Best CPUs for Streaming

Millions of gamers enjoy streaming on Twitch and YouTube what they love to do or play to entertain their subscribers. And while not every streamer has millions of followers, almost every streamer has become a part of this whopping $13.65 billion market. It’s expected that games/games-live-streaming/” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>the streaming market will expand to 1.8 billion users by 2029, which is roughly 20% of humanity.

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So, even though the competition between game streamers has become fiercer than ever, many new streamers are in the making who are about to grow into big fishes soon. That said, one of the reasons for the success of the already-established streamers is their powerful PCs that run on the latest and incredibly potent processors that allow them to stream in high-quality formats. With Game Rant’s intensive research and analysis, the following list brings you the top CPUs to start streaming in 2024.

Game Rant’s Picks for the Best CPUs for Streaming in 2024

Intel Core i5 14600K 14-Core, 20-Thread CPU

Best Overall CPU for Streaming

$310 $340 Save $30

The Intel Core i5 14600K 14-Core, 20-Thread CPU is a powerful mid-range CPU that replaces the last generation Intel Core i5 13600K with higher clocks on both its performance and efficiency cores.

Like all its siblings, it does offer better performance out-of-the-box versus its predecessors but replaces them at the same price points they sold last year.

CPU Model

Core i5 14600K

CPU Socket

LGA 1700

Cores

14 (6P + 8E Cores)

Threads

20

Architecture

Raptor Lake Refresh

Base Clock Speed

3.5 GHz

Boost Clock Speed

5.3 GHz

Cache

20MB L2 + 24MB L3

Power Draw

181W (Turbo)

Pros

• 14 cores and 20 threads to handle streaming effortlessly
• Excellent performance in gaming
• Overclockable

Cons

• Needs a premium cooling solution
• No significant spec uplifts over its predecessor

The ability to handle gaming and streaming simultaneously is Core i5 14600K’s specialty. The 14600K replaces the 13600K from the Raptor Lake family and while it doesn’t see an increase in the core count, the slight boost in turbo clock speed is what gives the 14600K a slight edge over its predecessor. Technically, both CPUs are equivalent in gaming, but the 14600K is slightly ahead in productivity. With a 14-core, 20-thread configuration, the 14600K has more than enough for both gaming and streaming at the same time.

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Core i5 14600K is designed to maximize the gaming potential and with these GPUs, playing games with double/triple-digit frame rates becomes possible.

Even if you are a content creator who wants the best CPU for video editing, rendering, or any other CPU-oriented tasks like compression/decompression, compilation, or encoding, the Core i5 14600K delivers. The Core i5 14600K can be slightly power-hungry and hot at full load, but with a decent AIO cooling solution, its thermals can be maintained to achieve consistent performance. The 14600K also allows overclocking but requires a good Z690/Z790 motherboard to increase the core frequency.

Intel Core i7 14700K 20-Core, 28-Thread CPU

Best High-End CPU for Streaming

$400 $430 Save $30

The Intel Core i7 14700K 20-Core, 28-Thread CPU succeeds the Intel Core i7 13700K CPU with a 200 MHz boost clock increase as Intel also throws in an additional 4 efficiency cores to make it increasingly better value for money versus its predecessor.

With 28 threads on offer and higher boost clocks, the Intel Core i7 14700K is noticeably faster in both games and productivity benchmarks alike while replacing its predecessor at the same price points.

CPU Model

Core i7 14700K

CPU Socket

LGA 1700

Cores

20 (8P + 12E Cores)

Threads

28

Architecture

Rocket Lake Refresh

Base Clock Speed

3.4 GHz

Boost Clock Speed

5.6 GHz

Cache

28MB L2 + 33MB L3

Power Draw

253W (Turbo)

Pros

• Plenty of cores and threads for great productivity performance
• High clock speeds
• Overclockable

Cons

• Needs a good aftermarket CPU cooler
• Overclocking needs a decent Z790 chipset motherboard

A bit on the expensive side, the Core i7 14700K is an incredibly potent CPU that not only suffices for the streaming requirement but is also a fantastic option for high-end gaming, video production, and rendering. It features six more cores than the 14600K and, therefore, has some crazy potential to become a part of high-end gaming and streaming builds. The i7 14700K brings a combination of eight performance and 12 efficient cores with turbo clock speeds going up as high as 5.6GHz.

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So, if you want something that can also help you with the video editing process, 14700K has you covered. At the same time, it’s important to keep in mind that the total cost of your PC build can easily reach $2000, assuming you are going to use a mid-range or a high-end GPU, an AIO cooler, a Z790 motherboard, and 16GB of RAM. We also recommend getting at least a 750W PSU with an 80 Plus rating to make sure each of your components gets a reliable power supply.

