For an always-on FFmpeg YouTube stream, the best Raspberry Pi power supply depends first on your board model and then on what is plugged into it. Raspberry Pi recommends its 27W USB-C supply for Pi 5 and its 15W USB-C supply for Pi 4 Model B; neither choice by itself establishes whether the board can encode your stream workload continuously.
If you are asking whether a 3 A USB-C charger will run a Pi 5, it can be adequate with lower-power peripherals, but Raspberry Pi says the board limits current available to USB devices when it does not detect a 5 A supply mode. Identify your exact board and peripheral load before choosing, and treat power selection and FFmpeg performance as separate checks.
Identify the Raspberry Pi on your desk
Start with the model name printed on the board or shown by your operating system. This matters because different Pi models have different supply recommendations and connectors. The title of this question does not specify a model, so there is no responsible single-supply answer that applies to every Raspberry Pi.
For the common cases relevant here, Raspberry Pi's current model guidance lists Pi 5 at 5 V, 5 A with a 27 W USB-C supply, and Pi 4 Model B at 5 V, 3 A with a 15 W USB-C supply. The table also lists Pi 500 and Pi 400 alongside those respective power recommendations. Those are the manufacturer's stated requirements and recommendations, not measured estimates of how much a particular stream consumes.
Raspberry Pi recommends using an official Raspberry Pi power supply in its getting-started guidance. Its power-supply and model documentation gives the model-specific figures. Check the current documentation for your board before ordering: product revisions and documentation can change, and a model that looks similar may have a different power profile.
Also note the difference between a supply's headline wattage and its ability to provide the voltage and current mode the Pi expects. A charger advertised as 27 W does not necessarily offer 5 V at 5 A. Raspberry Pi's USB Power Delivery note explains that the 5 V, 5 A mode is optional among supply profiles. A high total wattage at another voltage is not an automatic substitute.
If you are building a stream from pre-recorded material, the board is just one part of the chain: media, loop method, network and YouTube configuration matter too. The practical steps in looping a nature video for YouTube Live with FFmpeg can help you think through the stream workload separately from the power question.
Pi 5: when the 27W USB-C supply is the straightforward pick
For a Raspberry Pi 5, the straightforward official choice is the Raspberry Pi 27W USB-C Power Supply. Raspberry Pi describes it as an ideal Pi 5 supply, and its product brief specifies up to 5.1 V at 5 A and support for USB Power Delivery. The model guidance calls for 5 V at 5 A. The brief is useful when a Pi 5 has demanding USB equipment attached, though it does not mean every setup draws the same current.
A Pi 5 can run from a 3 A supply when paired with lower-power peripherals. The important qualification is USB: Raspberry Pi says that with a detected 5 A supply, the board can raise its USB peripheral current limit from 600 mA to 1.6 A. Without that detected supply mode, the lower limit applies. This can matter if a device draws power from the Pi's USB ports, including storage used for the video files.
That is why “I have a 3 A USB-C charger” is not enough information to decide whether the setup is suitable. Ask whether the charger's supported profiles include the required 5 V, 5 A mode, whether the Pi recognises it, and whether the connected USB devices stay within the available current. When the peripheral load is modest, a 3 A supply may be adequate; when it is not, the official 27 W model is the clearer fit.
Do not infer that any 27 W USB-C charger is equivalent. Check the vendor's stated output modes and cable, not only the largest wattage printed on the box. Raspberry Pi's 27W USB-C supply product brief and its USB Power Delivery note for Pi 5 explain the relevant modes and peripheral-current behaviour.
The supply is a power choice, not an encoder upgrade. If a Pi 5 is asked to encode a format or resolution it cannot sustain, changing to a 5 A supply does not establish that the workload is now feasible. Confirm the power arrangement for the attached devices, then test the actual stream independently.
Pi 4 Model B: follow its own recommendation
For a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, Raspberry Pi lists a 15 W USB-C supply at 5 V, 3 A. If you have this model and a modest peripheral load, that model-specific recommendation is the relevant starting point. Buying a Pi 5 supply simply because its wattage is larger is not necessary as a general rule; the correct voltage, connector, supply profile and attached-device needs matter more than selecting the biggest number.
