Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
Knowing what thebest laptopfor streaming is can be a little complicated . Many streamer really utilise two reckoner to wangle everything . They use one microcomputer to play the game they ’re streaming while having a dedicated PC or Mac for controlling the stream such as by adding bots to their canal which enhance the general experience for everyone by offering cardinal information on a regular basis , moderating bodily function , or simply throw in some fun quirky incentive .
That means that there are technically two types of PC you could do with for cyclosis — one that ’s concentrate on play the recent games therefore one that has a ripe artwork card , while you also have a 2d one that is brawny for plenty of data crunching to support the main system . Whichever type of laptop it is you ’re seeking for streaming , we ’ve got it listed below . We ’ve picked out the best laptops for streaming including options for gaming rig as well as ace that will help heighten your subject matter creation potential . As you ’d wait , all the laptops here come from thebest laptop brandsso they ’re also great for general usage too . Here ’s what we recommend .
The best laptops for streaming in 2024
Dell XPS 16
Best all-rounder streaming laptop
The Dell XPS 16 is the idealistic all - rounder . It ’s potent enough to be used as a streaming machine monitoring all your essentials , but it also pack a punch diagrammatically so you’re able to well practice it to play the games you ’re planning on streaming too . With the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and 32 GB of memory , it ’s for certain powerful with the side only slightly have down by 512 GB of SSD storage rather than more . Still , it ’s o.k. for having a few different games installed at once . If you design on also using the laptop computer for telecasting editing such as to post your flow on YouTube for subsequently viewing , you ’ll likely necessitate to add an external difficult ride .
If you ’re turning the Dell XPS 16 into a desktop replacement , the 16.3 - in full HD+ silver screen is a great start point before impart a second monitor , while the media quarrel of buttons is utile for controlling certain thing and the haptic touchpad feels right on your fingers if you ’d choose to not habituate a disjoined mouse . There ’s no ethernet larboard so you ’ll need to swear on Wi - Fi but Wi - Fi 7 support intend you ’re all honest to go with the latest protocols .
A overplus of port means you’re able to rob up all your key accessories , while the strait is catered for with Dolby Atmos backing for the 360 - degree spatial strait so you wo n’t want a dedicated solution . The 1080p full HD webcam means viewers can see your reactions with software program ensuring a reducing in ground noise , and AI which helps keep you in focus .
Dell XPS 13
Best for solely streaming
For cyclosis , in an idealistic humans , you need one organisation for gambling and another for dealing with the demands that cyclosis can aim on a laptop or PC . By doing so , you could take the weight off your play auto so that one can focalize on gaming and your streaming laptop can handle bots and other fun additions for your distribution channel . That ’s where the Dell XPS 13 is perfect . It lacks a consecrate nontextual matter card for anything gage relate but it offers good tycoon for all the screen background processing . There ’s an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor along with 16 GB of memory and 512 GB of SSD storage so it ’s just proper for a documentation machine .
When you need to check what ’s going on , the 13.4 - in full HD+ filmdom with 1920 x 1200 is clear to look at so you’re able to easily get things done alongside your play . There ’s no ethernet port but like the Dell XPS 16 , the Dell XPS 13 has Wi - Fi 7 which should be highly reliable . It ’s a flimsy and lightweight laptop computer only consider 2.6 pounding so you may easily find way for it in your gaming setup .
Other utilitarian extras let in a 1080p full HD webcam packed with AI - based assistance if you require an extra camera while the haptic touchpad gift you precise feedback when you ’re doing something in a rush . The keyboard finger sound to apply too when issuing bot commands , thanks to offering deeper trace - friendly keycaps and less distance between them to make typing more efficient .
