Best Laptop for Streaming in 2023 - Top 10 budget friendly laptops!‍

The best laptops for streaming in 2023 are 

1. Alienware M17 R4
2. Lenovo Legion 7i
3. Asus ROG Zephyrus S17
4. XPG Xenia 15 KC
5. ROG Zephyrus G14
6. GE76 Raider 12UHS
7. HP Victus 16
8. Predator Triton 500
9. Acer’s Nitro 5
10. ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo SE

People are already out there with the best laptop for streaming going places as streamers. Almost everyone is awed by the lives of content creators. Video gaming is not just a hobby anymore. It is so much more than that. There are a lot of people who quit their unfulfilling day jobs and launched headfirst into streaming.

So, if you play your cards right, you can evolve into an entrepreneur. And the journey can begin with the best budget laptop for live streaming, which doesn't necessarily require a hefty investment.

It doesn't matter if Covid has forced you to stay holed up in your den. Nowadays, you can stay indoors and live-stream your gameplay to the world. There may be thousands or hundreds of thousands of fans who would be willing to watch you go! And to connect with them, all you need is the best budget laptop for streaming, which won't set you back financially."

Do you want to walk the path of stardom? In case you’re interested in becoming the next streaming megastar, listen closely. We have curated a list of the best laptops for streaming available.

So, my friend, it doesn’t matter if you come from riches or rags, if you’re on a tight budget or if you’re in a position to disburse some extra cash. We say so because these streaming laptops span a wide range of prices. Even a cheap streaming laptop can get you started on your journey.

Not only do these picks deliver snappy processor performance, but some of them are so light you can fly with them! 

So come on! Read on to learn more and find yourself the best laptop for streaming. 

We are rooting for you!

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Table of Contents

1. Alienware M17 R4
2. Lenovo Legion 7i
3. Asus ROG Zephyrus S17
4. XPG Xenia 15 KC
5. ROG Zephyrus G14
6. GE76 Raider 12UHS
7. HP Victus 16
8. Predator Triton 500
9. Acer’s Nitro 5
10. ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo SE
11. What does it take to be the best laptop for streaming?
12. FAQs- The best Laptop for working from home
13. Conclusion

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1. Alienware M17 R4

If you are on the lookout for a  top-notch laptop for streaming games then pick Alienware M17 R4 with your eyes closed. 

It has some RGB elements, but for the most part, this laptop is untamed. Nothing holds water in front of Alienware M17 R4’s power and performance. It is definitely the best laptop for live streaming. If you can work your way around and find a few extra bucks for your budget, the Alienware M17 R4 is a absolutely fantastic choice.

This laptop has a surprisingly simple yet sophisticated design.  Moreover, it has spacy insides. Yes, it has a ton of space, dedicated to cooling vents to support the powerful internal cooling, which is present on the side and back. 

The good thing about this device is that it’s going to run anything that the best desktop builds can. No matter how much power it has left for streaming for years to come.

It has got beautiful looks, first-rate quality, and fabulous cooling. And the display? It creates an excellent experience for gaming. 

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What makes this the best laptop for streaming:

• The Alienware is not only a powerful beast but it is also packed with the current-gen, latest components.
• The performance for gaming and streaming purposes is excellent. It has exquisite graphics which enhance the user experience. 
• The display of this device is large, smooth and FHD.
• Though it has a simple design its construction is high-quality. 
• The device is beautiful and aesthetic to look at.
• What makes this device a killer purchase is its excellent cooling.

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What could have been better:

• Unfortunately, its bulkiness makes it difficult to carry around hence it is not very portable.
• This laptop packs great components but these come at a hefty price.
• The placement of speakers and their quality are quite poor. These properties downplay the positive aspects of this laptop.

2. Lenovo Legion 7i

Lenovo has forever been known and established in the domain of laptops for business use. But the Lenovo Legion 7i  are killer laptops. Overall, this device can be termed a great bargain.

