8 Best Laptops For Live Streaming in 2021 [Expert Choices]

No matter if you are a gamer, teacher, trader, or personal coach you want to live stream your sessions. You already know that you need fast internet with reliable upload speeds and a good laptop.

Live streaming is turning out to be a professional career option for many. Many people opt for this as they can control various aspects of where, how, and when one can work, giving complete freedom to the user. Most of them prefer using Windows-powered machines or macOS-based notebooks that are thin and lightweight.

But which computer will be able to handle multiple applications simultaneously?

Let’s find out!

Minimum & Recommended System Requirements for Live Streaming

Make sure the laptop you choose for live streaming has at least the minimum system requirement. If your budget allows, go for something in the recommended specs column. We based this on Twitch’s and other live streaming software’s system requirements and our own experience.

	Minimum System Requirements	Recommended System Requirements
CPU	9th Gen Intel Core i5	9th Gen Intel Core i7
RAM	4GB (2GB free)	16GB
Storage	256GB SSD	512GB SSD
Display	13.3-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)	15.6-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
Battery	Up to 4 hours	Up to 8 hours
GPU	DirectX 11 compatible, Integrated UHD graphics	4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 or better

8 Best Laptops For Live Streaming in 2021

Image	Name	Features	Check Price
	HP Pavilion 16	CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H RAM: 16GB Storage: 512GB SSD Display: 16.1-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Battery: Up to 10 hours	Check on Amazon
	Acer Predator Helios 300	CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H RAM: 16GB Storage: 512GB SSD Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Battery: Up to 6 hours	Check on Amazon
	Dell G5	CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H RAM: 32GB Storage: 1TB SSD Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Battery: Up to 6 hours	Check on Amazon
	Asus TUF FX505GT-AB73	CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-9750H RAM: 8GB Storage: 512GB SSD Display: 15.6-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Battery: Up to 4 hours	Check on Amazon
	Acer Nitro 5	CPU: 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-10300H RAM: 8GB Storage: 256GB SSD Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Battery: Up to 6 hours	Check on Amazon
	Lenovo IdeaPad 3	CPU: 1GHz Intel Core i5-1035G1 RAM: 12GB Storage: 256GB SSD Display: 15.6-inch HD Touch (1366 x 768) GPU: Integrated Intel UHD G1 Battery: Up to 7 hours	Check on Amazon
	LG Gram	CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-10210U RAM: 8GB Storage: 512GB SSD Display: 14-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) GPU: Integrated Intel UHD Battery: Up to 22.5 hours	Check on Amazon
	ASUS VivoBook 15	CPU: 1GHz Intel Core i5-1035G1 RAM: 8GB Storage: 512GB SSD Display: 15.6-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) GPU: Integrated Intel UHD Battery: Up to 11.5 hours	Check on Amazon

We have worked closely with 37 top-tier live streamers on platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and more to shortlist this list of laptops that also offer top-notch gaming experience. If you are looking for a reliable option, then this list is going to be helpful. We’ll start with higher-end, best laptops for streaming first and list budget options lower on the page.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Gaming laptops provide high-end specs thus they are more powerful than an average laptop for the most part. So you will find many gaming laptops on our list. Even if you are not a gamer, consider one of these as they provide the best specs and value.

1. Best For Live Streaming: HP Pavilion 16

Display

The HP Pavilion Gaming a 16.1-inch laptop is a good machine for live streamers who want to stream on platforms like YouTube, Facebook Games and Twitch. It has a typical 15.6-inch display with 1920 x 1080p resolution that reproduces accurate colors with a higher dynamic range.

CPU

The laptop comes with a six-core 10th Generation Intel Core i7-10750H CPU that clocks at 2.6GHz by default. If you are into gaming, you will love that the prime cores can clock at 5GHz ensuring a smooth refresh rate on games like Fortnite and PUBG. The laptop can also handle titles like GTA V, which is also has a lot of traction in live streaming platforms.