AMD Ryzen 7 5700X CPU

Best Budget CPU for Streaming

$166 $319 Save $153

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is a mid-to-high-end gaming CPU that has a maximum clock speed of 4.6 GHz. According to AMD, it can deliver over 100 FPS performance in some of the world’s most popular games with a compatible graphics card. The processor has 8 cores and 16 processing threads, which are based on the AMD Zen 3 architecture.

Other specs include 36 MB of cache, DDR4-3200 support, and overclocking capability. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X CPU is compatible with a Socket AM4 motherboard.

CPU Model

Ryzen 7 5700X

Cores

8

Threads

16

Architecture

Zen 3

Base Clock Speed

3.4 GHz

Boost Clock Speed

4.6 GHz

Cache

L3: 32MB, L2, 4MB

TDP

65W

Pros

• Significantly cheaper than its official MSRP
• Excellent overclocking potential
• Utilizes AM4 platform and DDR4 memories for cost-cutting

Cons

• Not the best single/multicore performance
• Doesn’t come with a stock cooler

Even after almost seven years of its launch, the AM4 platform isn’t going anywhere. AMD has kept the AM4 platform relevant by launching newer processors and that has led to heavy price cuts on the existing Zen 3-based lineup. One of the cheapest 8-core CPUs you can buy from the Zen 3 lineup is the Ryzen 7 5700X, which was launched at an MSRP of $300 but now sits below $200 most of the time. This not only helps you to save and invest in other parts but also gives you a chance to reduce the overall cost of your PC build.

AM4 motherboards are relatively cheaper than AM5 ones and the 5700X works flawlessly on almost all B450/B550 chipset motherboards, allowing it to be overclocked quite satisfactorily. Moreover, DDR4 RAM kits are still cheaper than DDR5 memories and this will help you get a better GPU. You can build an excellent streaming and gaming PC for under $1000, something that looks pretty difficult to achieve with the current Zen 4 lineup if you are considering an eight or twelve-core processor.

Intel Core i7-12700K CPU

Best Mid-Range CPU for Streaming

$215 $254 Save $39

The Intel Core i7-12700K is the last-generation Intel Core i7 processor from Intel. This CPU is near the top range of options in the Intel Core series of processors. It has a clock speed of 3.6 GHz and offers more cache, including 25 MB of L3 cache, and a hyper-threading feature, which allows it to deliver better performance in demanding apps and games. The graphics performance is provided by the built-in Intel UHD graphics controller. The processor is compatible with both previous and current Socket LGA-1700 motherboards.

CPU Model

Core i7 12700K

CPU Socket

LGA 1700

Cores

12 (8P + 4E)

Threads

20 (16P + 4E)

PCIe 4.0 Support

PCI-E 5.0 and 4.0 Support

Process

Intel 7 (10 nm Enhanced SuperFin)

Boost Clock Speed

5.0 GHz

Cache

12 MB L2, 25MB L3 Smart Cache

TDP

125 Typical, 190W Turbo

Pros

• Significantly cheaper than its successors
• Quite a good number of cores and threads for productivity
• Overclockable

Cons

• Not as effective in gaming as the current-gen CPUs
• The need for an aftermarket cooler adds additional cost

Just like Ryzen 5700X, Intel too has a terrific chip for streamers and perhaps even better. The Core i7 12700K is a bit more expensive than the 5700X but has more cores and provides faster single and multicore performance. The 12700K belongs to the 12th-generation Alder Lake family and is the first one to introduce the hybrid architecture we see on the 13th and 14th-generation Intel processors. Combining eight performance and four efficient cores, the 12700K is much ahead of its AMD counterparts even when compared to the higher-end Zen 3-based chips.

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Having a lot of dedicated performance cores means you can easily execute intensive processes, including streaming, while efficient cores take care of the background processes. Since its launch in 2021, the price of this chip has dropped to almost 50% of its MSRP while retaining its compatibility with the latest 700 chipset motherboards, allowing users to benefit from the faster DDR5 memories.

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

Best CPU for Streaming and Gaming

$368 $449 Save $81

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is AMD’s latest and greatest CPU when it comes to gaming. With an excellent and highly efficient gaming performance that tops the charts currently, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is here to stay and has a crown to claim thanks to its 3D V-Cache-enabled prowess when it comes to gaming on a PC.

The octa-core CPU currently happens to be the fastest in the business for gaming even as it leads efficiency charts at the top, making it a very sought-after gaming upgrade.

