Cpu for streaming and gaming

[vazquez.matthew25]

I stream and play fortnite on the same pc and i’m looking to upgrade my cpu its an i5 4690k right now but i want to know what cpu would be worth upgrading to.

 

[Barty1884]

If you could find a used 4790K or 4770K for a reasonable price, they'd allow you to stream Fortnite without an issue.

Beyond that, you're looking at a whole new platform. CPU, MB, DDR4. Either a Ryzen5 1600/2600 or minimum i5-8400 (preferrably an 8600K or better) would be my recommendations if you're going that route.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

[PCPartPicker part list](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DJTFLJ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DJTFLJ/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/jLF48d/amd-ryzen-5-2600-34ghz-6-core-processor-yd2600bbafbox) | $164.99 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [ASRock - B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/PCKcCJ/asrock-b450-pro4-atx-am4-motherboard-b450-pro4) | $93.88 @ OutletPC
**Memory** | [Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Tb97YJ/corsair-vengeance-lpx-8-gb-2-x-4-gb-ddr4-3000-memory-cmk8gx4m2c3000c16) | $64.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Crucial - MX500 250 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/n4PKHx/crucial-mx500-250gb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-ct250mx500ssd4) | $49.85 @ OutletPC
**Storage** | [Western Digital - RE4 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/KzTmP6/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd1003fbyx) | $39.65 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [Sapphire - Radeon RX 580 8 GB PULSE Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/y2DzK8/sapphire-radeon-rx-580-8gb-pulse-video-card-11265-05) | $219.99 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Phanteks - Eclipse P300 Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FCs8TW/phanteks-eclipse-p300-tempered-glass-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-ec300ptgbk) | $49.99 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** | [Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FdRFf7/corsair-cx-2017-550w-80-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-cp-9020121-na) | $51.99 @ Amazon
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $755.33
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| **Total** | **$735.33**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2019-01-31 15:50 EST-0500 |

 

[Barty1884]

@remixislandmusic, we don't know nearly enough information to start throwing builds at this?

Not disputing that the build is solid for the money, but we don't know what GPU the OP currently has etc.

A used i7-4770k or 4790K can be had for ~$125 or so, with a bit of luck.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-i7-4770K-3-5GHz-Quad-Core-LGA-1150-Processor/323671946051?epid=165707671&hash=item4b5c59f343:g:qTUAAOSwEcdcUK5i:rk:5f:1&frcectupt=true
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-i7-4790K-4GHz-Quad-Core-BXF80646I74790K-Processor/163514031054?epid=197293587&hash=item2612321bce:g:TO0AAOSwvpVcUCWK:rk:6f:0

The OP should be able to recoup ~$40-$50 for the 4690K pretty easily - so a $50-75 net spend would probably be the most economical route to achieve what they want.

*EDIT*
PM From OP.

Hello, so would would something like an i7 be complete overkill for me. I just wanna make sure the cpu i upgrade to will actually make a big difference.

An i7, of the era (4th Gen/Refresh) would not be overkill for gaming+streaming.
While Fortnite is fairly easy to run, and streaming isn't all that intensive (depending on settings used etc), 4c/8t would be recommended as a starting point.

However, have you actually tried using the 4690K first? While it's not going to be an ideal experience, it can be done. If you were looking to stream more intensive titles, I wouldn't even bother.... but no harm in trying with the i5 initially & see how you fare.

 

[R4DIO4CT1VE]

without a whole platform upgrade, your only options are i7 4770k or 4790k.

Get the i7, sell the i5. will probably put you back $100ish at the end of the day.

I would say its not worth investing in a new platform right now untill AMD releases their 3000 series CPU's.

 

[vazquez.matthew25]

@Barty1884 I do stream currently using the i5 and the stream is pixalated during a lot of movement i’ve read that upgrading my cpu could help increase the quality

 

[Barty1884]

It certainly can. There are many factors at play though.

Are you monitoring your CPU/RAM/GPU utilization while gaming/streaming? On an i5, I'm confident a CPU upgrade will be beneficial - but it may not be the only factor you need to deal with. The balance of your hardware, your internet connection, your streaming/bandwidth settings and allocation can all play a part too.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

for streaming the more threads, ram and internet the better.

 

[vazquez.matthew25]

@Barty1884 I have 16 gigs of ram and a wired connection at a college dorm with like 100 up and down. I’ve played around with obs settings and nothing helps so i’m guessing its my cpu. i have a 1050 ti also upgrading that soon

 

[Barty1884]

Yeah, with the balance of the hardware (and internet), it's almost certainly down to the CPU.

Your most economical option would be the use 4770K or 4790K, which should set you back <$100 after you sell the i5.
You could look to an entirely new platform if you wanted, but that's going to be more expensive. Assuming your PSU, storage & case are reusable, I'd say minimum $300 is what you're looking at for a modern platform.

 

[vazquez.matthew25]

@Barty1884 i will look into it thanks for all the help

 

[vazquez.matthew25]

@Barty1884 Sorry one more question i don’t know much about computers, the motherboard i have right now should support the 4790 K right ? it doesn’t need anything special i don’t really even know what motherboard i have rn it was like $70

 

[Barty1884]

If your board supports a 4690K, then it'll support a 4790K or 4770K, yes.

Whether the K aspect makes much sense, depends on the board. If it's not a Z97 or Z87 motherboard then you cannot overclock - While there's still a clock speed boost, you could also consider a 4770 or 4790, non K CPU too.
(a model number should be printed on the PCB, or programs like CPU-Z can tell you what motherboard you have, specifically)

 

[NightHawkRMX]

A 4770k should be a cheap way to game and stream pretty well.