ATrain64's PC Build for Streaming on Twitch

The core of my build was constructed in May of 2018, but I have since upgraded it to improve the quality of my stream to the level where you see it today.  If you're just stopping by to see what I've got in my build and how much it costs, you can find everything in the table below.

	Core Build (5/7/18)	Vendor	Cost
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper RR-212E-20PK-R2 LED CPU Cooler	Amazon	$29.99
Motherboard	ASUS Prime Z370-A LGA 1151 (300 Series)	Newegg	$164.52
Case	RAIDMAX Cobra Z ATX-502WBU Black/Blue ATX Mid Tower	Newegg	$39.99
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit System Builder OEM	Amazon	$101.08
Monitor 2	ViewSonic XG2701 27" 144 Hz 1ms Free Sync Gaming Monitor	Newegg	$319.99
Ethernet Adapter	TP-Link TG-3468 Gigabit Ethernet PCI-Express Network Adapter Card	Amazon	$16.29
DVD-RW	LG Electronics 8X Ultra Slim Portable DVD Writer Drive	Amazon	$27.47
		Total:	$699.33
	From Previous Build
Monitor 3 (12/2/12)	ViewSonic VX2703MH-LED Black 27" 3ms HDMI LED Monitor	Newegg	$239.99
SSD 2 (6/20/16)	SAMSUNG 850 EVO 2.5" 250GB SATA III 3-D Solid State Drive	Newegg	$87.69
Mouse (1/17/18)	Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum RGB Tunable Gaming Mouse	Amazon	$54.29
		Total:	$381.97
	Add-Ons / Upgrades
Cam Stand 1 (6/22/18)	Smatree Adjustable Jaws Flex Clamp Mount 13.4"	Amazon	$13.99
USB Card (3/4/19)	Inateck 4 Ports PCI-e to USB 3.0 Expansion Card	Amazon	$16.99
Camera 1 (10/21/19)	Sony Alpha ILCE-6000L Digital Camera with 16-50mm Lens	Amazon	$558.00
Capture Card (10/21/19)	Elgato Cam Link 4K	Amazon	$116.22
Cam Stand 2 (10/26/19)	Smatree Adjustable Jaws Flex Clamp Mount 13.4"	Amazon	$13.99
Processor (10/31/19)	Intel Core i9-9900K 8-Core 5.0 GHz LGA1151 (300 Series)	Amazon	$484.99
M.2 SSD (10/31/19)	Samsung 970 EVO 1TB NVMe M.2 V-NAND Solid State Drive	Amazon	$169.99
Capture Card (11/26/19)	Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro	Amazon	$159.99
Monitor 1 (12/5/19)	ViewSonic Elite XG270 27" 1080P 1ms 240Hz IPS G-Sync Gaming Monitor	Amazon	$429.99
Monitor Mount (12/11/19)	WALI Extra Tall Single Monitor Desk Mount (M001XL)	Amazon	$37.99
Mic Stand (1/10/20)	RODE PSA1 Swivel Mount Studio Microphone Boom Arm	Amazon	$100.44
Stream Deck (5/4/20)	Elgato Stream Deck with 15 Customizable LCD Keys	Amazon	$153.36
Camera Light (5/5/20)	Lume Cube Panel Adjustable Bi-Color LED Light	LumeCube	$144.00
Headphones (5/10/20)	Sennheiser HD 660 S HiRes Audiophile Open Back Headphones	Amazon	$543.45
Microphone (5/11/20)	Shure SM7B Cardioid Dynamic Microphone	Amazon	$433.71
XLR Mixer (5/12/20)	TC-Helicon GoXLR Mini	zZounds	$270.49
Side Light (6/29/20)	Tranesca Selfie Ring Light	Amazon	$21.69
RGB Light (7/1/20)	GLW LED RGB Flood Light, 30W with Remote Control, 16 Color	Amazon	$18.99
Camera Lens (8/26/20)	Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens	Amazon	$430.21
Power Supply (3/19/21)	EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G5, 80 Plus Gold 850W, Fully Modular	Newegg	$189.77
Memory (4/2/21)	G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (4 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 3200 SDRAM	Amazon	$179.99
Camera 2 (4/2/21)	Logitech BRIO Ultra HD Webcam	Amazon	$178.30
Foot Pedal (5/10/21)	OLLGEN USB Foot Pedal Mechanical Switch	Amazon	$29.99
Video Card (3/10/22)	EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 10GB GDDR6X Ultra Gaming FTW3	eBay	$1,339.40
Keyboard (7/2/21)	Logitech G815 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (Tactile)	Amazon	$195.54
		Total:	$6,231.47
		Grand Total:	$7,312.77

In the rest of this blog entry, I will go over the core components of my build and important pieces that really boost the quality of my computer and Twitch stream.

