Capture Cards: What you need to know [Best Capture Cards]
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I’ve been using capture cards for content creation since 2008.
- What is a capture card?
- Why use a capture card?
- Differences between capture cards
- Best capture cards
What is a capture card?
Capture cards are electronic devices that take video and audio input and compress it into a format that can be streamed to a computer or saved to a storage device like an SD card. Modern capture cards often have HDMI input ports, while older devices used composite cables to connect. Source footage can range from video game consoles to DSLR cameras. This footage can be seen in real time in either bundled software or free streaming software like Open Broadcaster Software Studio (OBS).
Capture cards can be classified as internal or external. Internal cards connect directly to a computer’s motherboard and send the footage to the PC that way. External cards either save footage to local storage like an SD card or USB drive, or they can stream footage to a computer through a USB cable.
Left to Right: Elgato HD60 S (external), 4K60 S+ (external), 4K60 Pro (internal).
Elgato 4K60 Pro attached to a PCIe x4 motherboard slot.
Cards designed for gaming also have a passthrough function. They have an additional “out” port to send the input signal back out to a monitor. Depending on the card, it can potentially take several hundred milliseconds to see the encoded footage in streaming software. With passthrough functionality, the original input signal is immediately sent to a monitor uncompressed to allow latency free gameplay while still recording the footage.
Elgato 4K60 S+ with HDMI in and out ports.
Elgato Game Capture software found on their website.
Why use a capture card?
Capture cards are used for live streaming, video conferencing, and recording gameplay or video footage for later use. This is particularly useful for console gameplay as it’s the easiest way to capture gameplay from them. You can even use capture cards to stream footage from one PC to another.
Two PC setups dedicate one PC to CPU/GPU intensive tasks such as gaming. That PC is then connected to a capture card and the video is sent to a second PC where it will ultimately be used to stream or record. This allows the gaming computer to function without any loss in performance or frame rate drops.
Live streaming gameplay from esports tournaments to platforms like Twitch is possible largely due to capture cards.
Photo 195064416 © Evgeniy Parilov | Dreamstime.com
When NOT to use a capture card
The main reason to NOT opt for a capture card is when using a single PC setup to stream and record that PC’s footage. With sufficient CPU and GPU performance, screen capturing software like OBS can be used without the need for additional hardware. Save yourself the money!
What are the differences between capture cards?
Here’s my capture card buyers guide. The main differences between capture cards to consider are:
- supported resolutions and frame rates
- internal vs external
- portability
- latency
- required PC specifications
- passthrough support
- supported input ports (older game consoles usually need composite cable ports)
Resolutions and frame rates
Capture cards can record at various different frame rates and resolutions, and the highest end cards can capture 4K 60 FPS in high dynamic range (HDR). Not long ago, 1080p 60 FPS was enough, but the newest consoles the Xbox Series S/X and the Playstation 5 require top of the line capture cards to record their footage in the best quality possible.
Internal vs external and portability
As mentioned at the top, there are both internal and external capture cards. If you’re using a desktop computer, it’s really up to you which is more convenient. For laptop users or for those who want to capture footage at events without a PC at all, external cards are necessary. In regards to portability, not all external cards need a PC to work, and I’ll give several examples of which cards can be used standalone in the last section of this article.
Latency
Latency refers to the amount of time that passes between when something happens on the capture source and when you see it in the preview window in your streaming or recording software. All capture cards have some latency to the preview window, but the higher it is, the more out of sync other sources like microphone audio become. Cards with very low latency even allow for gameplay by just looking at the preview window alone.
Specifications requirements
Lastly, capture cards can be very CPU and GPU taxing. Using a PC below the card’s listed minimum specs will end in a bad time. Some cards also only work at their full potential on certain graphics cards. For instance, the Elgato 4K60 Pro works on both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs, but AMD users must switch to CPU encoding, and HDR recording is not possible on AMD cards.
The Elgato 4K60 S+ (left) has the advantage of portability. It can record directly to an SD card without the need for a PC. The AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (middle) boasts one of the lowest preview window latencies on the market. This allows you to play directly on your PC monitor without even needing a second monitor.
What are the best capture cards?
I’ve divided this section into the best overall capture cards, best budget cards, and portable capture cards. Every card that I recommend I have used myself, and I’ll link my own reviews of them below so you can learn more about each card. Also below are two videos where I compare some of the most popular capture cards on the market.
Best overall capture cards (4K, Xbox Series X/S, PS5)
AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573).
Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2.
Two of the best capture cards on the market are the AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K and the Elgato 4K 60 Pro MK.2 (Amazon). Here’s a quick comparison of the two.
AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573) vs Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2
Both the AverMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573) and Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2 are internal capture cards that can capture and passthrough 4K, 60 FPS footage in HDR. These specs make them the best capture cards for next gen consoles like the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. Neither card is strictly superior to the other but here are a few key differences:
High frame rate support. Both the AverMedia Live Gamer 4K and the Elgato 4K60 Pro passthrough high frame rate footage (1440p at 144 Hz, and 1080p at 240 Hz), but only the AVerMedia GC573 can actually capture 144 Hz and 240 Hz high frame rate footage. The 4K60 Pro is maxed out at 60 FPS capture.
