Twitch streamer looking for gamer PC and the digitec Community rushes to help

Philipp Rüegg

11.11.2016

Translation: machine translated

Is your old PC starting to wear out and are you showing clear signs of age, especially when streaming games? Time for an upgrade. But what should you buy and who puts it all together? This is a question that digitec user Nadine Luccarini also asked herself. She tells us how she found help in the digitec community and what to look out for if you want to stream yourself.

The digitec users form a tight-knit Community. Whether through product ratings, tips on buying hardware or assembling new equipment; someone always knows how to help. No wonder thousands of customers turn to our Community with confidence. This was also the case for 23-year-old Nadine Luccarini when she was faced with the decision to put together a new streaming PC. She is better known as Xephira on the streaming platform Twitch. Seeking help, she turned to digitec users and sparked an almost never-ending discussion. She also found a helping hand.

Why did you just get advice from the digitec Community?
Nadine Luccarini [Xephira]: I've often read articles on such questions on your site and found that you get really good answers and help when you have a problem. I specifically looked for help in Switzerland because I needed someone who could help me build and choose. I knew for a fact that I didn't have the knowledge I needed to build a PC with a self-designed water cooling circuit.

Jules (also a digitec user and better known as JCPC) then replied to me in the discussion. I had already seen him commenting on other articles and was actually just waiting for him to write to me. Before that, of course, I did my own research on hardware. In the meantime, I considered Sub-Zero (compressor cooling) as a solution. But this would require a motor and is not intended for permanent use. Rather benchmarks and overclocking. The volume would also have been a problem and not practical for streaming.

You spent 4500 francs on your entire setup. Is that necessary?
Last year, viewers donated money to me while I was streaming so that I could afford better streaming equipment. Back then, I was still streaming with a Medion PC from digitec for around 1500 francs. The quality had suffered noticeably and my demands had also grown. The rest of the equipment gradually piled up. Everything at once would have been quite a sum. I haven't thrown any of the old stuff away yet. Even my five-year-old monitor is still in use.

I originally wanted to install two Nvidia Titan Xs and an i7 6950X etc., but then I decided to limit the budget to 4500 francs. For streaming and rendering a few recordings, a cheaper machine is still easily sufficient. With the new setup, I can run "GTA V" at 2560x1440p with 80fps. The stream runs at 40fps. A higher frame rate could be a disadvantage for viewers in terms of their download speeds.

In terms of streaming, I'm keeping a few options open, as I have a PS4 and two other PCs under my desk. The Medion PC and the PS4 are still used from time to time when I have visitors and they want to game with me.

How often do you stream?
That's a bit embarrassing right now. I only stream a few times a month at the moment. The last time was about a fortnight ago. Right before our conversation, I had tested the new setup for streaming for the first time. I also have a lot on my plate at the moment. What's more, I'm currently training quite intensively in League of Legends and I don't want to stream while I'm training. Because you have to take care of the entertainment at the same time as streaming and that's distracting. I only want to stream League of Legends again when I'm really good. I'll have to see if I stream other things in the meantime.

How good are you at League of Legends?
I'm currently in Platinum 5 and this season (you have to earn new ranks every year) I've moved up from Silver 5, which is between Beginner and Pro. Let's see how far I can get. The goal isn't fixed yet. I currently play League for two to three hours a day. At the weekend, it can easily be 5 to 15 hours a day.

Are you trying to turn pro?
Not really, although I was recently looking to join a team, but their standards are a bit higher and my rank is too low. Nevertheless, I'm still trying to fight my way up the rankings and then I'll see if being a pro is really for me.

How long have you been streaming regularly?
For almost two years. In between, I created a new account on Twitch and had to start from scratch with subscribers. At the beginning of my stream, I only streamed with music in the background, without voice and camera. I then changed this with the new account.

I started when I was able to play very well with one character (Katarina) in League of Legends. Since I rarely saw other players who could play well with Katarina, I wanted to show people my gameplay and playing style with "Kata". Of course it was fun when the first spectators chatted with me. With the new account and the new way of streaming, I also started to broadcast other games. Actually, everything I want to play at the moment is also streamed.

What do you need to be successful at streaming?
Motivation and a thick skin! A lot of people write rubbish, especially on Twitch. That happens with almost every stream. I often have to listen to myself: "You're a man with such a deep voice". You have to be able to talk to people and entertain them. What's more, talking, chatting and playing a game at the same time is not easy. Especially with League, you need to be able to play reasonably well. "GTA V" is much easier. You can just race around, shoot a bit and if you have an accident, that's still entertaining too.

In total, I have now received over 1000 francs in donations. But to make a living from streaming, you need several thousand viewers who are willing to donate money voluntarily or pay a subscription. However, this is reserved for the larger streamers who have entered into a partnership with Twitch. Such partnerships allow streamers to publish emojis that can be used anywhere in Twitch chats. There are also streamers who only activate their chat for subscribers. Wanting to be successful and streaming constantly in front of the camera with your voice also puts a lot of pressure on you to perform, which is why it can definitely lead to burnout. My tip: Set yourself a streaming schedule that shows time limits and publish it on the channel.

How do you stand out?
Difficult question. There are many ways to stand out. The standard is now very high. But there are also many female streamers who simply show a lot of detail and the camera image is much larger than the actual game. I don't think much of this type of stream. I think that to stand out, you should be able to offer something that is unique. Either you're pro or you're very entertaining, speedruns are also a good way to stand out.

What kind of internet connection do you recommend for streaming
Download speed is not that important. Upload is much more important. It should be 2-5 megabytes per second (approx. 15-40 Mbit/s). Last year, I was still streaming with 4G from my mobile. That worked somehow, but I've since upgraded.

What other equipment do you need in addition to the PC?
You should buy a headset with a good microphone so that you can be understood well. But a microphone and camera are optional anyway. The important thing is that you are streaming and entertaining. If you are using a camera, you should make sure it has full HD resolution.

How important is a green screen?
I don't currently have one. The question is how often and how professionally you work. And whether you have enough space. Behind me is the bed and the door to the room. The room is usually not very tidy, which looks unattractive. That's why I'd like a green screen.

If not everyone wants to spend 4500 francs like you, what would you advise newcomers to do?It depends on the resolution you want to game with. A lot of good new hardware has been released this year, such as the new i7 and the new Nvidia graphics cards. A GTX 1070 would certainly not be bad, but a GTX 1060 or even a 970 from last year will also suffice, depending on your requirements. However, you won't get very far with a 500 francs PC.

The PC builder

The mastermind behind the planning and assembly of Nadine's PC was digitec user Jules. He has dedicated his heart and soul to building PCs. Although he pursues his hobby as a sideline, he offers his advice and PC building skills to anyone who wants their own custom PC: for a fee, of course. From media and work PCs to fully water-cooled gaming machines, Jules is available for any project. The only limit is the budget, says Jules. Anyone interested in what he has to offer can find everything else on his website.

Here's the full stock list of Nadine's new gamer PC

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur. more