Which is the finest seize card for PC players? Grabbing the correct seize card is the easiest way to make sure a top quality reside stream, because it interprets gameplay right into a language higher fitted to Twitch and YouTube.
Whereas the perfect graphics playing cards from Nvidia and AMD can file your PC’s gameplay immediately, these strategies typically include a efficiency tax that lowers your recreation’s body price and makes your stream stutter. Utilizing among the finest seize playing cards lowers the overhead in your {hardware} and helps you increase fps. It’s additionally the one approach you’ll get all the advantages of the perfect gaming PC when live-streaming from consoles – however selecting the best one could be troublesome, and that’s why we’ve these suggestions for you.
Why you possibly can belief our recommendation ✔ At , our consultants spend hours testing {hardware} and reviewing video games and VPNs. We share trustworthy, unbiased opinions that can assist you purchase the perfect. Discover out how we check.
Elgato HD60 S+
The very best seize card general
Elgato HD60 S+ specs:
| Seize high quality |
1080p at 60Hz |
| Passthrough high quality |
4K at 60Hz |
| Connections |
HDMI In + Out + USB |
Causes to purchase
- Superb 4K HDR playthrough
- Simple-to-use software program
Causes to keep away from
- 4K Seize software program presents no HDR preview or playback
- Struggles with larger framerates
Elgato’s HD60 S+ is the perfect seize card for 1080p streaming at 60fps. Whereas it data gameplay in HD, it nonetheless lets you see the picture at the next decision due to its passthrough supporting 4K, 60fps, HDR10, and 0 latency – which is right for those who’re utilizing it with the perfect gaming monitor.
Although it does battle a little bit bit relating to capturing larger framerates, it presents completely incredible 4K HDR playthrough. In the meantime, its native software program is tremendous simple to make use of and supreme for anybody simply moving into capturing their gameplay.
It’s an exterior mannequin that connects to your recording machine through USB, supported by an app that makes it tremendous simple to arrange along with your favourite streaming software program, reminiscent of OBS or XSplit. It’s a incredible all-rounder and that’s why it will get our prime suggestion.
AVerMedia Stay Gamer 4K
The very best 144Hz seize card.
AVerMedia Stay Gamer 4K specs:
| Seize high quality |
1080p at 240Hz | 1440p at 144Hz | 4K at 60Hz |
| Passthrough high quality |
1080p at 240Hz | 1440p at 144Hz | 4K at 60Hz |
| Connections |
HDMI In + Out + PCle x 4 |
Causes to purchase
- Can attain as much as 240fps
- Three RGB configurations
Causes to keep away from
- Want a strong PC to reap the benefits of it
- Native software program not supreme
Streaming a aggressive recreation reminiscent of CS:GO or Dota 2? You’ll need the aptitude of a excessive refresh price passthrough. This mannequin can deal with passthrough and recording of 4K decision at 60Hz, 1440p at as much as 144Hz, or 1080p at 240Hz, maintaining gameplay as easy as butter for you and your viewers.
It’s an inner seize card that slots right into a PCIe x4 slot, so be sure to’ve bought one spare on the perfect gaming motherboard. Oh, and there’s RGB lighting, which received’t enhance streaming high quality, however it’ll look rattling good as it really works its magic.
Value maintaining in thoughts that you simply’ll want a reasonably highly effective setup as a way to use this with none points. Should you’re utilizing an older PC, or a finances possibility, then you definately would possibly need to take into consideration upgrading for those who’re set on utilizing the AverMedia Stay Gamer 4K- although for those who’re already enjoying 4K video games in your PC, it’ll in all probability be nice.
