Every Black Friday I watch people buy a 4K camera for a stream where you can barely hear them. And I get it, the camera is the fun thing to buy. But nobody has ever left a stream because the picture was 1080p. People leave when your audio sounds like you're in a bathroom.
Black Friday is November 27 this year and Cyber Monday is the 30th, and the early deals always start showing up the week before. So before you spend anything, here's the order I'd actually buy streaming gear in. This is a ranking, so #1 is what I'd buy first.
I want to say why this matters plainly. A lot of us are building with no budget and no backup. You don't get to waste money on the wrong upgrade. If you only get one thing this year, get the one that actually changes how your stream feels. I already put out a list of the streamer essentials I'd actually buy, think of this as the order to buy them in.
What to buy first this Black Friday
5. A Stream Deck
Elgato Stream Deck MK.2 or Classic, 15 LCD keys
It's a luxury until it isn't.
Fifteen buttons that switch scenes, mute your mic, play sounds, run your whole show without alt tabbing. It's great. It's also the last thing you need. If you're still running one scene, wait. Once you've got enough scenes that you're fumbling on stream, that's when it pays for itself.
Buy it if: you're past your first ten streams and you're juggling scenes.
4. A real webcam
Logitech C920 or C922
You don't need 4K. You need to not be using your laptop camera.
The C920 has been the value pick for years and it still is, 1080p, autofocus, it works with basically everything. It's not going to make you look like a movie. It's going to make you look like you're taking this seriously, and that's enough.
Buy it if: your face is on stream and your laptop camera is doing the work.
3. A capture card, if you stream on console
Elgato HD60 X
GTA VI is console only. Think about that.
GTA VI comes out November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S with no PC version at launch, so if you want to stream it with your own overlays, your face, your setup, a capture card is how you get your console into your PC. The HD60 X does 1080p60 with HDR and passes through 4K so you still play at full quality. If you're PC only, skip this one.
Buy it if: you play on PS5 or Xbox and you want to stream it right.
2. Light
A key light or a decent ring light
Light does more for a cheap camera than a new camera does.
This is the secret nobody wants to hear. A cheap webcam with good light looks better than an expensive camera in a dark room. One light in front of you, a little to the side, and you look like a different streamer. If you're Black or brown, this matters even more, a lot of webcams are bad at us in low light and good lighting fixes most of that.
Buy it if: your room gets dark or your skin looks gray on cam.
1. A real microphone
Shure MV7+ (or HyperX QuadCast 2 on a tighter budget)
This is the one. Buy the mic first.
People will watch a blurry stream if it sounds good. They won't stay on a sharp stream that sounds bad. The Shure MV7+ is a USB dynamic mic with a pop filter built in, and dynamic mics are better at ignoring your room, your fan, your little brother in the hallway. If that's out of the budget, the HyperX QuadCast 2 is the USB mic I see recommended for new streamers over and over. Either one is a bigger upgrade than any camera on sale this month.
Buy it if: you talk on your stream. So, yes.
The bottom line
Mic, then light, then capture card if you're on console, then a webcam, then the Stream Deck. Buy in that order and every dollar shows up on stream.
And don't let Black Friday trick you into buying everything at once. Get the one thing, stream with it for a month, then get the next thing. If you're the person shopping for a streamer and you also want something to put in their hands, I've got a list of must play games for first time gamers too.
What's the one thing you're buying this year? Drop it in the CXM Discord, I'll tell you if I'd buy it first.
Your call
Did I get this ranking right?
In this story
.png)
