)If you’re here than you’ve probably already watched a lot of live streams. You’ve probably gotten so motivated that you want to do one as well but you’re not sure exactly how, or what equipment is needed to deliver the best stream.

First of all, you need to decide whether you want premium quality products or go for the more affordable ones that offer the same functionality, but with less quality. This is crucial since the final price difference might be staggering and the former might not even be suitable for your budget. If you wish to advance in live streaming and potentially start earning money, you would want to get professional-grade equipment that will last longer and serve up to their value.

We believe there are four essentials for you to start live streaming professionally — a microphone, camera, headphones, and a capture card. The last can be either internal if you’ve got the space for it or an external one. I would review my favorite internal card but do keep in mind that it requires technical skills to install and an actual PC with free internal slots. If you’ve got a laptop, one of these is definitely not gonna fit in there. We’ve found these five products to be the best match for you if you’ve decided to go the professional route:

# Image Brand Price
1 Razer $181
2 Logitech $74
3 Sony $138
4 AVerMedia $144
5 Elgato $179

1. Razer Seiren Elite Dynamic Microphone

It is very important that you interact with your viewers and the best way to do so is with a microphone. The Razer Seiren Elite is a professional-grade streaming dynamic microphone, and don’t worry if this doesn’t mean much to you. Dynamic microphones are better for voice, especially when they come with a built-in High-Pass filter, which removes the annoying high-frequency sounds that tire the listeners. The single dynamic capsule delivers minimal electronic interference for a warmer and true to life broadcasting experience. The bit/sample rate is 16-bit at 48 kHz, with a digital or analog vocal limiter and a zero-latency monitoring output. This allows you to hear(monitor) your voice without any delay at all while putting a limit on how loud your voice could get. This allows you to let yourself get loud and noisy while preserving a nice volume for your viewers.

2. Logitech C922x Pro Streaming Camera

It is also a good idea to start including a facecam to your live streams. This allows viewers to connect more to you and how you feel while playing the game of your choice. The camera is specifically designed and optimized for pro-grade video streaming on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. It features 1080p HD video quality recording at 30 FPS or 720p at 60 FPS. It connects with a USB port and is compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10, macOS X 10.9 or higher, XBox One, Chrome OS, and Android v5.0 or a newer version. If you’ve got a green screen then you’ll love the integrated background replacement features (powered by personify). If you don’t, you should get one. It allows you to replace your background with a live image of your choice, or remove it alltogether.

3. Sony MDR7506 Professional Headphones

The third thing you’ll definitely need is proper headphones. Usually, when you’re streaming you don’t want people hearing your game audio through your microphone. You have to redirect it digitally so that people hear the sound in its best possible quality. Good-quality headphones will isolate the sound very well, ensuring that your viewers don’t hear an annoying echo effect at all. The Sony MDR7506 matches perfectly that description, and the best of all — features an insanely comfortable design. It is built out of quality materials that make it quite durable and extend its life. The MDR7506 features neodymium magnets and 40mm drivers that provide a rich, clear audio experience. The device ensures comfort and a notable reduction of external noises thanks to its Close-To-Ear design. The 9.8-feet cord ensures that you can freely move around without having ot take of your headphones every time.

4. AVerMedia AVerCapture HD External Capture Card

And the last one of the four is the capture card. In most cases, you would want to go with an external capture card because of its convenience and the possibility of using it on other, any device that supports it for that matter. The AVerCapture external card allows you to stream and record Xbox, PlayStation, WiiU, Nintendo Switch, or NES Classic Edition console gameplay with a retroactive recording option — TimeShift. The device spits out a full HD 1080p signal with H.264 hardware encoder (MPEG 4 — H.264+AAC). It works on any Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, or Mac OS X 10.7 and later-powered machine, and has 2 years of warranty.

5. Elgato HD60 Pro Game Capture Internal Capture Card

Internal cards are hard to install, require you to have a dedicated spot in your desktop computer and the technical knowledge to back you up. Alternatively, you could watch a youtube tutorial video — there are many of them. But in most cases, unless you want to really go full-professional, the internal card will do more than just fine. The Elgato HD60 Pro allows you to stream and record Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch gameplay with a 1080p full HD resolution at 60 fps. It includes a built-in streaming solution to Twitch, YouTube, as well as other multimedia streaming websites. You can record and stream simultaneously at 1080p60 with an H.264 encoder.