setup as a discrete graphics card. As noted, above the RX580 graphics card is OLD, but its perfectly capable of playing AAA games and encoding/transcoding a stream.

Component Link
GPU Pulse RX580 Over clocked @ 1436

Control PC

Because I do not have multiple monitors, I use an OLD laptop to connect to my streaming PC. This laptop is used as my tinker toy and thin client while streaming. My streaming PC's connection is performed using Remote Desktop on Windows 10, all using built-in (free) technology. The laptop I'm using has a 256 GiB NVME storage device and has 16 GiB of LPDDR3.

Component Link
Lenovo, 4Th Gen, X1 Carbon Amazon Search for this machine
256 GiB NVME Storage https://amzn.to/2QUPrPB

Networking

The networking gear is used to connect my various machines and consoles to a single switch. While generally overlooked, internal network connectivity is essential for a high definition stream, especially when using a multi-computer setup.

Component Link
Studio Switch Unifi US-8-60 https://amzn.to/3h0EDtY
Gateway Unifi USG https://amzn.to/331a8im

Microphone

The microphone setup I'm using is new. One of the things I ended up buying for the stream was a quality microphone setup. While this is an extra expense, I decided it was needed to get a high-quality stream. Some might argue that the camera is more important, but I would say the audio is the most essential part of any stream. Without good audio, your viewers are going to hate watching you. An old or mediocre camera is a lot more acceptable if you provide your viewers with an excellent audio experience.

New
Component Link
Blue Yeti X https://amzn.to/3i1HhAS
Shock Mount https://amzn.to/3i18ALF
Adjustable Boom https://amzn.to/3i10rqG
Old
Component Link
Sennheiser GSP 600 https://amzn.to/31XfbBf

Camera

The old Canon camera works great, though it does have some quirks given its age.

Watch my video on using this old camera for live streaming

Component Link
Canon t4i https://amzn.to/3bzFYXx
Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens https://amzn.to/2QVUyPz
Mount https://amzn.to/2Z7NEvj

Peripherals

Everything except the KVM switch and USB hub was purchased to start console streaming.

New for stream
Component Link
1080p 30FPS USB capture card (camera) https://amzn.to/3jZKYrF
Razer Ripsaw HD (game play) https://amzn.to/331gfDk
Elgato Stream deck https://amzn.to/355snG9
Existing
Component Link
Displayport KVM Switch https://amzn.to/3br0byC
7 port USB 3.0 Hub https://amzn.to/35diRke

Head set

Component Link
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro https://amzn.to/3i5ikEM

Desk

Component Link
Tresanti standing desk purchased at Costco

Desk Vesa Arms

The monitor mounts were purchased for the purpose of streaming. The monitor mounts and arms noted are all used to attach gear to my desk. This allows me the flexibility to move things around to get a good looking stream and ensure my standing desk functions normally.

Component Link
Laptop Mount https://amzn.to/3br2Lot
Laptop Dock Mount https://amzn.to/3543Kty
Monitor Mount https://amzn.to/2QWOaHW
Extra Tall Camera Mount https://amzn.to/357Znhe
Extra VESA Arm (x2) https://amzn.to/3h0m4Gj

Lights

These are the only two lights I use to setup my stream. While I'm no videographer, the look at feel of the stream is cinematic, which I'm going for.

Component Link
Elgato Key Light Air https://amzn.to/324admx
YONGNUO YN300 Air LED Camera Video Light https://amzn.to/2Z85qi1

Monitor

This is an OLD monitor though it works wonderfully. The monitor is capable of 4K over DisplayPort and HDMI, has low latency, and excellent picture in picture support.

Component Link
Samsung 27" 4K https://amzn.to/2DtTr6A

Keyboard

Component Link
Keyboard - UHK https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com
Logitech MX Ergo https://amzn.to/3btfcjr
Mouse Pad https://amzn.to/3jJMqhB
Lenovo Gaming Mouse https://amzn.to/2QVGoOr