Apple MacBook Pro M3 Max
Best for content creation
Besides streaming games , many streamer also record their video footage before uploading it to YouTube or delete it down to social medium - friendly size for TikTok or other apps . If that ’s your intention , you need a machine that can handle a lot of video redaction . No one wants to hold back a tenacious time for a video to procedure which is why theApple MacBook Pro M3 Maxis the ultimate alternative . It has Apple ’s most knock-down processor — the M3 Max — with 14 nitty-gritty for the CPU and 30 cores for the GPU . It ’s hefty stuff and trusted to streamline your program .
Alongside that , 36 GB of retentiveness further aid matters while 1 TB of SSD storage is a good amount of storage for anything but the self-aggrandizing of projects . What you ’re working on will calculate gorgeous and crisp too thanks to the 14.2 - in Liquid Retina XDR display which has Extreme Dynamic Range , over 1,000 nits of light for HDR content and up to 600 nits for SDR capacity . It ’s incredibly well suitable for subject matter cosmos flop down to 18 hour of battery life .
Thanks to the power involved , the Apple MacBook Pro M3 Max can handle gaming well too if you require to use it sometimes as your play machine , but you ’ll need to be aware that not all PC game come to Mac . That routine is amend over time but regard this your mental object origination machine over your gaming turnout .
Lenovo Legion Slim 5i
Best for a new streamer
If you ’re new to punt streaming and you want to grease one’s palms a dedicated rigging for playing Modern game , the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is an fantabulous start point for your pullulate journey . It ’s more affordable than higher - end systems while still being more than competent for playing most game and then eventually being used as a support system once you ’re in a placement to level up your streaming . It has a competent 13th - generation Intel Core i5 processor teamed up with 16 GB of memory and 512 GB SSD storage . These are the core glasses you need for most activities these day while there ’s an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 to insure you could handle plenty of play if you do n’t mind tweak some contingent stage .
While we ’d always commend using one of thebest gaming monitorsto give you more screen infinite , the 16 - inch WUXGA 1920 x 1200 is more than good enough thanks to its 144Hz refresh rate and 45 % NTSC color . If you demand to trust on the built - in webcam for your viewership , you ’ll be happy too thanks to its 1080p full HD webcam with two-fold microphone and a television camera shutter for those moments when you ask to undertake concealment .
refreshfully , the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i also finds room for an ethernet port wine so if you want a more stable cyberspace connection , this is your chance to do so by wire thing up . There ’s Wi - Fi 6E for when you want the freedom of a wireless connection . A slimline design , the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i wo n’t take up too much room meaning you may easily move it around . It ’s a versatile machine for your entry to the compelling world of game streaming .
Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptop
Best for high-end streaming
Anyone keen to invest in a gamey - end play outfit should look at all that Alienware has to provide . The Alienware x16 gaming laptop is one of the near play laptop around right now and perfectly suitable for if you want to stream biz at high in writing layer . It has the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 processor along with a huge 32 GB of memory and 1 TB of SSD computer storage . The graphics card is an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 with 12 GB of dedicated VRAM so it can easily handle the most demanding of games now and in the future tense too . It ’s teamed up with a cover which intend you do n’t necessitate a dedicated monitor if you do n’t want . It has a 16 - column inch QHD+ CRT screen with 2560 x 1600 resolution , 240Hz refresh pace , and 3ms response time . It ’s all combine to make this a extremely capable laptop for playing and therefore stream the latest plot .
If you ’re Modern to cyclosis , you really do n’t need to drop this sort of money just yet but if you ’ve made better half and you ’re work your fashion up through the ranks of Twitch popularity with a side dose of YouTube posting , this is a just investment . It also has a 1080p full HD webcam , a great cherry keyboard with per - central RGB guide inflammation , and its preciseness touchpad is majuscule to expend too . The only thing we lack is there ’s no ethernet port but Wi - Fi 7 compatibility is a bonus here at least .
A genuinely phenomenal gaming laptop , the Alienware x16 gaming laptop is the stark main rig for you . Stick it alongside your previous laptop computer so you may employ the latter to control the stream better and you ’re all set .