GPU

The NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti with 6GB graphics offers best-in-class gaming performance and it is also great for those who post already processed videos, as it is good at rendering videos in Adobe Premiere Pro with higher bit rates. This could be a professional live streaming gaming laptop.

Storage

The HP Pavilion gaming 16-inch laptop offers 512GB SSD-based storage. Thanks to the faster read and write speed of the SSD, the laptop can load games and software in just a few seconds and it can also load the OS quickly and it turns on in less than 15 seconds while cold booting.

Design

The laptop offers 10 hours of battery life with regular usage and it varies a bit while playing a game. Lastly, it weighs 4.85 pounds which is similar to other laptops of this class. If you’re a seasoned Youtuber and want a gaming laptop with a good GPU and not really concerned about the CPU performance, then the HP Pavilion Gaming 16 is the machine to get.

2. Best Laptop For Streaming Games: Acer Predator Helios 300

Display

The Predator Helios 300 is the right fit for the live streamers who also play games like Overnite, PUBG, and Fortnite. The Predator Helios 300 laptop offers a combination of CPU and GPU to maintain a constant FPS, ensuring smooth streaming. The laptop has a big 15.6-inch display with 1920 x 1080p resolution with 144Hz resolution with good color calibration and is good for playing FPS (first-person shooter) titles.

CPU and GPU

The laptop comes with the 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H 6-core CPU with a peak clock speed of 5GHz and a base clock speed of 2.6GHz. Most of the games still depend on single-core CPU performance and having higher clock speed will help games maintain high FPS. Not just that, live streamers can also maintain a minimum of 60FPS on most of the demanding titles due to the NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU with 6GB video memory. Just so you know, it is capable of offering 90fps or more on most of the titles.

RAM and Storage

It offers 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD-based storage. It does have a dedicated HDD slot, which can accept an additional hard disk along with the flash storage. If you are planning to install more games locally on the device, then install an additional hard disk.

Design

The laptop lasts for 6-7 hours on a single charge and it comes with 180W TPD, which is plenty considering the individual TPD of the CPU and the GPU. Lastly, it weighs 4.85 pounds, which makes it a bit bulky when compared to the competition. If you want a laptop for live streaming videos with good gaming performance and does not care about the weight, then the Acer Predator Helios 300 is the device to consider.

3. Best Dell for Live Streaming: Dell G5

Display

The Dell G5 is the most low-key looking gaming laptop that one can consider from the house of Dell. It is a great laptop for streaming live sports because of the high-end specifications and ample connectivity ports. It has a regular 15.6-inch screen with a full high definition (1920 x 1080p) resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate. Having a low refresh rate screen will result in better performance and better battery life.

CPU and GPU

The computer comes with the 6-core 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H CPU that usually runs at 2.6GHz, and when there is a demand, it can go up to 4.5GHz using Turbo Boost technology. The CPU is paired with the Nvidia GTX 1650 Ti GPU, offering 4GB graphics memory to run AAA titles at 60fps. PUBG and Fortnite players will have no problem getting at least 60FPS even with the higher graphics settings.

RAM and Storage

This live streaming laptop comes with a whopping 32GB RAM. Besides streaming, the large amount of memory helps you run high-performance tasks like 4k GoPro video editing, 3D rendering, etc. The 1TB SSD storage will be useful for storing the OS and software. It can also be used to store the streamed media offline.

Design

The Dell G5 can last for 5 to 6 hours on a single charge, which is slightly less. However, given the hardware capability, it is not much. Lastly, it weighs 5.18 pounds, making it a little heavier. If you are planning to travel with your laptop, then consider other options, which are thin and light.

4. Best Asus Laptop for Live Streaming: Asus TUF FX505GT-AB73

Display

The Asus TUF is a unique-looking laptop for streaming as it comes with a secondary display built within the trackpad. The laptop has a primary 15.6-inch full HD screen with 1920 x 1080p resolution, offering a thin bezel design. The Asus TUF Gaming is thin and light, and the live streamers can use the secondary screen to check comments and user interactions.

