Best CPU for streaming

If you're looking to get into streaming or just want to upgrade your current set-up, then you'll want to read our comprehensive guide on the best CPU for streaming!
Are you looking for a new CPU to help power your streaming operation? Perhaps you’re not sure where to start, or you’re overwhelmed by the choices available. In either case, this guide is here to help. We’ll outline some key factors to consider when making your purchase, and give you some suggestions for CPUs that are well-suited for streaming. So whether you’re a hobbyist or professional streamer, read on for tips on how to find the best CPU for your needs.
Best Cpu For Streaming

Best CPU for streaming

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is the perfect desktop processor for gamers who demand the very best. It offers 12 cores and 24 processing threads for lightning-fast performance in the world’s most popular games. Plus, it comes unlocked for overclocking, so you can push your gaming experience to the next level. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X also supports PCIe 4.0 on X570 and B550 motherboards, making it a future-proof choice for any gaming setup.
Introducing the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, the world’s best gaming desktop processor. This 12-core and 24-processing thread powerhouse can deliver elite 100-plus FPS performance in the world’s most popular games. Outfitted with top-of-the-line technology, it also supports PCIe 4.0 on X570 and B550 motherboards for the most advanced Socket AM4 platform available. Plus, its unlocked for overclocking potential makes it a great choice for experienced gamers who demand the very best.

Intel Core i7-12700K

Looking for a desktop processor that can handle even the most demanding applications? Look no further than the Intel Core i7-12700K. This powerful 3.6 GHz processor comes with plenty of cache space and a hyper-threading architecture that delivers high performance. Plus, its onboard graphics and faster turbo boost will give you better visuals and smoother gameplay. And thanks to its power-efficient microarchitecture, it won’t consume as much power as other processors on the market.
The Intel Core i7-12700K Desktop Processor is perfect for gamers and power users who need the best performance possible. The 3.6 GHz speed, 25 MB of cache, and hyper-threading ability make this processor one of the most powerful on the market. The Socket LGA-1700 socket ensures compatibility with your motherboard, and the built-in UHD Graphics controller provides great graphics performance.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is a processor like no other. It’s designed for gamers and content creators who need the best performance possible, without breaking the bank. This 8-core, 16-thread CPU delivers world-class gaming and productivity performance, making it the perfect choice for anyone who wants to take their PC gaming and creative work to the next level.
The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is the perfect choice for users who need a powerful, multi-core processor that can handle demanding applications and games. This 8-core, the 16-threaded processor delivers blistering performance and can easily handle 100+ FPS in the most popular games. It also features 36 MB of cache and DDR-3200 support for advanced users. Plus, it’s unlocked for overclocking to give you even more power when needed.

Intel Core i9-10900X

Introducing the new Intel Core i9-10900X desktop processor! This powerful CPU is unlocked for overclocking, so you can get the most out of your system. It’s also compatible with Intel x299 chipset-based motherboards and supports Intel Optane Memory for improved performance. With 10 cores and 20 threads, this processor is perfect for content creators and enthusiasts who demand the best performance. Order yours today!
Introducing the new Intel Core i9-10900X desktop processor! This powerful CPU is unlocked for overclocking, so you can get the most out of your system. It’s also compatible with Intel x299 chipset-based motherboards and supports Intel Optane Memory for improved performance. With 10 cores and 20 threads, this processor is perfect for content creators and enthusiasts who demand the best performance. Order yours today!

What makes a good streaming CPU?

A CPU for streaming should be able to handle high framerates without missing too many frames. This means that it is important to have at least 4 CPU cores. Most CPUs nowadays are quad-core CPU’s which makes them ideal for CPU-intensive tasks like streaming.
It is also important to know your CPU usage when streaming with a CPU. The higher the CPU percentage, the more likely it is you will miss some frames if your CPU can’t handle the fps you are aiming for. If this happens, turn down either your resolution or bitrate in OBS Studio (or XSplit) and try again!
For example, I use an i5 2500k on stock speeds with 8GB of ram – I’m planning on upgrading to 16GB soon. I stream at 720p 30fps and this CPU can handle it with ease – it’s not perfect, but good enough for now. This CPU CPU usage is always around 10% (sometimes as low as 7%) when streaming, which is very low!

How to Choose a CPU for streaming

Number of Cores/Threads

One could easily jump to the conclusion that because there are twice as many cores/threads on the AMD chip, it must be faster, but this is not necessarily true. What matters most when choosing your CPU is how well it will perform based on its intended use case.
The Ryzen CPU in this example has more than double the number of threads available, and since most games can’t make use of all cores/threads available (most only utilize one core), the Ryzen CPU would perform worse than the Intel CPU when it comes to gaming.
This is because the Valve engine was designed with a single-core processor in mind, so using more than one core has a severely negative impact on performance. This isn’t true for all games, but it does hold true for many such as CS: GO and DOTA 2 which are both majorly bottlenecked by your CPU. More threads don’t always mean better performance in all cases.

Clock Speed

Clock speed is the most common specification used when describing CPUs. The clock rate of a CPU is an indicator of how fast it can complete tasks at certain intervals, which in turn determines how fast your PC will run. Usually, when choosing a CPU you are balancing performance with cost, so you would want to get the best performance possible for the budget you have available. So if two CPUs were compared with different clock speeds but similar price points it would be better to choose the one with a higher clock rate even though that might not always be true if more cores were available on the slower clocked CPU.

Keeping Your System Cool

This is not something that can be overlooked because overheating will cause your CPU to throttle, which means it will only run at a certain percentage of its maximum speed to keep itself cool. It takes more time for the CPU to heat up and reach this speed again once it has cooled down so you usually won’t notice this much in everyday use but it’s definitely noticeable during demanding games and applications that push your CPU to its limit.
If you want the best results out of your CPU then having an air or liquid cooling solution is recommended as they prevent throttling allowing you to achieve better performance than what would be possible with an inferior cooling system. If you don’t want to upgrade your cooler there are other ways such as overclocking, where higher

Performance Vs Price

The performance you get from a certain price point is something that should always be considered when making an upgrade. For example, Intel CPUs such as the i5-8400 and Ryzen 1700 can both be found for about $200 which means they could offer similar performance in most games (depending on clock speed). Choose your CPU depending on what your budget is, but don’t expect to run everything with high settings unless you’re willing to spend more money.
Best Cpu For Streaming

Conclusion

After reading the information in this post, you should have a better idea of how to choose a CPU for streaming. If you would like additional help or guidance with your purchasing decisions, we are happy to assist and answer any questions that come up!