Preview window delay. The AVerMedia GC573 has very little preview window latency, so it’s possible to play console footage looking at the preview window alone.
Bandwidth limitation. The main potential downside to the GC573 is its bandwidth usage. Depending on the motherboard, the PCIe x4 slot will not provide enough bandwidth to enable HDR at 4K60 FPS, and the card will need to be moved to an x8 or x16 slot instead. I explain more in detail in this GC573 setup article.
Multi-app support. The Elgato 4K60 Pro’s advantage is it has multi-app support. This means you can use it with Elgato’s 4K Capture Utility and OBS at the same time.
HDR support on AMD graphics cards. The Elgato 4K60 Pro does NOT support HDR recording on AMD graphics cards currently - only NVIDIA GTX 10xx series or higher cards. Even the AVerMedia GC573 only has working HDR for a few AMD cards (namely the 5700 and 5700XT).
Elgato 4K60 Pro HDR capture NOT supported on AMD Radeon RX 5700.
AVerMedia GC573 HDR capture is enabled AMD Radeon RX 5700 and 5700 XT.
For a detailed breakdown of these two cards, I made a video comparison with sample footage here. I ultimately recommend (and currently use) the AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (my review).
Best capture card for 1080p (Switch, PS4, Xbox One)
Elgato Game Capture HD60 S
If you don’t need 4K support, the Elgato HD60S (Amazon) is an external capture card that can record and passthrough up to 1080p 60 FPS. The resolution and frame rate supported is perfect for the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Xbox One.
I’ve used this for several years for both YouTube and Twitch content without a hitch, and I highly recommend it. Here is my review on this site. You’ll require a USB 3.0 or higher port to use this.
There is also an internal variant called the Elgato HD60 Pro (Amazon). While it’s also a top notch card, if you’re looking for an internal device, you can spend a bit more money to just get the 4K60 Pro to future proof your setup.
Best budget capture cards
Elgato Cam Link 4K
(picture: Elgato)
BlueAVS Capture Card
Budget capture cards are most useful for using your DSLR or camcorder as a webcam. These cards lack passthrough functionality, but still get the job done for Zoom meetings. Until recently, the best budget capture card was the Elgato Cam Link and the newer model, Elgato Cam Link 4K (Amazon). The Cam Link 4K can capture 1080p 60 FPS, but its 4K is limited to 30 FPS.
Now, little known brands have come out with ultra cheap, low latency cards that do mostly the same thing as the Cam Link. Most of them lack branding at all and just say “HDMI Video Capture”. The specific card I linked below is limited to output of 1080p 30 FPS, but there are many variants that support higher resolutions and frame rates. The most popular of these mystery cards lately has been from BlueAVS. Here is my own review.
The Cam Link 4K is still a great choice because of the customer support you can expect from the brand, but the new, cheap cards can sometimes be found under $30, so they’re absolutely worth considering.
Portable capture cards
Elgato 4K60 S+
AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus. Image: AVerMedia.
For portable cards, I am specifically referring to external cards that can record footage without the need of a PC. These are usually plugged into an AC adapter and they all have passthrough functionality. Two of the biggest players here are the Elgato 4K60 S+ and the AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus (Amazon).
The 4K60 S+ is one of the most expensive cards on the market because of what it can do on paper: capture of 4K 60 FPS in HDR without the use of a PC. Here’s my review of the device. The AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus is capped at 1080p 60 FPS capture but it can passthrough 4K 60 FPS. It’s important to note that this card does not passthrough HDR. I’ve only used the AVerMedia card at live events a handful of times, so my time with it is admittedly limited.
Unfortunately, my experience with portable capture cards has been unpredictable. With both of these cards, they can sometimes work flawlessly and produce amazing looking recordings while being very convenient. Other times, they have failed to record files at all or the files have gotten corrupted. Error messages are only communicated by different colors or speeds of flashing lights which isn’t really helpful for troubleshooting in the middle of a live event. And without PC monitoring, you can’t tell if the recording is going smoothly until you finally get home and hope those hours of gameplay end up intact.
With those problems I encountered in mind, I do not actually recommend standalone cards at the moment, but it would be unfair not to list them. If one comes out that I can get to work every time without a hitch, I’ll update this article.
Resources
AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573) written review.
Elgato 4K60 S+ written review.
4K capture card video comparison.
Elgato HD60 S written review.
Amazon listings
AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573): https://amzn.to/34t9Pz7
Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2: https://amzn.to/35yScgz
Elgato 4K60 S+: https://amzn.to/34sflSt
Elgato HD60 S: http://amzn.to/2EATM5U
AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus https://amzn.to/3aZgSDj