CPU Model

Ryzen 7 7800X3D

CPU Socket

AM5

Cores

8

Threads

16

Architecture

Zen 4

Process

5nm

Base Clock Speed

4.2GHz

Boost Clock Speed

5.0GHz

TDP

120W

Pros

• Unparalleled gaming performance
• Incredibly power-efficient
• Has sufficient cores/threads for productivity

Cons

• Limited overclocking potential
• An expensive 8-core CPU

When Ryzen 7 7800X3D launched in early 2023, it quickly became the king of all gaming CPUs and to this day, we are yet to see a processor which can outperform its gaming potential. Even with $600 processors from the latest-gen families, the 7800X3D hasn’t budged from its top position and scored a convincing victory through a design that was first introduced by AMD with the 5800X3D. While it’s true that streaming requires a good number of cores as fewer cores may affect gaming performance, the 7800X3D has quite a decent core configuration to not let streaming affect the gaming performance.

Another fantastic feat of 7800X3D is its power efficiency. While the higher-end Ryzen and Intel Core processors go over 200 watts when on full load, the 7800X3D stays around 100W or even less, most of the time. Pairing it with a card like Geforce RTX 4080 Super, or the RTX 4090 will maximize the gaming potential of your gaming build without affecting its productivity or multitasking ability.

Intel Core i9 14900K 24-Core, 32-Thread CPU

Best Performance CPU for Streaming

$550 $581 Save $31

The Intel Core i9 14900K 24-Core, 32-Thread CPU is Intel’s highest-end 14th generation CPU and offers the highest boost clocks for a consumer-grade CPU from Intel to date, clocking in at an impressive 6 GHz natively.

It succeeds the limited-release Intel Core 13900KS as the first mainstream 6 GHz CPU, even as it brings a large power draw and thermal requirement to reach said clock speed.

CPU Model

Core i9 14900K

Cores

24 (8P + 16E)

Threads

32

Architecture

Raptor Lake (Refresh)

Process

Intel 7 (10 nm)

Base Clock Speed

3.2 GHz

Boost Clock Speed

6 GHz

Cache

32MB L2 + 36MB L3 Cache

TDP

253 W

Pros

• Unparalleled productivity
• Brings a lot of cores and threads
• Clock speeds touch 6.0GHz

Cons

• Very power-hungry
• Hefty price tag
• Runs pretty hot

The Core i9 14900K paves the way for the best possible streaming experience in 2024. It doesn’t matter if you have opened up a bunch of applications while you are gaming and streaming, the 14900K won’t struggle a bit. Most processors will simply freeze or crash if you run an intensive game and streaming software, but the i9 14900K is built differently. With a whopping 24 cores and 32 threads configuration, no program can refuse to run at its full potential.

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Surely, it’s an expensive choice, costing as much as $600 on many retail websites, but it’s a one-time investment you won’t regret if you take streaming too seriously. The clock speeds are incredibly high and can reach 6.0GHz with a turbo boost. However, going over 5.5GHz on all cores can be a challenge and will require a premium AIO solution if you are ready to invest in a 360mm AIO as well. Another thing to keep in mind is that it can consume as much as 300 watts at stock clock speeds. So, it’s better to invest in at least 800 watts of power supply or higher if you are going with an RTX 4070 or 4080. Users owning an RTX 4090 shouldn’t go anything below 1200 watts of reliable PSU as the 4090 is quite power-hungry too.

Things to Consider When Buying a CPU for Streaming

Core/Thread Count: The core and thread count are uncompromisable if you want to stream without hassles. It’s recommended to go for six cores at the minimum, but if you think your computer will reserve several of them for other tasks, then it’s better to go with eight or more cores. Hyperthreading is also recommended as it distributes the load to virtual cores.

Paired GPU: While streaming doesn’t depend directly on the GPU, the GPU can still make a big difference if you are playing video games. Video games handle a lot of complex processes that reduce the load on the CPU, resulting not only in better gaming performance but also in superior multitasking and productivity.

Purpose: Streaming simple things like capturing what you do through a DSLR is not as intensive as playing video games. If you love to stream your art creation, woodwork, breaking your own PRs in the gym, or just chatting with your followers in general, you will most likely be okay with a budget or mid-range CPU. Uninterrupted gaming with a flawless performance on your PC, while you stream it to your audience, will require a better processor and configuration in general.

FAQ

Q: What CPU is best for a streaming PC?

A CPU that features eight cores and hyperthreading and also has terrific single and multicore performance will provide the best results. Anything above won’t make much difference unless you need your computer to multitask while streaming.

Q: Is Ryzen good for streaming?

It depends on what generation and CPU model you are going for. If you are going for the first three generations of CPUs, particularly with those that have four cores, streaming won’t be a pleasant experience. However, going for hexa, octa, or processors with even more cores from the latest generations will provide excellent results.

Q: What is the best value CPU for gaming and streaming?

Currently, the Core i7 12700K is probably one of the best-value CPUs for both gaming and streaming. However, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is much better in performance but also costs more.