CPU and GPU

The laptop is based on the latest 9th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with a base clock speed of 2.6GHz and a boost clock speed of 4.5GHz. Having a higher single-core clock speed will improve the gaming performance, as the laptop also comes with the Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU, which can handle casual gaming without any issue. This might not be the most powerful gaming laptop, but it can even handle newly launched titles at slightly lower graphics settings.

RAM and Storage

The laptop comes with 8GB RAM as standard and the device also offers 512GB SSD, ensuring faster boost speed. A live streamer shall run multiple apps and 8GB RAM will ensure that all apps and software will remain in memory even if they require more memory.

Design

Even in terms of software, the Asus TUF Ultra-Slim Laptop offers Windows 10 Pro OS, a premium version that has a few more options than the base variant of the Windows 10 OS. The stream notebook weighs 4.85pounds, making it at par with other similar computers. Depending on the usage, the notebook can last only around 4 hours on a single charge, however, the laptop also supports fast charging, which can be a boon working from home professionals.

The Asus TUF with a dual-screen display technology enables people who need a secondary display and a computer with high computation capabilities. When compared to the competition, the laptop is not that expensive.

5. Best Value For Money: Acer Nitro 5

In Nitro 5, Acer puts together a value of money laptop with a good processor and the power of NVIDIA Turing architecture. Be it games like Far Cry, Tomb Raider, or editing software like Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Corel Draw, or 3D designing in AutoCAD, Acer can handle it.

CPU and GPU

The Intel Core i5-10300H is a quad-core processor with a base clock speed of 2.5GHz and a turbo speed of 4.5GHz. The higher clocking frequency combines with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU (dedicated memory of 4GB) to pull through photo/video editing and gaming at medium presets easily.

RAM and Storage

The 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD make this machine an effective multitasker. The faster read/write speeds of SSD’s load the software quickly and keeps the operations smooth. Windows 10 Home OS gives the best ecosystem and an easy interface for all the applications involved in video streaming to operate.

Display

The 15.6-inch Full HD display is a valuable addition not only to your gaming experience but to other tasks like content creation, streaming videos, etc. The resolution of 1920 x 1080 adds more details to the visuals, making it more realistic. At 5.06 pounds, the Acer Nitro comes in a complete plastic black body.

Keyboard and Peripherals

The backlit keyboard has a dedicated numeric panel and comes in a black and red combination that makes you work to get the lighting right for its visibility. The keys have a comfortable depth and adequate spacing. The touchpad is neither the widest nor the smoothest of the ones to operate, but it’s only a matter of getting used to it. 

Ports

Acer finds room for three USB Type-A ports and one Type-C USB port, along with an audio jack, Ethernet port, and an HDMI port. The users get the standard addition of WiFi-5 and Bluetooth for wireless connectivity.

The Acer’s battery can last up to 6 hours contingent on your usage. Don’t expect it to last as long with gaming or graphics-intensive activities. In Nitro 5, Acer adds more value, if you can ignore the minor snags. It works perfectly for educators, life coaches, art instructors, and gaming enthusiasts looking for an affordable streaming machine.

6. Best for Teachers: Lenovo IdeaPad 3

Display

If you are a live streamer who works with education-related subjects, then the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 that is tailor-made for it. It has a 15.6-inch screen with 1366 x 768 resolution and an LED-backlit screen. With touch input, lecturers and online tutors can annotate notes using a pen while live streaming videos, which is good for students as it offers a classroom-like experience.

CPU and GPU

This is a mid-range laptop, as it comes with the 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor with a base clock speed of 1GHz on all four cores and a boost clock speed of 3.9GHz. This laptop does not have dedicated graphics, instead, it uses the Intel UHD G1 graphics, which is capable of powering an external display with up to 4K resolution.

