Best Equipment For Twitch Streamers in 2023 (Every Budget)

Last Updated on 01/02/2023 by Dean

Looking for the best equipment for your Twitch Streaming Setup? We’ve got you covered. This 2022 Buyer Guide will give you the intel you need to get your setup ready for streaming.

At Streamerfacts we have plenty of experience with Streamer Equipment as we cover the setups of the top Twitch streamers.

This buyer guide will cover every peripheral category you could ever need as a livestreamer and give you three options to choose from: BUDGET, INTERMEDIATE, BEST.

Additionally, you can use the navigation below to skip directly to the parts of this guide that you need.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

BONUS: Budget Streaming Pack

Logitech C920

Razer Seiren Mini


Neewer Key Lights

Your streaming equipment doesn’t have to be expensive! Many Twitch streamers prioritize the wrong things. You can get a budget streaming setup for under $150.

More info inside the article.


Best Webcam for Twitch Streamers

Having a webcam is the single most important part of your streaming setup. You need to show your face if you want your viewers to be able to relate with you and your stream. While faceless examples such as Corpsehusband exist, they are atypical and you’re setting yourself up for failure by not having a face cam in your Twitch stream.

What you don’t need however is an expensive, high-end webcam. You definitely don’t need a DSLR like some top-tier streamers are using. None of this is important when you are just starting out.

As I’ve told others time and time again, it’s more important to have a good lighting setup than to have a good webcam.

Budget Webcam Idea: Your phone!

your phone can be a cheap webcam that you can use to stream on Twitch
  • Requires Droidcam (Android) or EpocCam (iOS)
  • Free/less than $10

Did you know that you already own a high-quality webcam? That smartphone in your pocket has an AMAZING camera that probably beats out most entry-level webcams!

In order to set up your phone as a webcam device for your Twitch stream, you’ll need to download Droidcam (Android) or Epoccam (iOS).

Best Budget Webcam: Logitech C920

  • 1080P/30FPS
  • FOV: 78 degrees
  • Built-in 2 Omnidirectional microphones
  • Logitech Capture software

The Logitech C920 is the real MVP when it comes to budget webcams. This webcam is capable of streaming 1080p at 30fps and is known for its amazing picture quality for a budget price tag.

While this is a budget webcam, it is still used by many top-tier streamers such as Scarra, Michael Reeves, and Disguised Toast.

You can also get the Logitech C922 for a slightly higher price tag but as covered in our C920 vs C922 article, the difference in quality is barely noticeable.

Best quality webcam: Logitech Brio

4K/30FPS
1080P/60FPS
FOV: 65/78/90 degrees
Built-in 2 Omnidirectional microphones
Logitech Capture software

If you’re looking for a professional video quality webcam, the Logitech Brio is your best bet. This webcam not only offers crisp video quality but also has a 90-degree field of view which gives the illusion that your room is a lot bigger than it actually this.

This is something you would otherwise need a fancy lens for on your DSLR! The Logitech Brio does it for under $200.

Most professional webcam: Sony a6000

Bokeh/Blur effect
Requires a capture card (Elgato Cam Link)

Used by the following streamers

Do you own a mirrorless camera, GoPro, or anything like that? If so, DO NOT BUY A WEBCAM!

You can turn your existing camera into a webcam that will output 10X better quality than any webcam you can buy!

To turn your existing camera into a webcam you’ll need to purchase Elgato’s cam link. Elgato’s cam link is not cheap but it’s 100% worth it over buying a regular webcam.

Many top-tier streamers have opted for a DSLR in favor of webcams due to their far superior image quality. Streamers such as Pokimane and Shroud use these DSLRs such as the Sony a6000 to improve the quality of their stream with a crispy-clear facecam.

Order of importance: 3

Having a webcam is important, but you’re better of investing in good lighting and a microphone over a new webcam. After all, you can always turn your phone into a makeshift HD webcam using an app.

