Need help building a cheap streaming PC

[Lirik]

Hey everyone.

I am a streamer over on twitch.tv and I'm looking to crank out a great quality stream.

I currently run a 2pc setup where I game on my main pc and stream/encode off the other.

The specs of the streaming pc are:

q9550

4 gb ram

8800gts

Now encoding/streaming is all about the cpu and with these specs I can stream at 720p30fps.

I want to stream at a crisp 1080p but I also don't want to spend a fortune doing so. So, I come to you guys seeing if you can build me a streaming pc with an i5 2500K.

I will be using my current case, 8800gts, psu, and hdd.

From what it looks like, this means I need:

CPU (2500K)
RAM
MOBO
CPU FAN

So, what is the cheapest streaming build I can make?

[noteworthynerd]

Hey Lirik! I'm very familiar with your stream, I watched it (along with Waffle's) plenty when I was really into DayZ, things got busy however, so I haven't tuned in in a few weeks. I'm also a Twitch mod for Sacriel.

Disclaimer: I don't have a lot of experience with dedicated streaming PCs, but I've spent a few hours reading up on the requirements so I'm confident my advice is accurate.

Now, like you said, encoding/streaming is all about a good CPU. All of the guides I've read recommend an i7 for 1080p streaming, but since this is a dedicated streaming PC an i5 should be plenty (not to mention, according to Anandtech, the 3570K encodes nearly as well as the 3770k: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Produ...&i=26.27.28.29). Note: I recommend the 3570K over the 2500K because the 3570K is 10-15% better out of the box, this difference can be overcome if you overclock the 2500K high enough (because it can be overclocked higher), but streaming puts a lot of strain on a CPU so I don't really recommend super high overclocks.

That being the case, I'd probably recommend something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.16 @ NCIX US) (* I only put 8gb of RAM in, you may be more comfortable with 16gb although I'm not sure that much is necessary.)
Total: $359.13

You will also want/need a capture card, I normally see the AverMedia card recommended.

You could probably go even cheaper than that, but I'm not sure how well it would handle 1080p streaming... Also, if you're really set on the 2500K, you can simply swap out the 3570K in favor of the 2500K in the build above, all of the parts are compatible.

[llDemonll]

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz ($129.99 @ Newegg.com)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4 FM2 ($79.99 @ Newegg.com)
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600 ($39.99 @ Newegg.com)
Total: $249.97 + shipping

That CPU is likely what I'll be buying for a powerhouse media center on black friday, and it should be able to encode 1080p to stream without issue

[noteworthynerd]

Yeah, I considered recommending an AMD CPU as well, although not that one, its encoding benches are not the greatest: http://www.techspot.com/review/580-a...00k/page5.html

[llDemonll]

Weakkkkk, yea the extra $100 probably wouldn't break the bank but would be worth it to go Intel in this case

[Lirik]

Thanks you guys. I really like your build noteworthy. I'm going to look into it and probably purchase this setup by the end of the month. :-)

Also, I am using an AverMedia Live Gamer HD. That is what is allowing me to do my current 2pc setup.

[Milkshake86]

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz ($129.99 @ Newegg.com)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4 FM2 ($79.99 @ Newegg.com)
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600 ($39.99 @ Newegg.com)
Total: $249.97 + shipping

That CPU is likely what I'll be buying for a powerhouse media center on black friday, and it should be able to encode 1080p to stream without issue

Just got some hands on with the A10, quite honestly I was impressed @ the quality for 1440x900 and no gpu. Also got a moment to toy around w/ crysis 2 on a new A series laptop didnt get to into the specs maybe tomorrow lol but no discrete gpu at all 30~ to 40~ fps medium settings, now im not a laptop guy but Ill be buying one for those on the run moments its just honestly too nice to pass up for $500~

[Lirik]

So I'm looking to pickup all my PC parts early next week. But, due to how cheap microcenter is I might pick up all the parts there. Problem is a lot of the parts listed aren't available at microcenter except the CPU. Do you guys have any microcenter specific builds that would go with a 3570k.

[Milkshake86]

So I'm looking to pickup all my PC parts early next week. But, due to how cheap microcenter is I might pick up all the parts there. Problem is a lot of the parts listed aren't available at microcenter except the CPU. Do you guys have any microcenter specific builds that would go with a 3570k.

z77 and i7-3770k for streaming HT is used by steaming software.