Recommended Hardware Specifications for Livestream Studio – Livestream Help Center

Below are the recommended hardware specifications for running Livestream Studio, including example workflows that each system type can handle.

Please note that many of these scenarios involve using Livestream Studio's hardware encoding feature. This is when the encoding is done either by a supported graphics card or in a processor that has integrated graphics.

Desktop Computer with Hardware Encoding Enabled

Hardware Component	Recommended Minimum Desktop (with Hardware Encoding)
Processor with Integrated Graphics	Quad Core Intel® i5 (6th Generation) or i7 (4th Generation) Processor or better
Graphics	Quick Sync-enabled CPU or NVIDIA NVENC-enabled GPU
Memory	8 GB or better
Storage	128GB SSD + 512GB HDD or better
Motherboard	Intel compatible motherboard
Example of a supported workflow	Camera sources: Multiple HD inputs & outputs Streaming: Up to 1080p multi-bitrate streaming profiles Graphics: Intermediate graphics templates and layering with picture-in-picture, chroma key, and image overlays

Hardware Component	Recommended Specifications (no hardware encoding)
Processor	6 (Hexa) Core Intel® i7 5th Generation Extreme Edition or better
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 600 Series or better
Memory	16GB or better
Storage	2TB SSD
Motherboard	Intel compatible motherboard
Example of a supported workflow	Sources: Multiple HD Inputs/Outputs Streaming: Up to 720p multi-bitrate streaming or single-bitrate 1080p streaming Graphics: Intermediate graphics templates and layering with picture-in-picture, chroma key, and image overlays

Hardware Component	Recommended Desktop Specification
Processor	6 (Hexa) Core Intel i7 6th Generation Extreme Edition or better
Graphics	NVENC enabled NVIDIA GPU (Such as Nvidia Geforce GT 730)
Memory	32-64GB DDR4 Memory
Storage	2TB SSD
Motherboard	Intel compatible motherboard
Example of a supported workflow	Sources: Multiple 4K / HD Inputs and Outputs Streaming: 4K / 1080p multi-bitrate streaming Graphics: Advanced graphics templates and layering with picture-in-picture, chroma key, and animated graphic overlays

Hardware Component	Minimum Laptop Specification (with Hardware Encoding)
Processor with integrated graphics	4 (Quad) Core Intel i5 - 6th Generation or better
Memory	8GB or better
Graphics	Quick Sync enabled CPU or NVIDIA NVENC enabled GPU
Storage	500GB HDD (SSD preferred) or better
Example of a supported workflow	Sources: USB Webcams, USB 3.0 Capture devices and Remote Cameras over LAN/WLAN Streaming: Up to 720p multi-bitrate streaming Graphics: Simple graphics templates with picture-in-picture and static overlays (no chroma key, no animated graphics)

Hardware Component	Advanced Laptop specification (with hardware encoding)
Processor with integrated graphics	4 (Quad) Core Intel i7 - 6th Generation or better
Graphics	Quick Sync enabled CPU or NVIDIA NVENC enabled GPU
Memory	16 GB DDR4 Memory or better
Storage	500 GB SSD or better
Example of a supported workflow	Sources: USB Webcams and USB 3.0 Capture devices Streaming: Up to 1080p Multi-bitrate streaming profiles.. Graphics: Intermediate Graphics templates and layering w/ PiP, Chroma Key, and image overlays.

Livestream Studio is not compatible with Windows 32-bit systems.
macOS must be on High Sierra or later in order to run Studio.
If you intend to use USB 3.0 capture devices for any video input or output, we recommend your motherboard have an Intel X99 chipset, as X79 chipsets do not support these USB 3.0 devices. Please see Blackmagic's notice regarding USB 3.0 device support.