Read our order of importance

👉 Read our full article: best webcams for Twitch streamers


Best Lighting for Twitch Streamers

As I’ve mentioned earlier, good lighting is more important than having a high-quality webcam, but that also doesn’t mean you need to break the bank over this!

Here are 3 stream lighting options for every budget. But first, let’s look at what kind of lighting setup you should be using.

Lighting setup for your stream

Your stream should have one key light (primary light) and one filler light (which fills out the shadows created from the key light).

Additionally, you can have a hair light but this is optional. You can get away with just having a key light at the start and purchase a filler light later on.

Budget stream lighting: Neewer key light set

  • Under $50
  • 2 dimmable USB LED lights
  • Color temperature: 5600K
  • Tripod stands included
  • Bonus color filters

Hands down the Neewer Key light set is the best budget lighting kit you can find for under $50 on Amazon.

This kit comes with 2 dimmable LED lights that don’t take up a lot of space on your desk. The lights come with their own tripod stands so you don’t even need to invest in an additional stand for your lighting.

This is a great alternative to the Elgato key lights if you’re on a super budget! (seriously, Elgato key lights will cost you 10x more!)

Intermediate stream lighting: Falcon Eyes SO-28TD

Used by the following streamers

best option: Elgato Key Light

  • 2800 lumen output
  • 160 premium OSRAM LEDs
  • Color temperature: 2900k – 7000k
  • WIFI enabled software compatible with streamdeck, smartphones, and Windows/mac
  • Adjustable Steel Desk Mount (pole mount)

Elgato’s key light is the absolute best lighting for a stream setup, being made exactly for streamers. The key light can be controlled through a phone app or your stream deck which makes it even better.

No wonder many big-time streamers are using Elgato key lights in their setup. But this option is pricey and you can achieve similar lighting for far less money. (such as the Dazne lighting kit) Elgato provides a luxury solution that should only be considered once you have the appropriate funds.

Elgato doesn’t sell kits either, you will have to buy at least 2 Elgato key lights for the best lighting setup. You can of course purchase one Elgato key light and combine it with a cheaper fill light if you wish.

👉 Read our full article: best lighting kits for Twitch streamers

Order of importance: 2

Having good lighting on stream is important, no one wants to watch you sitting in a dark cave! Good lighting will make the cheapest webcam look great. Bad lighting will ruin even the best webcams.

Read our order of importance


Best Microphone for Twitch Streamers

Every Twitch streamer should be actively talking throughout their streams, if you are not doing so, viewers won’t stay. For this reason, your number 1 priority is to get a microphone for your stream setup.

Budget microphone Idea: use your headset

Most of us have a gaming headset that comes with a built-in microphone. These are completely fine for starting out.

If you don’t already have a gaming headset, I recommend the Logitech G Pro X because it’s affordable and has the best microphone on any headset today (thanks to Blue Voice).

There is no shame in using your headset microphone as a new streamer, plenty of streamers do this and the audio quality is just fine.

Though, if you want to start investing in a higher-quality stream, you can take a look at our budget, intermediate and professional options for streaming microphones below.

Budget microphone: Razer Seiren Mini

  • Under $50
  • plug and play USB microphone

As concluded in our budget microphone guide, the best bang-for-your-buck streaming microphone is still the Razer Seiren Mini. For a budget price, the Razer Seiren Mini has great audio quality that beats any headset microphone.

It comes with an included stand but if you wish to pair this with a boom arm, we recommend the Neewer Boom Arm.

👉 Continue reading: best budget microphones for Twitch streaming

Intermediate microphone: Audio Technica AT2020

  • Great price
  • Cardioid polar pattern
  • USB or XLR is possible
  • streaming version includes boom arm

Used by the following streamers

The Audio Technica AT2020 is probably the best all-around microphone for Twitch streamers and content creators. So it should come as no surprise that this relatively cheap microphone is being used by some top-tier streamers.

⚠️ This product comes in both USB and XLR versions. Ensure you get the USB+ version [direct link].