Say you are just getting started as a streamer or a gamer while keeping your day job, you can stick to this device. Therefore, the Lenovo Legion 7i can double as a professional workstation and a gaming laptop for streaming. Wait no more. Just go for it!

Sure, It has a somewhat simple build, but it is an extremely powerful gaming laptop. It shows off a  15.6” display with a refresh rate of 240Hz. This makes it a contender for the best budget laptop for live streaming. If you are looking specifically for good gaming laptops and are on a tight budget, though, we also have curated collections of the best laptops for gaming under $1,500 as well as best laptops for gaming under $500.

Moreover, It holds good enough power to handle high performance tasks. Plus it has the best performance/price ratio out there.

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What makes this the best laptop for streaming:

• A display with a high refresh rate of  240Hz betters both the streaming and gaming experience.
• This device holds a lot of power for streaming and other bulky applications. The  Intel Core i7-10750H processor smoothens the overall performance.
• At the price all these specifications are packed, it promises to be an outstanding deal on the laptop.
• For a gaming laptop, both the memory and storage are plenty. 
• The device is fairly portable. Yes, it is a bit heavy but not as much as its competitors.
• Most streamers require lots of USB ports to connect to external devices. This laptop tops the chart in this aspect.
• It has outstanding RGB components and includes a strip around the edge.

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What could have been better:

• Not everyone requires a lot of memory. Therefore we think the RAM is a tad more than the users/ gamers probably need.
• The off-putting part of this laptop is that the graphics unit has not been upgraded. It still includes a previous-gen GPU while a lot of options in the market have better GPUS.

3. Asus ROG Zephyrus S17

The Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 is the best weapon a streamer can have in their arsenal. It may be the one for you. The jagged chassis is all metal. S17 has a six-speaker sound system, and a customizable keyboard. These make using ROG Zephyrus s17 a premium experience.

This beauty packs a stunning 4K display of 17.3-inches which has a refresh rate of 120Hz. On top of that, its GPU and CPU  render lightning-fast performance. 

But we hope you have a buttload of cash stashed for this laptop. If you have a sizeable amount of money in your reserves, then you can definitely make this beast yours. If not, don't worry, because a cheap streaming laptop can also do wonders if used wisely. 

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What makes this the best laptop for streaming:

• This device has stellar performance overall, with Intel Core i9 processor.
• It has a bright screen with 1440p G-Sync which provides a premium experience.
• The build quality of Zephyrus S14 is impeccable.  
• The fans run quietly and cool the device efficiently which makes it perfect.
• The speakers,  keyboard and touchpad are luxuriously placed and give the device a great finish. 
• This laptop has adequate battery life.

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What could have been better:

• The laptop screen lacks the option of a high refresh rate of 1080p.
• The device could have rendered peak gaming performance but is just shy of a class-leading experience.

You might want to consider checking out the excellent laptops for music producers that Asus produces.

4. XPG Xenia 15 KC

XPG Xenia 15 KC is sleek and light as hell, unlike its gaming counterparts. We all know that most gaming laptops are pretty bulky and heavy. And the scale often tips to about 2.2 to 2.7 kilograms. 

Again, that’s not the case with Xenia 15 KC. It is pretty handy.

The product is comparatively lightweight for a laptop that’s capable of delivering dependable gaming. It weighs around 1.9 kilograms which adds to its streaming performance. And that is not the end of the good things about this laptop.  It runs so very quietly that you can rarely find this laptop making noise under normal use. 

Isn’t this pretty impressive? Most gaming laptops while in use, tend to sound like a rocket ready to take off. It’s almost deafening and annoying. Therefore, if you want a laptop that is both quiet and portable, the Xenia 15 KC is the right choice for you.

Let’s see what makes it the best laptop for live streaming!