CPU: Intel Core i9-9900K 8-Core 5.0 GHz

This was the best CPU available at time of purchase.  When it comes to streaming, multitasking is very common with the several apps you'll be running in the background in addition to some CPU-demanding games.  I chose the highest CPU since it's the last resource I ever want to be constrained on for what I use the computer for.

SSD: Samsung 970 EVO 1TB NVMe M.2 V-NAND Solid State Drive

Most won't see a noticeable benefit from NVMe drives over standard SATA SSDs, as the gain is mostly seen with multi-threaded operations that most Windows 10 applications don't currently utilize.  However, SSDs are significantly faster than traditional spinning HDDs, so I would never recommend anyone putting an HDD in their computer unless they are on a very tight budget.  Bottom-line, get at least a 500GB SSD for OS and games.

GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 10GB GDDR6X Ultra Gaming FTW3

When it comes to streaming on Twitch, I can't recommend anything less than the RTX 20 series cards from NVIDIA.  If you are going to use OBS or Streamlabs OBS, you will want to take advantage of the newest NVENC hardware encoder that comes with these cards.  If you follow the bitrate and encoding guidelines from Twitch, you'll learn that these cards produce similar quality to that of "Medium" with the x264 encoder via CPU.  The GPU cost to encode is minimal and saves valuable CPU usage to the point where you can get away with pairing it with a lesser i7 CPU and still produce great stream quality. I know they're expensive, but if you're gonna play on it almost every day, it's worth it. Also, I love EVGA products!

Capture Card: Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro
I went with the HD60 Pro because arguably it provides better response time than the HD60 S.  I also like the internal PCI-E mini connection.  I plug my PS4/Switch console directly into the card via the HDMI input and then I output it to my gaming monitor via a SLOBS source projector.

Gaming Monitor: ViewSonic Elite XG270 27" 1080P 1ms 240Hz IPS G-Sync Gaming Monitor

When it comes to gaming monitors, the decision right now is between 1440p x 165Hz or 1080p x 240Hz.  This is a personal preference, but I elected for the frames over the visual quality to improve gaming and response for competitive battle royale games like Fortnite.  I currently own 3 monitors, which is extremely helpful for multitasking, but at least two monitors are necessary for effective streaming (1 to game on, 1 to read chat and notifications).  As for brand, I am very loyal to ViewSonic monitors.  I've owned several over the past couple decades and have never had a single problem with any of them.

Camera: Sony Alpha ILCE-6000L Digital Camera with Sigma 16mm f/1.4 Lens

I first started with a Logitech C920, arguably the best webcam for streaming on Twitch when it comes to cost and quality.  I then learned about digital cameras operating as webcams and they are on their own level in terms of camera quality.  I chose the Sony a6000 because it's the same camera used by a couple popular streamers I like to watch, plus I love its mirrorless picture.  The Sigma lens is not necessary, but it will increase the sharpness of the picture even more so.  You'll need the "Elgato Cam Link 4K" and an AC power source adapter in order to get it working with your computer as a webcam.

Lighting: Lume Cube Panel Adjustable Bi-Color LED Light

This lighting kit was on display at Twitchcon 2019 and it's a beast in terms of producing light.  I currently run mine at just 15% brightness, which speaks how powerful it is.  Lighting can be more important than the camera itself in terms of producing a good picture, so you need to invest in a good light.  For some environments, multiple lights are preferred as well as a dark background, depending on what kind of image you are trying to produce.

Microphone: Shure SM7B Cardioid Dynamic Microphone

The first microphone I used was a Blue Yeti, which for its price is a very good microphone for streamers.  I recently upgraded to an XLR microphone because I was curious and I could hear the higher audio quality on other streams.  I decided to go with a Shure SM7B based on popularity and reviews.  Make sure you have a good mic stand to go with this microphone so that you can have it close to your mouth when you speak.  I highly recommend the "RODE PSA1 Swivel Mount Studio Microphone Boom Arm".  It's more expensive than average but it's extremely sturdy.

XLR Mixer: TC-Helicon GoXLR Mini

A mixer for the XLR microphone is not necessary, but it's really nice to have.  The GoXLR Mini comes with a compressor, gate, and equalizer to really fine-tune the quality of your voice.  It has a USB output so that you can plug your XLR cable directly into the mixer and then the mixer does the rest.  I will say that the software for the GoXLR is not great, but hopefully the bugs will disappear and functionality will improve over time.

