LAS VEGAS - Broadcasting gameplay to places like Twitch and YouTube can be pretty stressing on even the most tricked out PCs. Many popular streamers have solved this problem by using two desktops at once -- one for gaming, one for streaming -- but doing so isn't very friendly on your desk space or wallet. Fortunately, CyberPower has introduced a more elegant solution with its Pro Streamer desktop (available now, $1,899 starting), which packs two completely independent PCs into a single space-saving chassis.
Despite its large frame, it's hard to believe the Pro Streamer houses two complete computers at first glance. The machine’s dual motherboards, graphics cards and storage bays are all neatly laid out, and are highlighted by its cherry red, gorgeously eye-catching liquid cooling tubes. The Pro Streamer’s side panel is transparent, allowing you to gaze at its gutsy goodness when you’re not playing games.
The Pro Streamer’s gaming and streaming systems both feature some strong specs, which should hopefully ensure smooth, lag-free broadcasting regardless of what you’re playing. On the model we played with, the streaming portion was comprised of a 6th-gen Intel Core i7-6700K processor, 16GB of RAM, a 250GB SSD and an Avermedia Live Gamer HD capture device.
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Over on the gaming side, there’s the same Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, dual Nvidia GTX 980 Ti graphics cards and a 250GB SSD. Each motherboard’s ports are pretty easy to distinguish on the back of the desktop, so you shouldn’t have a hard time plugging in the appropriate accessories for each system. Every Pro Streamer comes preloaded with both Open Broadcasting Software (OBS) and XSplit, which are the two most popular broadcasting apps for streamers.
I got to witness the benefits of the Pro Streamer’s unique dual-PC setup firsthand, playing some Rainbow Six Siege on the gaming system while broadcasting the game to Cyberpower’s Twitch channel on the other. While doing all of this, the streaming PC’s CPU usage stayed around a low 16 percent, which is huge considering that streaming and gaming from the same system would likely demand more than half of a PC’s resources, and could lead to some nasty slowdown that you probably don't want your audience to see.
The Pro Streamer seems like quite the compelling package for those looking to get serious about broadcasting, especially considering that you can essentially get two PCs for a fairly attainable starting price of $1,899 (higher-end models will cost upwards of $3,000, though). Between the Pro Streamer and new gadgets such as Razer’s Stargazer webcam, it’s clear that gaming hardware makers are looking to foster the next generation of Twitch and YouTube superstars. We look forward to seeing just how well they can achieve that goal as the year progresses.