Greatest plug-and-play seize card
AVerMedia Stay Gamer Extremely 2.1 specs:
| Seize high quality |
2160p, 1440p, 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576p, 576i, 480p, 480i |
| Passthrough high quality |
2160p144 HDR/VRR, 1440p144 HDR/VRR, 1080p240 HDR/VRR |
| Connections |
HDMI 2.1, USB 3.2 Gen2 Sort-C |
Causes to purchase
- Easy plug-and-play format
- Phenomenal efficiency and adaptability
- Small kind with RGB
Causes to keep away from
- Designed for PS5 and Xbox consoles
- Costly
- Port place may very well be higher
AVerMedia’s Stay Gamer Extremely 2.1 seize card makes use of an HDMI 2.1 connection – which suggests it may assist larger resolutions. With a max 4K144 pass-through, it captures easy, lifelike gameplay and makes your streaming extremely high-end. However this comes at a excessive worth. It’s additionally designed particularly for PS5 and Xbox Sequence X/S consoles, however that doesn’t imply you possibly can’t apply it to a PC or macOS.
Our skilled reviewer discovered the seize card simple to make use of, and the output was excellent, with zero glitching or tearing. Whereas footage from the Extremely 2.1 is gorgeous, be cautious of file dimension. You’ll possible want an exterior SSD for gaming to retailer 4K seize recordsdata.
The Extremely 2.1’s design is enjoyable, with RGB lighting which you can customise. It’s compact too, so sits unobtrusively on a gaming desk or media unit. We’d prefer to see a USB-C enter so as to add an exterior streaming microphone along with the three.5mm headset possibility. For reside streaming, it’d hold all of the audio inputs going by one machine.
The AVerMedia Stay Gamer Extremely 2.1 is a premium seize card for PC (and next-gen consoles). I like to recommend it for those who want the perfect footage cash should buy.
Learn our AVerMedia Stay Gamer Extremely 2.1 assessment
Elgato Recreation Seize 4K60 Professional MK.2
The very best seize card for streaming.
Elgato Recreation Seize 4K60 Professional MK.2 specs:
| Seize high quality |
1080p at 120 Hz | 1440p at 144 Hz | 1080p at 240 Hz |
| Passthrough high quality |
1080p at 120 Hz | 1440p at 144 Hz | 1080p at 240 Hz |
| Connections |
HDMI In + Out +PCIe x 4 |
Causes to purchase
- Can push video output to 2 sources
- Simple to make use of
- Captures 4k gameplay at 60fps
Causes to keep away from
- It’s an costly seize card
- Higher with twin PC setup
The second look of Elgato on this checklist. Whereas the Elgato HD60 S+ is a incredible all-rounder form of seize card, the 4K60 Professional MK.2 has been made particularly to attraction to streamers. The power to seize 4k footage at 60fps is little doubt going to be tantalizing for anyone who likes to showcase spectacular next-gen titles.
Past the standard, this seize card additionally boasts the power to push two video output sources directly. Sadly, when used to its full capability, it may be fairly taxing in your PC, so except you’ve the perfect gaming PC, or a twin PC setup, issues would possibly run a little bit slowly.
Nonetheless, for those who’ve bought the money to spare and a strong sufficient rig, then that is going to be a incredible selection of seize card. You’ll battle to seek out something that may seize recreation footage with this stage of element, and with out-of-the-box compatibility with most streaming and enhancing platforms, it’s splendidly easy to make use of too,
NZXT Sign HD60
The very best finances seize card.
NZXT Sign HD60 specs:
| Seize high quality |
4K at 60Hz |
| Passthrough high quality |
4K at 60Hz |
| Connections |
USB-C to USB-A |
Causes to purchase
- Superbly low worth
- Simple to make use of
- Respectable seize high quality
Causes to keep away from
- Captures decrease fps than others
- Footage lacks the element of others
That is in all probability the most affordable seize card you may get that’s really good. Go any cheaper and also you danger utilizing unreliable merchandise from dodgy, unknown manufacturers. NZXT, after all, is well-known for creating incredible parts for gaming PCs and this seize card isn’t beneath the usual you’d anticipate from them.
Admittedly, you’ll get a decrease fps price and the image high quality received’t be fairly as spectacular because the extra premium choices on the checklist. Nonetheless, it nonetheless boasts zero-lag passthrough assist for 4K at 60Hz along with HDR and 1080p at 240Hz. It’s not such as you’ll get potato-quality footage.
In the meantime, that is additionally a good selection for anyone buying their first seize card. It’s simple to make use of and set up and doesn’t require that you simply obtain any additional items of software program to stream or file your gameplay. Contemplating all of that and its low worth, it’s onerous to criticize the NZXT Sign HD60.