Headphones: Sennheiser HD 660 S HiRes Audiophile Open Back Headphones

My first pair of headphones were the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro closed back headphones that I owned for almost a decade.  They were very good headphones, but they were starting to feel worn out and outdated, so I went for an upgrade.  I decided to stick with Sennheiser because I am loyal to their brand, having owned a set for so long with complete satisfaction.  I am very impressed with the HD 660 S.  The spatial sound is impressive and open back headphones really immerse you into the audio environment of the game you're playing.  This set is also much lighter than my previous set and ultimately more comfortable.

Stream Deck: Elgato Stream Deck with 15 Customizable LCD Keys

A stream deck is completely optional for streamers, but once you have one, you'll love it and never go back to life without one.  It's extremely useful and can perform actions that you cannot do easily within OBS or Streamlabs OBS.  You can change scenes easily, disable/enable sources quickly, and even add multi-actions to generate special scenes unique to only those who possess a stream deck.  15 keys is a must-have minimum.  6 is too few and I feel like 32 would get harder to manage and take up valuable desk space if you don't have much to begin with.

ATrain's Build:

That pretty much covers the important components that contribute to my stream and its quality.  The rest is pretty straightforward.  16GB of RAM is the sweet spot in terms of memory.  The additional USB card in my computer is helpful since I have 9 USB connections.  A foot pedal is helpful to act as a push-to-talk button and save valuable keystrokes when gaming.  Make sure you have a nice gaming chair and it's designed ergonomically, critical for your long-term health when you'll be playing for several hours in the same spot.  My computer might be expensive, but it's so nice to play on and if you're gonna spend as much time on this thing everyday, you might as well put nice things in it.

Hope you enjoy the stream!  Feel free to say hi to me at https://www.twitch.tv/atrain64 and thanks for watching!

♪ Ah ah ah ah, Staying-At-Home, Staying-At-Home ♫

For as long as I've been alive, I've never seen the world like this.  Stay-at-home orders for multiple weeks, self-quarantine and isolation, it's quite unreal...

While it's a scary time in the world, I've personally been quite fortunate during this situation, being able to continue working and getting paid.  The biggest inconveniences and changes in my life at this moment are just that I can't go to the gym, I don't have pool league or golf league to play in, and I don't have sports to watch on TV.  Realistically all of those are pretty trivial issues.

Without sports to play and be entertained by, I've turned to video games to keep me busy.  While I still play a good amount of Fortnite, I have also been getting time in playing Final Fantasy 7 and the Remake. :) I spend a lot of time streaming and watching Twitch TV, more so than I ever did before the whole stay-at-home order.  Honestly, Twitch has been a good way to stay connected with friends, especially ones that I have befriended on that platform.

Earlier this month, I did have to cut my hair for the first time ever and it took me 90 minutes with some Phillips Norelco clippers I bought from Amazon.  It was definitely a challenge but my hair was getting pretty long and I didn't want to wait any longer.  With the governor of Arizona extending the stay-at-home policy to mid May, it looks I may have to go one more round at it by myself. :(

During this time, I've also been eating from home so often that I feel like I've lost weight.  I don't have a scale at the house, so I can't confirm this though. I work from home basically everyday now and continue to do enough maintenance to make sure I don't lose any muscle mass not having a gym to go to.

I hope all my friends are staying safe and finding ways to stay creative and entertained during this time.  I have had some friends affected with Covid, but fortunately they all recovered with a couple weeks.  Hopefully next month, I'll be back to blogging about my usual interests.  Fingers crossed!!!

Spring Training Games, Bowling, Pool Tournament, Corona, and Ember's Birthday!

Spring Training - an Arizona tradition:

Every year, my friend Mike coordinates a trip back to Arizona to go to multiple spring training baseball games.  He gets his friends from the east coast to all attend and it's a good time hanging out and just checking out games during the day, since it's so convenient to go to multiple games in different stadiums throughout the Phoenix area.  At the beginning of March, Nate, Chris, Head, Brian, and Paul were all able to make it out to Phoenix for this yearly tradition.  Kevin and I were the local ones in the photo below.