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What makes this the best laptop for streaming:

• The build quality of this laptop is solid.
• The key placement of the keyboard makes it very comfortable to use.
• For its class, Xenia 15 KC is quite lightweight.
• It has quite decent battery life.
• If you wish to enhance the device, it allows the option of upgradeable SSD and RAM

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What could have been better:

• The laptop can quickly run hot
• The performance of this laptop is lacking when compared to similarly equipped machines.
• The display of Xenia 15 could have been brighter and requires a lot of improvement.

5. ROG Zephyrus G14 

The ROG Zephyrus G14 is a powerful yet lightweight gaming laptop. It's a true beast. It's a decent travel laptop, weighing just over three pounds. You may expect outstanding performance owing to its AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS processor and AMD Radeon RX6800S GPU.

This laptop comes in quite a few different configurations. As a result, we've chosen one of them for you. The spec sheet below is for our review unit, which has the GA401IV make and model and the AniMe Matrix cover.

What makes it the best laptop for live streaming is as follows:

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Display14-inch WQHD ProcessorAMD Ryzen 9 4900HSGraphicsNvidia RTX 2060 Storage Capacityup to 1TB SSDMemoryup to 16GBDevice Weight1.7kg

What makes this the best laptop for streaming:

• It has an awesome performance in a light and compact size.
• The build is sturdy which also makes the laptop very stylish.
• It has a sweet and gorgeous display to provide a premium user experience.

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What could have been better:

• Webcam not operating
• The keyboard backlighting is inadequate.
• The fingerprint scanner can be a pain to use.
• For a gaming system, display response times are slower.

6. GE76 Raider 12UHS

Raider is good enough to qualify as the best laptop for streaming. If you're looking for lightning-fast gaming performance, this laptop will not disappoint. The MSI GE76 features a 17.3-inch 4K UHD  display with a refresh rate of 120Hz. To add to it, The screen is also rather large, which contributes to the sense of immersion. 

All of these wonderful characteristics, however, come at an exorbitant price of almost $4,000. Oof! You won't be disappointed if you're ready to spend the money in exchange for significant power.

This is what makes this the best laptop for streaming and gaming:

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What makes this the best laptop for streaming:

• For a gaming laptop, quiet fans are required, which are present on this laptop.
• PCI Express Gen 4 SSDs present on this device are fast.
• The laptop has decent speakers and good connectivity.
• It has an outstanding 1080p webcam

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What could have been better:

• The performance of this laptop isn't class-leading and could have been better.
• The screen is pretty dim-lit.

7. HP Victus 16 (16-d0097nr)

We are confident that if you buy the HP Victus 16, you will enjoy using the keyboard for a long time. HP has even included a numeric keypad, which is ideal for gamers.

This laptop has a lot to offer, but it isn't the most attractive gadget on the market. The Victus 16 is a nice choice if you can live with the plain appearance. Therefore, if you don’t go gaga over system design and built, purchase this laptop.

This laptop is a well-rounded alternative for most individuals, with a decent display and solid performance. It has all it needs to be the greatest streaming laptop. The keyboard is pretty darn comfortable, and the 16-inch screen boasts a 1080p resolution and a fast refresh rate of 144Hz.

Victus 16’s specifications validate it to be the best laptop for streaming videos. Here’s why:

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What makes this the best laptop for streaming:

• Victus 16 has an awesome 144hz refresh rate screen and has good system heat management.
• An empty slot on the device is present to add more SSD storage as per the user’s choice and requirement.

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What could have been better:

• It's not going well for this device. Battery backup of Victus 16 is 2 hours to fully charge the battery after 3.5 hours of mixed-use.
• HP most likely shaved concessions to keep the price lower than HP Omen notebooks with comparable specs. Thus resulting in an average plastic body for Victus 16.
• There is no multi-coloured RGB keyboard.
• It's normal to hear a lot of fan noise while playing high-end games.
• A few users have reported that their displays are wobbling.

You might want to consider checking out the excellent laptops for architects that HP produces.

