Do I need two PCs for streaming?

Not anymore. Modern CPUs with hardware encoding (NVENC) handle gaming and streaming simultaneously. A dual-PC setup only helps at the highest production levels.

What about a capture card?

If streaming console games, yes — a capture card is required. For PC gaming, OBS captures directly from the GPU. For dual-PC setups, a capture card connects the gaming PC to the streaming PC.

Best Setup for Twitch Streamers 2026