Razer Blade 14
Best for portable streaming
The Razer Blade 14 is a exceedingly compromising laptop . It ’s sleek and low so you’re able to easy take it out and about with you . It ’ll slot on your streaming desk to ensure you could use it well as a reinforcement laptop but it ’s also powerful in the right ways for you to use as your dedicated gaming laptop for streaming too . Its screen is a little small at 14 inch but that ’s not a vast dealbreaker when you’re able to sum an superfluous monitor .
For operation , there ’s an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS central processor , 16 GB of memory and 1 TB of SSD repositing . It ’s worth take note that the memory is surplus rapid and designed with gaming in mind . The screen is a 14 - column inch QHD+ display with 2560 x 1600 resolution and 240Hz refresh rate for those times you involve to trust on it . The graphics card is an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 which could be a little more powerful but is still more than good enough for current biz without a hitch .
Predictably given the sleek physical body , there ’s no ethernet port but the Razer Blade 14 is otherwise packed with primal port like USB - degree Celsius and USB - A as well as HDMI 2.1 so it ’s perfect for ramify out your setup . It also has a full HD webcam with a privacy shutter if you do n’t want to grease one’s palms a consecrate webcam for streaming just yet .
How we chose these laptops for streaming
When buy a laptop for cyclosis , you need to think carefully about several thing . Those factors are what we considered when picking out the best laptops for cyclosis . While the laptops above are a cosmopolitan overview of your well options , it ’s still important to turn over just what you need from a laptop for streaming on Twitch , YouTube or elsewhere . By learning about how we came to our decision , you’re able to go on to imprint your own opinions based on what you involve and want most of all .
One of the most authoritative things to look at is why you need the laptop for cyclosis . Do you want a laptop computer for really fiddle the games you ’re streaming or do you need a lower-ranking machine for controlling your stream more efficiently , conduct the effort off your gaming rig ? Not everyone involve a secondary rig . If you ’re just become to stream occasionally and exclusively for fun , there ’s little pauperism for it . However , if you ’re quest for it as something more then the redundant power is sure helpful . Another thing to consider here is if you design on doing more than just cyclosis . If you also desire to delete videos , upload content to social media , and do more to extend your pelt brand , a laptop computer that can handle all that is crucial . A combination of a herculean processor , a large amount of RAM / memory , and a good graphics wit help a lot here . More reposition is honest but you may always elevate that through external hard drives further down the route . picture redaction and streaming at a mellow resolution are some of the most demanding thing you could bear from a PC . specially when it amount to video editing , no one likes waiting for a tiresome process to discharge so it ’s useful to have the hardware to treat it expeditiously .
From there , think about your budget . We include options for unlike budgets , bearing in mind that some hoi polloi can pass thousands while others can only give a budget equipment . For gaming , nothing is super cheap but there are ways to hold open through pick laptops that have slimly former computer hardware and tech . On the other paw , while few citizenry want a $ 3,000 laptop , if you ’re serious about streaming and your online life history is sound well , it could be a very worthwhile investment funds . Only you know if you ’re getting value for money by spend more .
One of the more significant thing you need from a laptop for streaming is flexibleness . You desire a system that has plenty of ports so you’re able to hook up dedicated devices such as a second monitor , standalone webcam , charge restrainer or simply be able to stop up in your capture card . Most gambling laptop miss an ethernet port which is frustrating for gamers as a pumped up connexion keeps signs low and reliability luxuriously compared to Wi - Fi . However , some of the latest manakin make up for this by get Wi - Fi 7 backup which aid massively with reliableness .
In some cases , you may also care to consider how portable the laptop computer is . While streaming on the move is n’t always ideal , it ’s nice to have the selection . Also , if you have a little amount of living place and need two system — a gaming rig and a streaming support carriage — a small size of it can help a mint here . Once you factor in spare monitors and supplement , space is soon filled , so slimline laptop are the most appealing .
