The Best Capture Cards in 2025

Elgato has the full seizure instrumentality happening each figured out, and the Elgato HD60 X is simply a premier illustration of what the institution is susceptible of. You tin usage this outer seizure paper with beauteous overmuch immoderate setup, whether it beryllium your gaming PC, Mac, PS5, oregon Xbox X/S. It connects via USB-C and works with a wide assortment of streaming and seizure bundle similar Twitch, YouTube, OBS, XSplit, and Streamlabs. So unless you person precise peculiar setup needs, it’s a one-stop store to get sharing each your high-quality visuals, including that it besides comes with the (braided) cables you request to powerfulness and seizure your gameplay.

The Elgato HD60 X provides lag-free passthrough for up to 4K with HDR10 video astatine 60Hz with VRR. Though it’s worthy noting that the portion can’t output immoderate faster than 60Hz, truthful you’ll privation to instrumentality a look astatine immoderate of our different options if you’re gaming connected a high-refresh-rate show oregon TV. As acold arsenic signaling goes, the portion tin seizure 4K footage astatine 30fps oregon 1080p footage astatine a smoother 60fps.

A seizure paper doesn’t request to outgo you hundreds of dollars, but beware the galore random sub-$50 listings that riddle Amazon that mightiness look good and appealing but, successful practice, conscionable contiguous much headaches. The Elgato Game Capture Neo is the champion “cheap” seizure paper retired determination and is often connected sale. From firsthand experience, I warrant that it’s worthy the other disbursal to drawback a paper from a reputable brand. Rest assured that it volition beryllium with you for the agelong haul.

Game signaling is constricted to 1080p astatine 60fps. In reality, astir streams are downscaled to 1080p anyway, and 4K video tends to beryllium compressed connected streaming platforms, making a minimal quality to viewers. Many games inactive don’t tally natively astatine 4K, and determination volition beryllium little strain connected your PC oregon gaming system. Even if you privation to play successful 4K, the Game Capture Neo offers zero-lag 4K60 passthrough with HDR. So, enactment volition consciousness and look the same, adjacent erstwhile signaling gameplay.

That functionality comes successful an easy-to-use instrumentality with a compact signifier factor. A USB-C, on with an HDMI in/out, is disposable for a elemental transportation to gaming systems and cameras with speedy switching that’s cleanable for assortment streaming. Instant enactment for a scope of signaling software, including Elgato’s own, makes this a existent plug-and-play seizure card. Unfortunately, there’s nary interface for audio mixing, truthful you’ll request to find different mode to seizure crippled chat.

So, you’ve got the latest console(s), and present you request a seizure paper that tin support up with the top-tier specs portion capturing oregon streaming gameplay. The AVerMediaLive Gamer Extreme 3 is simply a plug-and-play USB enactment that offers debased latency, uncompressed 4K signaling astatine 30fps, which should beryllium plentifulness for astir contented creators, though there’s nary HDR capture. With besides virtually nary latency for the passthrough that supports 4K/60fps alongside VRR and HDR, your gaming won’t beryllium affected whatsoever, and you tin ever standard down the solution for higher refresh rates.

The AVerMediaLive Gamer Extreme 3 is highly susceptible and is acceptable to enactment with conscionable astir immoderate streaming level and seizure software, including Twitch, YouTube, OBS, and RECentral. And though it lacks immoderate RGB lighting, there’s a blue/red LED indicator that tells you if the instrumentality is receiving an HDMI signal.

The PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro tin grounds gameplay and store it connected the console that tin beryllium transferred to an outer drive. However, max clip restrictions, constricted editing capabilities, and a deficiency of customizations marque an outer seizure paper worthy the investment. The AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra 2.1 is 1 of the fewer options up to the situation with zero sacrifices to gameplay portion signaling oregon streaming.

The Live Gamer Ultra 2.1 offers an HDMI 2.1 larboard (hence, the name), truthful its passthrough capabilities are exceptional. Games tin inactive beryllium played successful 4K astatine 144Hz with nary latency erstwhile simultaneously signaling gameplay, which is much than PS5 is adjacent susceptible of. VRR and HDR are supported, ensuring each the enactment stays smooth.

Recording and streaming gameplay is conscionable arsenic great, acknowledgment to the 4K astatine 60fps capture. Video files volition look stunning with affluent colors and crisp details. Game chat tin besides beryllium easy recorded utilizing the dual 3.5mm jacks and 5.1 transmission enactment chat support, meaning you won’t request other cables oregon bundle – unless you privation to marque large changes. It’s the perfect seizure paper for gamers looking to play and grounds astatine precocious framework rates.

The Live Gamer Ultra 2.1 inactive keeps comparatively compact dimensions and remains a plug-and-play enactment that should instantly person the PS5’s awesome – conscionable guarantee HDCP is disconnected connected the PS5.

Check retired each the best seizure cards for PS5.

Just similar the PS5, the Xbox Series X/S is susceptible of capturing gameplay and storing it, but its limitations marque a seizure paper a indispensable if you program to grounds and watercourse regularly. Clips tin lone beryllium recorded for a fewer minutes astatine a clip connected interior storage, and portion an outer retention enactment bumps that up to 1 hour, thing longer requires a seizure card. The Elgato 4K X allows for streaming connected YouTube, editing full-res clips, overlays, and nary clip restrictions.

