Honestly, I'd be a little careful jumping straight into the newest Intel Ultra series right now if you're on a strict $350 budget. Those motherboards can be super pricey and might push you over your limit once you factor in the cooling you'll need to keep things stable. I would suggest looking really closely at the AMD Ryzen 5 10600 6-Core 12-Thread instead. AMD has been way more reliable with their socket longevity lately, so you wont have to buy a whole new board in two years if you want to upgrade again. Make sure you also keep an eye on the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 8-Core 3.8GHz because by Black Friday 2026, it might actually be cheaper than the new 10600. It's a proven chip and very stable for streaming. Streaming puts a lot of stress on the system, so having those extra cores is a safer bet imo. I always worry about getting the latest and greatest right at launch because of potential driver bugs or weird heat issues that haven't been patched yet. Just a heads up, be careful with those doorbuster bundles. Sometimes they pair a great CPU with a really cheap, low-end motherboard that might overheat under load. If you can find a solid deal on the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K 14-Core 5.2GHz, it is fast for gaming, but just remember you will probably need a beefier power supply and a better cooler than what comes in the box. I'm here if you need help looking at specific motherboard specs later too, just ask.

I usually stick with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8-Core 16-Thread Processor for reliability. It is super stable for streaming and wont need a massive cooler, saving you serious cash...

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Regarding what #1 said about "Honestly, I'd be a little careful jumping straight into the newest Intel Ultra series," I totally agree. Honestly, everything I've tested lately has been pretty disappointing... they're just too hot and expensive for what they actually offer. If you're trying to stay under $350 and still want to stream, my advice is to just stick with any of the previous generation chips from AMD. I had issues with the newer architecture being super finicky with RAM speeds, and basically, the value just isn't there anymore. The older high-end stuff from AMD is gonna be your real value king during the sales. They usually have way better multi-core performance for your streaming setup anyway without needing a massive cooler. Just find any of their mid-to-high tier options from last year and you'll be golden. I'm around if you need a hand checking out the Black Friday bundles once they actually drop!