If your Pi 4 is connected to external storage, a USB audio interface, a capture device or several accessories, account for the combined load rather than assuming the board's base recommendation covers every combination. Raspberry Pi's guidance is for the board and its power expectations. It does not certify each third-party peripheral or cable in your particular installation.
Keep the board's job in view as well. A Pi 4 might play a pre-rendered file and send it to YouTube, or it might be expected to decode, composite, resize and encode media as it runs. Those are different workloads, even when the power supply is the same. There is no Pi-specific FFmpeg performance result established here, so do not treat this supply recommendation as proof that a chosen stream will run at the desired settings.
If you are deciding between a small computer and another always-on approach, compare the full workflow rather than just the board purchase. For example, running an always-on YouTube stream of Dota 2 replays involves source files and ongoing operation choices that are distinct from which Pi supply is correct.
Account for USB storage and other peripherals
List what draws power from the Pi before choosing or approving the supply. Include USB SSDs and hard drives, hubs, audio devices, cameras, network adapters and any other attached equipment. A device may be powered by its own adapter or by USB; that distinction affects how much load the Pi itself must provide.
On Pi 5, the peripheral current limit is a practical decision point. Raspberry Pi documents a 600 mA USB peripheral limit without detection of the 5 A supply mode and 1.6 A when that mode is detected. These are current limits, not predictions of how much an SSD or a streaming workload will consume. Check the peripheral manufacturer's own requirements and do not assume that a disk's brief startup behaviour is the same as its steady operation.
USB current is shared, not a separate allowance for every socket. Raspberry Pi's hardware documentation says to use an externally powered hub for devices whose power needs exceed the board's limits. A powered hub may be the more suitable arrangement for a device or group of devices that would otherwise exceed what the Pi can provide. It introduces another power connection to check, but it separates the peripheral's load from the board's USB supply budget.
| Setup | Starting point from Raspberry Pi guidance | What to check before relying on it |
|---|---|---|
| Pi 5 with low-power USB devices | 5 V, 5 A recommended; 3 A can be adequate with lower-power peripherals | Whether the supply supports the Pi's 5 V mode and whether USB devices fit the available limit |
| Pi 5 with USB SSD or other higher-draw device | Raspberry Pi 27W USB-C supply is the straightforward official choice | Device requirements, shared USB current and whether an externally powered hub is appropriate |
| Pi 4 Model B | 15 W USB-C supply, 5 V at 3 A | USB load, cable and any separately powered equipment |
| Any model with a peripheral over the board's USB limit | Do not rely on the board to power that load directly | Use a suitable externally powered hub or the peripheral's own power arrangement |
The table is a decision aid, not a compatibility certification. If a drive repeatedly disconnects, a hub may not be the only possible cause: inspect its cable, enclosure, filesystem, and power arrangement as well. For an always-on channel, storage access is part of the running system; consider how the stream behaves if a drive is unavailable after a restart or a brief interruption.
A power-cut recovery plan is useful for reasons beyond supply sizing. If you want to account for restarting a long-running stream after electricity returns, the guide to keeping a YouTube Live playlist running after a power cut addresses that operational concern. It does not replace checking the Pi's own supply and attached-device load.
Check the complete always-on setup
A power supply is one component in a continuous system. Check the wall outlet, plug fit, USB-C connector, cable condition and cable length. Raspberry Pi cautions that its voltage figures are measured at the plug and that voltage loss in a removable cable must be allowed for. A long or unsuitable cable can undermine a supply that looks correct on its label.
Keep the connections secure and avoid routing the supply cable where it can be tugged loose. If the Pi is installed out of sight, make it possible to inspect the status lights and reconnect power without disturbing other equipment. These are simple physical checks, but they matter in an unattended setup more than a neat initial boot does.
Power-loss behaviour also needs thought. A Pi and a streaming process can stop abruptly if mains power is interrupted; no supply model alone promises uninterrupted broadcasting. Decide how the board will boot, how FFmpeg will start again, and what you will do if YouTube no longer shows a healthy incoming stream. Test recovery deliberately while you are present rather than discovering the failure during the night.