The Elgato 4K X works wonderfully with the Xbox Series X, arsenic it offers 4K240 passthrough oregon 4K60, ensuring minimal show sacrifices are made erstwhile signaling gameplay. When it comes to the existent seizure of footage, the Elgato tin grip 4K seizure astatine 144fps successful SDR (more than the Xbox is susceptible of) oregon 4K astatine 30fps successful HDR. This paper besides exceeds the max seizure capabilities of the Series S, which taps retired astatine 1440p astatine 60fps, truthful your footage should look exceptional with this card.

After mounting up the Elgato 4K X, it tin let for professional-looking unrecorded streams with overlays via OBS, XSplit, and more. The high-bandwidth USB 3.2 Gen 2 transportation prevents drops successful frames oregon bottlenecks, adjacent erstwhile transferring ample 4K30 HDR files. Party chat audio tin besides beryllium sent utilizing the HDMI port, but game/lobby chat and streamer mics volition necessitate other effort.

The AVerMedia Live Gamer Bolt is hands down the champion seizure paper for streaming. It delivers the lowest level of added latency we've seen retired of immoderate seizure solution astatine lone a mates of milliseconds. This makes it cleanable for games that necessitate cat-like reflexes oregon twitch aiming.

The AVerMedia Live Gamer Bolt besides records large looking footage astatine either 4K60 HDR oregon 1080p240. The lone tricky happening astir this seizure solution is you request a Thunderbolt 3 port, which means you tin usage it with lone a fewer compatible gaming motherboards and gaming laptops. You should decidedly treble cheque your system's ports earlier buying this seizure card.

A batch of video crippled seizure cards are counting connected you to person either an unfastened PCIe slot oregon a classical USB-A port. If you’re moving a laptop arsenic your streaming PC, those 2 connections mightiness not beryllium an option. The Asus TUF CU4K30 to prevention the time erstwhile you're moving with lone USB-C ports.

This USB-C based seizure paper volition fto you easy ligament it up with a laptop to seizure your crippled footage, supporting a 4K solution astatine 30fps, 2K for a 60fps stream, oregon adjacent 1080p for a super-smooth 120fps capture. Meanwhile, the paper tin walk the video awesome from your crippled strategy done to your show oregon TV astatine 4K60 with HDR, 2K144, oregon 1080p240. This is each built into a compact, aluminum chassis that includes RGB lighting, which doubles arsenic a presumption indicator.

The Elgato Game Capture 4K60 Pro Mk. 2 is the cleanable mode to observe conscionable getting Partnered with Twitch. It’s pricey, but hey, each those precocious nights streaming person yet paid off. This PCIe interior paper captures footage up to a 4K solution straight to your hard drive, up to 140Mbps.

Beyond the quality to grounds 4K HDR footage, the Elgato Game Capture 4K60 Pro Mk. 2 offers a fewer other features similar Multi App Access truthful you tin person aggregate pieces of streaming and/or signaling bundle accessing your seizure paper astatine the aforesaid time. Additionally, the Elgato's HDR code mapping allows users to play astatine 4K HDR portion streaming successful SDR.

If you privation to measurement up your streaming crippled with dedicated hardware, past the AVerMedia Live Gamer Duo is simply a highly susceptible option. As the sanction suggests, this seizure paper is meant to grip 2 tasks simultaneously. So, it has 2 abstracted HDMI inputs, with 1 to grip gameplay from your console oregon gaming PC and different to instrumentality the HDMI video provender from a integer camera. That'll fto you hide astir a webcam and usage the high-quality sensor and optics of adjacent a hefty DSLR to upgrade the prime of your on-screen quality with 1080p60 video.

As acold arsenic the gaming provender goes, this seizure paper has prime successful caput determination arsenic well. It volition seizure 1080p60 video crippled content, including HDR. The AVerMedia bundle volition fto you grip some video input sources individually, truthful you tin acceptable up your streams nevertheless you prefer. As for the gaming itself, the AVerMedia Live Gamer Duo is incredibly flexible with latency-free passthrough for 4K60 HDR, 1440p144, oregon 1080p240 footage, truthful you won't person to sacrifice your gaming acquisition to onshore this seizure quality.

The Razer Ripsaw HD is simply a coagulated enactment for capturing 1080p astatine 60fps. While it shouldn’t beryllium utilized arsenic a dedicated audio streamer, this seizure paper is 1 of the fewer to connection basic, hassle-free audio mixing done a 3.5mm input and output. Thanks to Razer’s thoughtful design, you get entree to the 3.5mm jack connected the beforehand of the box, portion the USB and HDMI connections stay astatine the back.

Although the Razer Ripsaw HD is constricted to capturing 1080p astatine 60fps, it allows 4K60 passthrough, meaning arsenic you stream, it’s inactive imaginable to bask a 4K resolution. Unfortunately, that 4K passthrough is constricted to SDR (HDR is not supported connected this seizure card). At slightest some seizure and passthrough are reliable with minimal lag and framework drops.

While Razer is known for its flashy designs, the Razer Ripsaw HD keeps it beauteous subdued with its aesthetically pleasing all-black look. Setup is arsenic simple; conscionable plug it into your system, tally immoderate seizure software, and you’ll beryllium bully to grounds each the action. To marque beingness adjacent easier, OBS and XSplit enactment seamlessly. However, nary autochthonal seizure bundle is connected board.

Originally posted:

Aug 20, 2025 7:06 pm