8. Predator Triton 500

The Predator Triton 500 is a complete package. In terms of performance, it excels at balancing productivity with gaming. This high productivity is made possible by the Intel Core i7-11800H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU with Max-Q 6GB GDDR6 VRAM.

The laptop's design isn't very gamer-friendly. This is especially useful if you're striving for a more mature look.

For a gaming laptop, battery life is adequate, though you'll almost certainly use it at a desk because it weighs close to five pounds.

This can be your best laptop for streaming twitch and this explains why:

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What makes this the best laptop for streaming:

• It has a good all-around and gaming performance via 11th Gen Core i7 and GeForce RTX 3060.
• Has solid battery life and a 16inch display with a high refresh rate. 

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What could have been better:

• The keyboard quality is unfortunately subpar: It could have been more spread given the size of this laptop.
• The laptop packs just 512GB SSD for a high price. This is extremely less for gaming.

9. Nitro 5 17-inch (2021)

If you're looking for a good deal, the Acer Nitro 5 17 is an excellent idea. It offers sufficient graphics performance.

However, we would like to point out that it features a heavy plastic chassis. It won't fool anyone into believing this is a high-end product.

But it can also handle highly demanding activities like photo editing with ease. Acer even includes the parts needed to replace the storage or RAM. More information? Remove any unwanted items and enhance your smartphone!

Nonetheless, the product's display is dim as well. If these compromises don't bother you, the Nitro 5 is an excellent choice.

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What makes this the best laptop for streaming:

• With Ryzen 7 and GeForce RTX 3080 the laptop renders beast-like 1080p gaming performance. 
• The laptop allows multiple device plugins as it has several useful ports and includes USB-C type and Ethernet ports.

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What could have been better:

• We have to admit the display of this laptop is relatively dull.
• For a premium price, this laptop has an average build. This could have been improved as this laptop is quite costly. 

10. ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo SE

The Asus ROG Zephyrus DUO SE is the best laptop for any level of streaming currently available on the market. It has great performance, excellent cooling, and high-quality construction. However, if you're on a budget, there are contenders for the title of the best budget laptop for streaming that won't break the bank.

ASUS has gone out of its way and has managed to develop a dual-screen laptop. No one has ever even tried to question: How can someone make a dual-screen laptop?

You know what? They have nearly done it. The second screen isn't just a marketing ploy – it's more like a hybrid of a tablet and a control panel that's built into what would otherwise be unused space above the keyboard.

Further to that, the second monitor makes it incredibly simple to perform the tasks including managing stream settings, responding to chat, and other critical tasks. Yes, it's a little pricey, but if you can afford it, you won't be disappointed.

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What makes this the best laptop for streaming:

• The AMD Ryzen 9 5000 processor delivers a chart-topping performance for new streamers.
• The laptop holds a sleek portable build and added power to the gaming experience.
• The laptop is muscular enough to leverage a 120Hz refresh rate using a 4K main display. 
• The secondary screen enables more organised streaming capability.  

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What could have been better:

• There’s no webcam on this device.
• The keyboard placement is quite different which takes some getting used to.

What does it take to be the best laptop for streaming?

Yes, it's possible to get reliable streaming and gaming performance out of a laptop that costs less than 1000 bucks. But you'll have to take a hard look at the individual components.

You can get a grand gaming experience at a good price if you are smart enough and not fall prey to the puzzling market of laptops. By doing thorough research, you can also discover a cheap streaming laptop that meets your needs without compromising on performance.

For gaming experiences like that on Fortnite, you might not require a high-performing graphics card. You can make do with AMD Raedon and the likes for good enough performance and experience. 

a. Graphics- The Vital Organ 

It's a done deal once you get a graphics card. It cannot be replaced or upgraded later. As a result, you must be extremely picky about which one you select, as this component will determine how well your computer ends up running high quality games.

Fortunately, you don't need the best of the best to achieve consistent gaming performance. The GTX 1650 is a low-cost entry-level GPU. It's also suitable for 1080p gaming with medium-to-high graphics settings.