You may also decide that keeping your own computer on is the part of the arrangement you want to remove. For a file-based channel, StreamNeo removes that particular burden by turning an uploaded video into a YouTube live stream that runs with your computer switched off, rather than asking you to maintain a Pi and its connected equipment for the broadcast. That does not change the fact that you need to choose a suitable source file and check the channel's stream health.
Separate your checklist into power and service checks. For power, confirm the model-specific supply, peripheral arrangement, cable and restart behaviour. For the stream, verify that the correct YouTube stream key and ingest settings are in use, and check that the broadcast is visible and healthy. A stable-looking desktop or a booted Pi is not evidence that YouTube is receiving a usable stream.
Test encoding separately from power selection
The power recommendation answers whether the supply matches the board and its connected load. It does not answer whether your Pi can encode the chosen resolution, frame rate, codec, overlays and audio continuously in FFmpeg. A supply rated for the recommended voltage and current is not a guarantee of encoding performance or continuous uptime.
Start with the actual job. Is FFmpeg sending an already encoded file with little processing, or encoding raw input? Does it resize, add overlays, combine audio, or apply filters? What output format and frame rate do you plan to send? Each additional step can change the work the board must do. The research available for this article does not establish an authoritative Pi-specific benchmark for these combinations, and no hands-on test was performed here, so a particular Pi model cannot be promised to sustain a particular setting on that basis.
Use a representative test before making the channel depend on the setup. Run the same media, FFmpeg command, resolution, frame rate and audio path you intend to use. Keep the test long enough to observe whether the process remains stable and whether the output arrives cleanly, rather than stopping after a successful launch. Watch the Pi's temperature and process behaviour using tools you understand, and check the receiving side in YouTube Studio. If you change the source, filter chain or output settings, repeat the test.
YouTube's live encoder guidance covers supported ingest protocols and encoding recommendations, and advises testing before going live and monitoring stream health. Its network guidance recommends outbound bandwidth above the total stream bitrate, with about 20% headroom. This is network capacity, not a measure of power draw: bitrate describes the data sent, not the current required by the Pi.
Choose RTMPS where it fits your workflow, follow YouTube's current encoder guidance for the chosen output, and monitor the stream after it starts. Network interruptions can affect a live broadcast even when the Pi and supply are working as expected. Likewise, a healthy network cannot make an overloaded encoder keep pace. Troubleshoot each layer separately: power and USB load, encoding work, then network and YouTube ingest.
If your channel uses a looped recorded programme, make the file and FFmpeg process representative of the real overnight run. The guide to choosing bitrate for pre-recorded videos in a 24/7 YouTube stream helps keep the video-delivery question distinct from the electrical supply question. Do not translate its bitrate advice into a claim about how many watts a Pi will use.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
What is the best power supply for a Raspberry Pi 5?
Raspberry Pi's straightforward official choice is its 27W USB-C Power Supply, with the Pi 5 recommendation stated as 5 V at 5 A. If you use a 3 A supply, Raspberry Pi says it can be adequate with lower-power peripherals, but the board applies a lower USB peripheral current limit unless it detects a 5 A supply mode.
Can I use a 3 A USB-C charger with a Pi 5?
It can work with a lower-power peripheral load, but check the supply's output modes rather than its headline wattage alone. Raspberry Pi documents that the Pi 5's USB peripheral current limit is lower without detection of the 5 A mode, so a storage device or other high-draw accessory may change the answer.
Will a Raspberry Pi 5 power an SSD while streaming?
It depends on the SSD, its enclosure, other USB devices and the supply mode. Check the device requirements against Raspberry Pi's shared USB current limit; if the load exceeds what the board can provide, use an appropriate externally powered hub rather than assuming the recommended supply alone makes every peripheral combination suitable.
Does the recommended supply mean FFmpeg will run continuously?
No. The supply recommendation concerns power for the board and its peripheral load; it does not establish that a particular Pi can encode your chosen stream settings or guarantee uptime. Test the real FFmpeg workload and monitor YouTube stream health separately.