While I didn't attend all the games they did, I still made it to 4 games in 4 days, featuring ballparks in Peoria, Salt River Fields, and Mesa and seeing teams like the Padres, the Royals, the D'Backs, the Brewers, and the Athletics.  For me, I don't even really watch much of the baseball game.  It's honestly just a great time to enjoy the weather, drink some beer, and hang out with my friends I grew up with who now live on the other side of the country and I only get to see a few times a year. :)

IBM Bowling League Ends:

The most recent bowling season ended on March 12th.  This was a strange season for me.  My entire team from last year moved on from bowling (leaving Arizona, to take care of kids, etc).  I was the only one to return to the league, so I ended up joining another team in the league that had lost two members.  Our 4th member actually turned out to be a coworker of mine, who had always wanted to try bowling league.  He had never really bowled before, but he really got into it this season, purchasing a new ball and learning how to bowl a ball with the proper form and mechanics.

While we were able to sneak into the playoffs as the 4th and finally seed, unfortunately we weren't able to overcome some of the huge scores other teams were bowling the championship night and yours truly did not pull-off a miraculous repeat.  It's okay though, I'm still very much into bowling and I look forward to the next season!  Just not sure who I'll be bowling with yet...

Singles Local Qualifier for APA Pool League:

I recently moved up to a 6 in pool league.  If you need a refresher, the skills levels vary between 2-7 with 7 being the highest.  I would say most people in the league are on average a 4-5, and being a 6 is quite an accomplishment.  However, there's also a lot of pressure being the highest rated player on my pool team.  I am expected to play the other top players in the league and beat them.  I don't really feel like I can hang with those studs just yet, so I've been trying to enter more tournaments on the side to improve and get better.

On March 14th, I entered the singles local qualifier tournament.  It's open and free to enter, and if you win, you go to Phoenix for regionals for a chance to play at Nationals in Vegas.  You may recall this is something I tried back in 2016 when I moved up from a 4 to a 5 in 8-ball.

Honestly, I only wanted to play in the tournament for practice, but after 8 hours at the pool hall, a bye, and 4 matches later, I found myself a winner and qualified for the regionals at Phoenix.  Whoops!  I am gonna consider going though, not with the intention of winning, but to play other great players and learn how to beat them on a more consistent basis. :)

Corona:

It's a really sad time in the world right now.  Many people are unable to work and forced to stay at home for the upcoming future, without a real good estimate of when they can go back and start making money again.  Personally, my job has not changed too much.  I already work from home 3-4 days a week, so going a full 5 is no big deal.  I am on the list of "essential employees" who have access cleared to go into the lab should I need to.

I am however affected in other ways because of Corona.  I can't go to my gym anymore (closed until at least the end of the month) and there is no pool league or golf league (which would have started on the 18th).  With no leagues to play in, I find myself just working out every day from home to the point that my legs are starting to feel like jello.  But in reality, my problems are very minor and trivial.  I don't have kids who are staying at home because school is canceled, so I don't have my hands full or a family using up all of the house's resources.  I am still working and making money, so I am the least of anyone's worries right now.

Take care out there, it's a scary time but hopefully all this crazyiness will be over real soon and we can get back on with our lives!

Ember's 1st Birthday:

And now to end the blog entry on a more positive note.  March 23rd was Ember's 1st Birthday!  She is officially an adult cat and a wonderful one at that.  She's so friendly with anyone she meets and is a great addition to my little cat family.  Happy Birthday Ember, I love you!

Not much going on here!

Not a lot going on since our last blog post, but I still want to get my monthly update in, so here goes:

The Chiefs won the Superbowl, so I'll need to go to Vegas within a year of the big game to collect my winnings on that sweet bet I made. :)

The cats are doing well, no issues with Benzi and Ember is a very healthy kitty.  Ember actually turns 1-year-old next month, but I've already started transferring her over to adult food.

I'm still playing pool, but our team has kind of hit a wall in terms of performance.  They moved me up to a skill level 6, which doesn't help, and I've already been bouncing back and forth from a 5 and a 6 this season.  I got that new Jacoby Black shaft but I'm still waiting on my custom butt to be made, so maybe that will give me some inspiration.  I'm also looking to join more tournaments and play in a summer 9-ball league to just get more reps in hopes of improving my game.  Right now, I just don't feel like a 6...yet, but it's definitely where I want to be.

Bowling league will be ending in 2 weeks, and our team looks to make it to the playoffs.  I have a brand new team (everyone from my roster of years past did not return), so it's been a bit of an adjustment.  But we're still in the hunt, which means I have a chance for another championship.  Updates on that to come later.

Next month will be busier and I'll have some new stuff to blog about.  I'm going up to Phoenix for spring training games to see Mike, Nate, and Chris.  Golf league should also be picking up soon, so I'm looking forward to that.

Sorry for the lame post today, but I figure it's better to blog about something than nothing at all (just like how I feel about working out!).  Until next time and thanks for checking in on me!