With this product, you have the liberty to choose between the XLR version and the USB version. The XLR version will give you more freedom but will also require you to get an Audio Interface which will come at an extra cost (higher than the microphone itself). For this reason, we recommend you to get the AT2020 USB+ version instead which can be plugged directly into your PC using USB.

If you know how XLR microphones work, this is the perfect entry-level XLR microphone.

professional microphone setup: Shure SM7B + GOXLR Mini + Rode PSA1

  • Professional broadcasting audio quality
  • XLR microphone
  • Audio interface required (e.g. GOXLR Mini)
  • Used by top-tier streamers

⚠️ Additional purchases required:

Used by the following streamers

As made painstakingly obvious in the streaming setups from streamers we’ve profiled, most Twitch streamers use the Shure SM7B as part of their Twitch Streaming Setup.

Clearly, the Shure SM7B is the absolute favorite. You have undoubtedly seen this iconic black microphone in front of a streamer’s face before. It’s presence on Twitch is almost unbearable. Almost. In reality, it is simply the best choice for a professional streaming microphone.

You cannot go wrong with the Shure SM7B which is why we recommend it as well. This microphone will make you sound just as good as your favorite streamer, podcast, or YouTuber.

HOWEVER, it is not easy to use. This is an XLR microphone which means you will need to purchase additional products to make it work. These are:

  • An XLR cable (not included in the box!)
  • An audio interface
  • A boom arm (the microphone doesn’t stand on its own)

XLR microphones are very different from your classic plug-and-play microphone we featured in our BUDGET and INTERMEDIATE picks. These are for professional use and require an Audio Interface (also known as a mixer) to make communication between the microphone and the PC possible.

For the Audio Interface, we can only recommend the GOXLR Mini. This is the cheapest mixer you will find that pairs well with the Shure SM7B but is also super easy to use for beginners. Additionally, it is made with streaming in mind so that’s a huge bonus.

Order of importance: 1

Having a decent microphone is important. Especially if you’re using a built-in microphone or a headset microphone, this should be the first thing you are upgrading in your streaming setup.

Read our order of importance


Best PC Setup for Twitch Streamers

Budget streaming pc pre-build: HP Pavilion

  • Ryzen 3 5300G
  • AMD RX5500
  • 8GB RAM
  • 500GB SSD
  • Windows 11

This budget build is sufficient for live streaming games that don’t require a lot of computing power. If you plan to live stream FPS games we recommend that you take a look at our intermediate option instead.

Intermediate pc: iBuyPower

  • AMD Ryzen 5 5600G (3.9GHz)
  • RTX 3060
  • 16GB DDR4
  • 500GB SSD
  • Windows 11

For an intermediate budget, this iBuyPower PC is an absolute steal. Considering it packs a Ryzen 5 and RTX 3060 you couldn’t build a cheaper streaming PC yourself if you wanted to.

With these specs, you can easily live stream on Twitch without any issues.

Professional pre-built streaming pc: MEK Hero

  • AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
  • RTX 3080
  • Liquid-cooled
  • 32GB DDR4

If you don’t wish to build your own streaming PC, you can opt for the MEK Hero which features everything you would expect from a high-end setup: Ryzen 9 CPU and an RTX 3080.

Bonus: High-end PC Build

If you wish to build your own high-end gaming PC, here is a build for you.

PC PartsView on Amazon
CaseCorsair 50000D Airflow
CPUIntel i9 12900KS
GPUEVGA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB
CoolerNZXT Kraken Z73
RAMCorsair Dominator 32GB
STORAGEIntel 670P M.2 1TB
MOBOEVGA Z690 Dark Kingpin
PSUEVGA SuperNova 1300P+

Read our full article: best budget streaming pc built


Stream background

Whatever is in your background on your Twitch stream, will tell your viewers exactly what kind of person you are.

For example, in a streaming tips video, Pokimane revealed that when she started streaming League of Legends, she had posters of LoL heroes hanging in the background.

Some streamers prefer to keep their camera from taking up to much space and opt for a green screen instead.