Genki Shadowcast
The very best small kind issue seize card.
Genki Shadowcast specs:
| Seize high quality |
varies extensively based mostly on machine |
| Appropriate with |
PC, Mac, Nintendo Change, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Sequence X|S, and extra |
| Connection |
HDMI in, USB-C |
Causes to purchase
- Compact and moveable
- Plug-and-play on all gadgets with a HDMI
Causes to keep away from
- Seize high quality varies by machine
Want a tiny seize card which you can simply transport and swap between gadgets? You’ll battle to seek out one thing as nifty and handy because the Genki Shadowcast. You simply plug it into the machine you need to seize footage from through an HDMI out port, then stick a USB into the opposite finish to attach it to the machine you need to stream by.
As soon as that’s all arrange, you employ the Genki Arcade app in your PC or laptop computer and you may then do no matter you need with the footage you’re capturing. This can be significantly interesting to anybody who needs, not solely to stream PC video games, but in addition PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Change content material.
This a really low-cost seize card, and consequently, the seize high quality received’t be fairly nearly as good as you’ll see with different gadgets. On prime of that, the standard will differ from machine to machine, however due to its dimension and comfort, we stay very impressed with it.
What’s a seize card?
Seize playing cards are gadgets that aid you file gameplay and stream on Twitch, YouTube, or another platform. They’re not fairly plug-and-play, on condition that there’s software program to arrange and tinker with, however they streamline the method and make encoding simpler so there’s much less of a efficiency hit in your system.
Which seize card must you select?
The very best seize playing cards come from established manufacturers within the area like Elgato and Avermedia, however that doesn’t imply it’s worthwhile to pay a premium worth. The little guys can typically shock you relating to gaming {hardware}, however there’s a purpose Elgato and Avermedia seem prominently on our checklist, and that’s as a result of they’re tried-and-tested gadgets, backed by feature-packed software program that’s well-supported and incessantly up to date.
The seize card you select must work along with your general setup. Examine the specs to make sure it’s appropriate along with your laptop’s working system and fave streaming platform, in addition to any video enhancing software program. Seize playing cards usually have enter ports to attach totally different video sources, and these embody DisplayPort, HDMI DVI, or VGA. If you wish to seize gameplay from a console, you’ll want a card with HDMI or part video inputs. Examine that the output will hook up with your laptop, normally through Thunderbolt on a Mac machine or USB.
To maintain your streams wanting and really feel easy (immediately or lag) you’ll need a seize card with specs reminiscent of low latency and excessive body price assist.
Do you want a seize card to stream?
The quick reply isn’t any, however seize playing cards are an amazing assist. Nvidia Shadowplay and AMD’s Radeon ReLive software program are each good at capturing shorter snippets of your gameplay, and you may stream immediately by OBS or Xsplit, however a seize card typically supplies a cleaner picture and smoother gameplay it doesn’t matter what machine you’re rocking. They’re particularly useful gadgets when making an attempt to stream from a number of PC setups and consoles, too.
What manufacturers make seize playing cards?
There are numerous manufacturers on the market making high quality seize playing cards – a few of them particular to gaming and others designed for common video manufacturing. Listed below are a few of the hottest manufacturers:
- Elgato: An offshoot of fashionable gaming gear model Corsair, Elgato is thought for its high-quality streaming merchandise, which embody seize playing cards. It presents playing cards for a variety of budgets, together with the Elgato HD60 X with native Xbox and PS5 assist, and the Elgato 4K60 S+ with full 4K assist.
- Razer: One other well-loved gaming {hardware} producer, Razer has seize playing cards optimized for recreation streaming, such because the Razer Ripsaw HD which presents sensible ease of use.
- Hauppauge: Hauppauge producers seize playing cards for players, streamers, and content material creators. We’d advocate particular gaming editions just like the HD PVR2 Gaming Version, which comes with cables for Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and allows you to share your clips on YouTube in just some clicks.
For extra streaming gear to finish your setup, try our information to the finest gaming microphone and the finest webcams.
