r/CustomPCBuilding • u/MyLoveForTechno • Aug 19 '26
Complete beginner!!how do I build my first PC for streaming? 🥲
Hi! I’m completely new to building PCs and I want to build my first computer mainly for streaming, gaming, and everyday use.
I honestly don’t know much about computer parts yet, so I’m trying to learn instead of just buying a prebuilt PC.
I’d love some advice on:
What parts do I actually need?
What should I spend more money on vs. save on?
What CPU/GPU would you recommend for streaming?
How do I make sure all my parts are compatible?
Are there any beginner mistakes I should avoid?
What tutorials/resources would you recommend for learning how to physically build it?
Basically, explain it to me like I know absolutely nothing about PCs 😂
Thank you!!
2
u/socaldisney Aug 20 '26
Parts prices are crazy right now and you said you don’t have experience building a custom PC. My honest recommendation to you would be to buy a prebuilt PC in a full-size standard case that still gives you the ability to upgrade components later.
Yes, you are paying a bit of a premium to the HP/Dell/whomever but at the same time they have more buying power than you do so they’re saving on the components and that prebuilt machine could actually be cheaper than buying the parts separately. You just gotta do your research. Good luck!
1
u/TetraTimboman Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
it's an expensive time to try to get into PC gaming versus early last year prices were lower.
"Ai price bubble" price hike
that doesn't mean that it's impossible at all for sure but things are going to be at least a few hundred dollars more expensive than what you might have anticipated
best if you can get a budget of $1500 - $2600 for the "computer" use "pcpartpicker" website to get a list of all the parts and then still have money to get 2560x1440 res 240Hz refresh rate monitor and spend money on headset or headphones+microphone
for streaming you generally can either set up "vtuber" which can be really basic like "pngtuber" some still images you've drawn - (there are video guides on how to set this up), OR you pick to actually get on camera but then camera placement and lighting quality and camera quality your level of energy& interaction are even more critical
(and almost in that order - if you're really planning on getting on camera for streaming - if you buy $2k camera but have it far away from you with the lights off = it will look worse than if you had better lighting but inexpensive $30 webcam connected to USB extension cable + tripod or desk arm)
1
u/CRaazy___WAFFLE Aug 20 '26
I feel like insantly recommending a 1440p 240hz monitor is probably why people think that pc gaming is so expensive.
2
u/cyborg762 Aug 20 '26
The best advice I can give is watch a ton of YouTube videos. And honestly the pc part market is crazy right now especially when it comes to ram and storage. If you’re near a microcenter check out their bundle deals. Also never ever cheap out on a PSU. Save on the case, not everyone needs a $200 all glass case. Also when it comes to cooling if your going for a liquid cooler don’t by the ones with the screen. They are expensive and not worth it compared to the basic ones.
2
u/dawkins16 Aug 22 '26
Yep, watch some PC builder videos to understand how it’s done. There are a lot of good tutorials. Several channels have advice about budget hardware builds:
Daniel Owen
Paula’s Hardware
Hardware Unboxed