However, expect lower frame rates on newer titles. If you need a little more power, we recommend a GTX 1660 Ti or higher, or a more recent RTX 30-series GPU.

b. Monitor Requirement - For Top Experience

In this section, we'll avoid jargon. Because the display is what you'll be looking at, you should thoroughly inspect it before purchasing a laptop for streaming videos.

Because the display is what you'll be looking at, you should thoroughly inspect it before purchasing a laptop for streaming videos.

Remember that 1080p with a refresh rate of 60Hz is the bare minimum. Size is a matter of personal preference. If you're streaming and working with multiple windows, I'd recommend getting something large, like a 17-inch monitor.

Don’t forget to consider the display's sRGB colour gamut coverage. Colour gamuts are essentially spaces that contain a wide range of colour tones. Although most manufacturers do not release colour gamut coverage information, you should check benchmark websites. The more coverage there is, the more accurate the colour reproduction.

This is the gold standard for laptop gaming and media creation as well. The majority of laptops use IPS panels, which are known for their high contrast ratios and wide viewing angles.

Then there are other display standards, such as TN displays, which are high-performing in terms of refresh rate. However, it can be a little inept when it comes to tone reproduction because colours tend to shift as you shift your viewing posture.

c. Processor- For Smooth Functionality

Processors are the heart of the computer. The higher the generation, the better the overall performance of the processor. 

To get the most out of your desktop PC or laptop, make sure your CPU is up to the task.

Although CPUs are long-lasting and can last for years if properly maintained, PC technology is constantly evolving. When paired with compatible modern hardware, newer gaming CPUs use faster clock speeds, larger cache sizes, and higher thread counts, resulting in improved performance.

Finding the best gaming processor for your PC ultimately comes down to the kind of performance you want to derive out of your laptop

So here is a disclaimer for you. You have to be selective because the processor can’t be upgraded either. For AMD, hop on to either a Ryzen 4000 or 5000. In this case, a processor with just 4 core processors is pretty good but a 6 core processor works brilliantly.

As for Intel, we recommend everyone an 11th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7.

d. Ports- Enhanced Experience 

Ports are essential for great gaming and streaming experience. Video streamers gravitate toward feature-rich connectivity suites on laptops because video streaming platforms support multi-display connections. Taking a look at the connectors will save you a lot of time and dongles!

Most laptops have HDMI ports, which support 4K display connectivity at a refresh rate of around 30 Hz.

Aside from Display Ports, the all-purpose Thunderbolt 3 ports are the cornerstone of connectors because they provide a plethora of uses for laptops, ranging from power delivery to DisplayPort connectivity. At the very least, the best laptop for streaming should have this.

DisplayPorts (or Mini DisplayPorts) are also desired by video streamers for multi-display setups when watching content. DisplayPort, unlike HDMI, supports 4K displays at 120 Hz or 8K displays at 30 Hz, which is a significant improvement! 

e. Memory- Smooth Run

You can normally upgrade memory, so you can always swap it out and if you want, add more later on. Therefore, if you can afford 16GB of RAM, go for it. If not, try to get at least 8GB of RAM. 

f. Storage Capacity

You must exercise caution when storing items. This is because storage limits the number of games and applications you can install on your laptop. Storage, like RAM, is upgradeable and can be swapped out later.

However, because AAA games take up a lot of space, you should target at least 512GB of SSD storage and that plus a hard drive. Because data is stored on chips rather than spinning discs, SSDs load games faster. Video streaming is a type of data transfer.

You can either upload content or queue it to be downloaded and watched later. For that, you'll want a quick storage drive with high write and read speeds: SSDs.