RAM and Storage

It offers 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. Users can install and save their docs and media files there. Not just that the Lenovo Ideapad laptop offers faster read and write speed when compared to HDD-based storage solution.

Design

In our testing, we found out that the laptop on average can last for 8 hours, which should be sufficient for streaming movies from OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. With just 7.1 ounces of weight, it is also easy to carry around. If you are into non-gaming purposes and looking for a mid-tier laptop, then consider this device.

7. Best Battery Life: LG Gram

The LG Gram is a thin mid-range laptop that offers great build quality and compact design with a 14-inch thin-bezel design, offering 1920 x 1080 or full HD resolution, making this a perfect machine to live stream at full HD resolution on Twitch and various platforms like YouTube, Facebook Live, etc.

This model comes with an IPS grade screen with accurate color reproduction and a good dynamic range, making this laptop a good one for streaming videos and movies.

CPU and GPU

The notebook is powered by the 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-10210U processor and with the Turbo Boost technology, the CPU can go up to 2.3GHz on all four cores, making this a great machine for multi-tasking as well. It does not have a dedicated graphics card, instead, the built-in Intel UHD GPU can handle some light gaming and it can also power an external monitor with up to 4K resolution.

RAM and Storage

The laptop comes with a 512GB SSD-based storage solution, ensuring faster boot and software load speeds. Similarly, this will also help to reduce the video rendering time as well and the built-in 8GB memory should be sufficient streaming on twitch or to run some of the most used live streaming software like OBS Studio without any issue.

Battery

The major highlight of the LG Gram laptop is the battery life. The computer comes with a massive 72Wh battery, which can easily last for more than 15 hours on a single charge and the company claims that it can last for up to 22.5 hours making this one of the best laptops when it comes to battery life. Even with a massive battery, the laptop just weighs just over two pounds which makes it easy to carry around.

If you are a live streamer and looking for a new laptop with thin and light design, amazing battery life with mid-range specifications the LG Gram could be the machine that you can blindly consider without second thoughts.

8. Best Budget Laptop: ASUS VivoBook 15

The ASUS VivoBook 15 comes with a regular 15.6-inch screen with NanoEdge bezels and FHD IPS screen. It also comes with 88% screen to body ratio.

CPU and GPU

This laptop is based on the 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor, which can handle regular tasks like web browsing and Microsoft Office usage with ease. However, this will not be the right laptop for game streamers, as it does not have a dedicated GPU, and the integrated GPU is also isn’t that powerful.

RAM and Storage

The notebook offers 8GB RAM, which is more than enough for a laptop with a 1080p display, and users will not have any sort of multi-tasking issues on this laptop. Besides, the device also has a 512GB solid-state-drive-based storage solution, which further fastens the overall process and helps the notebook to boost quickly. As it uses the NVMe standard, users can also upgrade the storage to either 512GB or 1TB if required.

Design

The laptop offers good battery life, under a normal scenario it lasts for 11.5 hours. However, with continuous streaming live videos and even while charging the device does not get heated up. Lastly, the VivoBook 15 weigh 3.5-pound, which makes it a bit heavy when compared to other thin and light laptops.

Go for this laptop if you are looking for a cheap option. However, if you want more graphics power or a higher resolution screen, then you might have to consider looking for other models that we have suggested.

Frequently Asked Questions

Verdict

Live streaming is now a respectable profession and unlike any profession, it also needs good equipment to increase the efficiency of the process. The list of the laptops that we have curated will serve this purpose and we have ensured to include different models with different hardware specifications.

• If you are a professional streamer or wanting to be one, consider options for dedicated streaming laptops like Acer Predator Helios 300 or HP Pavilion Gaming 16 so that you can stream efficiently without the device heating up.
• While if you’re a businessman or a teacher, we recommend going with i5 laptops like Acer Nitro 5 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3.
• For college students and teenagers, we suggest starting the live streaming career with a cheap and budget-friendly option like LG Gram.