And then you have others such as Valorant pro player Hiko, who uses a green screen for the sake of placing himself in a funny background.

That being said, I don’t actually recommend having a green screen as a newer streamer. Like I said, your background gives you the unique ability to tell a story about who you are. By using a green screen, you eliminate that opportunity.

Budget green screen

Since no one will actually see your green screen, you really don’t need to spend much money on them. A simple green sheet will do the job!

Professional green screen

If you’re looking for a professional green screen that you can pop in and out as you please, the Elgato green screen is your best bet, being designed specifically for streaming.

Practical lighting

Most streamers have some sort of practical lighting in the background of their stream. Most commonly, RGB lights are used. Streamers use practical lighting to make their dark backgrounds look more appealing.

After all, no one wants to look like they’re streaming from a cave.

Here are some commonly used practical background lights.

RGB background lighting options
Nanoleaf triangles
Philips Hue
Cabinet lights
Govee led strips
RGB table lamp

Optional streamer equipment

Stream Deck

Most Twitch streamers have a stream deck in their setup. This is a small device with 15 programmable LCD keys that allows you to take more control over your stream.

The stream deck integrates with your streaming software and Twitch so it can really make your life easier as a streamer but this is of course a luxury product that should only be bought AFTER you have a decent microphone, webcam, and lighting setup already.

As an alternative, Elgato has a paid app (with a free 30 day trial) that you can use to turn your phone into a stream deck.

Gaming headset

Most streamers use some sort of gaming headset, especially if they’re competitive gamers. Having a gaming headset isn’t really necessary for a regular streamer unless you’re looking to gain an advantage in certain games.

Here are some of the popular gaming headsets among top streamers:

Gaming HeadsetStreamers who use this
HyperX Cloud Alpha Pokimane, Ryan Higa
HyperX Cloud MixFuslie, Valkyrae,
HyperX Cloud OrbitMichael Reeves, Disguised Toast
Logitech Pro X Wireless LightspeedShroud
Sennheiser HD 599Scarra, Lily Pichu

Gaming chair

The majority of Twitch streamers sit in a gaming chair, owning one has sort of become the norm among streamers. This doesn’t mean that you should drop money on a gaming chair though, as they are expensive and will have zero impact on your success as a streamer.

For the price of a decent gaming chair, you can have a full streamer setup, this includes lighting, webcam and a microphone! You should not be thinking about getting a gaming chair until you have a decent streaming setup.

That being said, many gaming chairs are designed to be ergonomic so if you plan on turning gaming into a career, it’s definitely a good investment, your back will thank you.

Here are some popular gaming chairs among streamers:

Gaming ChairStreamers who use this
DXRacerFuslie, Scarra
Herman Miller EmbodyShroud
Secret Lab OmegaDisguised Toast, LilyPichu
Mavix M9Valkyrae
Noblechair EpicPokimane

Order of importance

When it comes to your Twitch streaming setup, there is an order of importance. While it’s important to have a webcam, the video quality isn’t that important, at least not at first.

When you’re just starting out, you want to make sure you have the following three things in your setup:

  • A webcam
  • A microphone
  • Lighting

A new streamer is most likely to neglect the microphone and especially the lighting and throw their entire budget at a webcam. This is the wrong mindset.

Let’s say you’re on a super-budget and only have $100 to invest in your setup. It would be easy to buy the Logitech C922 and be done with it. After all, you can rely on the built-in microphone and your room lighting to take care of the rest, right?

Wrong. If you only have $100, you should buy a $50 budget microphone and an affordable lighting kit for under $50 as well.

As for your webcam, you should use your phone camera as a webcam for the time being.

This way, you’ll have an HD camera (your phone), a lighting kit to illuminate your face and make it ‘pop’ from the background, AND a quality, external microphone.

This is a far better way to spend your money than to drop $100 on a camera that will NOT look good without proper lighting and has a TERRIBLE built-in microphone.

Leave a Comment