SSDs connect to the motherboard via a built-in interface rather than the traditional SATA cables used by snail-like HDDs. Furthermore, SSDs have no moving mechanical parts, which allows for data recovery because they convert to read-only drives when their lifespans are reached.

g. Battery life

Gaming laptops are notorious for having short battery lives. This is due to the fact that they make extensive use of power. They are also heavier than other laptops because heatsinks and other cooling components require more space. Depending on the application, most will last between four and six hours on a single charge.

Find yourself the best budget laptop for streaming and rule! If you are also into game development, then we have curated a list of the best laptops for Unreal Engine 5 here.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can you stream a movie from your laptop to a TV?

You can cast the laptop's screen to the TV using a video platform like Netflix. You can, however, stream movies to your TV if your laptop has a consistent HDMI cable connection port.

You can, of course, stream a movie from your laptop to your television. A Chromecast is required to participate in a live streaming session.

2. What to look for in a laptop while video streaming?

If you're looking for the best laptops for streaming online videos, take a look at the list of laptops designed for online streaming. The laptop's display performance should be amazing. To double-check the colour accuracy, an image resolution of 720p/1080p or higher must be used.

It's an added bonus if it has a Thunderbolt port. Options for connecting to a variety of third-party devices.

For multi-display connectivity, a DisplayPort/HDMI cable port is provided.

3. How much RAM do you need for online streaming?

To be clear, running online video streaming requires a minimum RAM of around 720HDp or 1080p. The laptop must have a minimum of 16GB of RAM memory.

It is advantageous to have additional graphics processors with Video RAM capacities greater than 4GB for online 4K+ gaming resolution. For high definition gaming, 32 gigabytes of RAM are required for live HD streaming.

4. Which are the good laptops for online streaming?

There are various other laptop versions available in the market. If you’re looking for the best ones amongst those, then these laptops must be on the top of your preferences.

However, if you’re confused about finding the perfect laptops for online streaming, then you may pick any one of these laptops mentioned above.

5. Can gaming laptops handle streaming?

Yes, gaming laptops can handle streaming easily! It is a piece of cake. Because most modern games are extremely graphic heavy and require huge RAM size for them to function properly, a good gaming laptop can easily handle the load of streaming.

Given the high power games a good gaming laptop can handle, it can easily let you stream games online. That with high resolution, barely any lagging, and good graphic quality.

Of course, this is providing that you have a good bandwidth internet connection.So, at the end of the day, if you have a good gaming laptop, all kinds of streaming can be done easily on it!

6. Can I stream a video on a 720p monitor?

Yes, you absolutely can! Usually, video quality for most platforms ranges from a 144p to 1080p. So, videos can be easily streamed on any screen all the way down to 144p. But, sadly most videos are a minimum of 1080p especially while streaming (FHD). So, streaming a 1080p video on 720p monitor will sadly not give you the best possible experience. But if you are ready to compromise on that front than you should be good.

7. How much RAM do I need for streaming videos?

For maximum, optimal performance, the general recommendation is to get a 32 GB laptop. But, generally a 16GB laptop should work sufficiently well.

8. How much storage do I need for streaming?

If you want an HDD as well as an SSD, then go for 500 GB or more on the HDD.

You need plenty of storage on your device to store all your games and files.  Therefore try getting an SSD with 1 TB or more. 

9. What kind of processor do I need for streaming?

You need a processor like the Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 CPU. These come with plenty of power to handle the demands of streaming, .

10. What type of graphics card do I need for streaming?

You'll need a graphics card with at least 6GB of VRAM to stream and game without any lag or dropped frames.

Conclusion

As previously stated, the best streaming laptop is one with a little extra power. Your CPU is the most important component of this. It will have to handle the additional strain of uploading your video stream and processing the additional chat and streaming programmes that you use. If everything else is equal in your opinion, get the best CPU you can afford.

Another thing to keep in mind is that setting up for streaming will necessitate more than just the laptop. At the very least, you will require a good gaming headset.

If you plan on doing this on a regular basis, an external webcam and a dedicated mic will definitely come in handy.

We hope you find the best laptop for streaming within your price range and become a successful streamer!