Below are hardware recommendations for running Livestream Studio, including where to purchase, remote guest-specific information, and sample workflows that certain systems can handle.
What computer should I buy?
Our partners at NextComputing offer hardware solutions built specifically for Livestream Studio. You can either purchase a system from them or review the tech specs of the offered systems to guide you with finding a comparable system, especially if your events require a more advanced and resource-heavy setup (e.g. five connected cameras, all graphics overlay tracks in use, multiple remote inputs).
They also offer some additional tips for optimizing your PC’s performance in their help center.
Generally speaking, we strongly recommend a system that supports hardware encoding and decoding to reduce stress on your CPU. When considering a processor, at minimum we'd recommend an Intel Core i5 for simpler projects, whereas more complex setups (e.g. more than five remote guests) would require Intel Core i7, Intel Core i9, or Apple Silicon.
Livestream Studio requires either a PC running Windows 64-bit version 10 or later or macOS Monterey or later.
Recommendations for using Remote Guests
Studio’s remote guest feature allows you to bring in guests via their browser and webcams from anywhere with an internet connection. Learn more about our bandwidth and hardware recommendations for using remote guests and how to use the remote guests feature.
Sample hardware setups for basic workflows
Below is a non-exhaustive list of some basic workflows we’ve tested with Livestream Studio in the past. Be mindful of the listed supported workflow for each and consider a system with higher benchmarks if your events require more equipment, bandwidth, or internal resources such as multiple running media bins or complex graphics (picture-in-picture, animations).
Here is an example of simple workflow vs complex workflow:
| Simple workflow | Complex workflow |
|---|---|
|
Minimal requirement: Streaming 1080p30 + 1 media + 2 simple GFX + 1 guest |
Recommended requirement: Streaming 1080p60 + 1 media + 2 GFX + 1 pip + 5 guests |
It's highly recommended to use a GPU capable of video encoding/decoding and if it's not capable, ensure that your CPU is powerful enough to handle real-time video transcoding.
Desktop Computer (Windows-based): Simple workflow
| Hardware Component | Recommended Minimum Desktop |
|---|---|
| Processor with Integrated Graphics |
Intel Core i5-10400 (with integrated graphics) or better |
| Graphics |
Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| Memory |
8GB (or more) Dual Channel DDR4, or DDR5 |
| Storage |
256 GB SSD |
| Hardware encoding | Intel® Quick Sync Video |
Desktop Computer (Windows-based): Complex workflow
| Hardware Component | Recommended Specifications |
|---|---|
| Processor |
Intel® Core™ i7-13700K Processor 30M Cache, up to 5.40 GHz (with integrated graphics) or better |
| Graphics |
Intel® UHD Graphics 770 + NVIDIA T400/T600 (optional, for connecting multiple displays) |
| Memory | 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD |
| Storage | 32GB or 64GB Dual Channel DDR4, or DDR5 |
| Intel® UHD Graphics |
Intel® Quick Sync Video + NVIDIA NVENC (optional) |
Laptop Computer (Windows based): Simple workflow
| Hardware Component | Recommended Desktop Specification |
|---|---|
| Processor with Integrated Graphics | ntel® Core™ i5-1135G7 Processor (with integrated graphics) or better |
| Graphics | Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics |
| Memory |
8GB (or more) Dual Channel DDR4, or DDR5 |
| Storage |
256 GB SSD |
| Hardware encoding | Intel® Quick Sync Video |
Laptop Computer (Windows based): Complex workflow
| Hardware Component | Minimal Laptop Specification |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-1260P Processor (with integrated graphics) or better (H / HK / NG, but not U) |
| Graphics | Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics + Nvidia (optional) |
| Memory |
1TB M.2 NVMe SSD or more/better |
| Storage | 32GB or 64GB Dual Channel DDR4, or DDR5 |
| Hardware encoding |
Intel® Quick Sync Video + NVIDIA NVENC (optional) |
Apple Desktop: Simple workflow
| Hardware Component | Laptop specification |
|---|---|
| Processor |
[Apple silicon] iMac M1 or better
[Intel] iMac/ or mac mini (not earlier 2019) with I7 or I9 CPU (H / HK / NG, but not U) |
| Graphics | Apple core GPU / or QSV |
| Memory |
8GB (or more) unified memory or more 16GB for Intel |
| Storage |
256GB SSD |
| Hardware encoding |
MVT HW |
Apple Laptop: Complex workflow
| Hardware Component | Laptop specification |
|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M2 Pro |
| Graphics card | Apple core GPU |
| Memory | 2TB SSD |
| Storage | 32GB |
| Hardware encoding | MVT HW |
Additional Notes
- Livestream Studio is not compatible with Windows 32-bit systems.
- macOS must be on Monterey or later in order to run Studio.
- If you intend to use USB 3.0 capture devices for any video input or output, we recommend your motherboard have an Intel X99 chipset, as X79 chipsets do not support these USB 3.0 devices. Please see Blackmagic's notice regarding USB 3.0 device support.