Streaming PC builds that leave cores free for the encoder

A streaming machine runs the game, the capture and the encoder together, so it needs more processor than the same game alone.

The processor is ranked ahead of the card

Streaming is the one gaming-adjacent use case where the engine weighs the processor above the graphics card. Its processor index rewards multi-core throughput rather than single-thread speed, and when two builds land close together the tie is broken on measured multi-core results, never on which build happened to be listed first.

A core floor for the encoder, and a card the processor can still feed

Every streaming build carries a minimum core count above the gaming floor, because the game, the capture and a browser share the processor. The graphics card still has to earn its place through the same pairing check as a gaming build: it is never placed behind a processor that cannot keep it busy.

Graphics memory is weighed, not just speed

The recommended build is scored with a term for the card's memory, so a card with more memory at the same speed is not passed over for a marginally faster one with less. System memory rises with the budget once the card and the processor are settled, and the board and memory kit are matched to the processor's platform.