The perfect seize card: 4K and 1080p playing cards for PS5, Xbox, PC, Swap

Whether or not you’re streaming video games for an viewers otherwise you wish to file some informal gameplay footage out of your PC, PS5, Xbox Sequence X, or Nintendo Swap, you may want a seize card. It’s a necessary accent that may course of your console’s uncompressed video sign, both sending it to a PC for livestreaming or changing it right into a file that you could edit later to share on-line.

There are a number of fashions on the market, and also you may get fortunate discovering the best one with out placing within the analysis. Then once more, you could not get so fortunate. Our information consists of dependable, feature-packed seize playing cards, masking a spread of expensive and cheap choices. To finish the streaming setup, we’ve additionally included some suggestions for digital camera seize playing cards, in case you wish to flip your DSLR right into a webcam. We’ll hold this publish up to date as extra fashions grow to be out there.

Finest seize card

Elgato HD 60 X

Picture: Elgato

The perfect seize card for most individuals is the $159 Elgato HD60 X. Once we polled the Polygon video staff for his or her enter, the HD60 X was the unanimous winner. It was chosen as a result of they suppose it gives one of the best efficiency and options in comparison with different seize playing cards in its value vary.

The HD60 X connects to PCs through USB (it features a USB-C to USB-A cable), and it has a most seize decision of 4K at 30 frames per second. It could actually deal with 4K passthrough at as much as 60 fps. These specs are greater than enough for capturing footage from any current-gen console. Should you’re recording in 1440p or 1080p resolutions, it could possibly seize at a sooner 120 fps.

Including to its spectacular listing of specs, the HD60 X grants patrons entry to Elgato’s 4K Seize Utility software program. This utility isn’t completely mandatory, however it’s simpler to study for streaming newcomers than OBS Studio. The 4K Seize Utility additionally means that you can file commentary over your video clip, should you’d like, and take top quality screenshots from the captured video.

Exterior of a sale, the HD60 X is usually priced at $199.99, however it typically sells for much less. As a substitute that’s considerably inexpensive, the $64.99 UCEC GAM Reside seize card helps the identical passthrough/seize resolutions and body charges because the HD60 X, however it might not be as dependable because the HD60 X.

Finest finances seize card

AVerMedia Reside Gamer Mini

Picture: AVerMedia

Should you’re simply testing the waters with capturing and enhancing gameplay footage, there are some good seize card choices that value properly beneath $100. The AVerMedia Reside Gamer Mini has a listing value of $99.99, however is commonly out there for round $80. This pocket-size seize card is able to recording 1080p footage at as much as 60 fps and has an identical passthrough decision, making it the right alternative for capturing footage from the Nintendo Swap. The Reside Gamer Mini is appropriate with different consoles as properly, however this mannequin received’t make PS5 and Xbox video games look their finest.

Picture: AVerMedia

A inexpensive (and even smaller) possibility is the $50 Genki ShadowCast. The ShadowCast is successfully an HDMI to USB-C dongle that means that you can solid the video sign of your supply console to a desktop or laptop computer with the help of the free Genki Arcade app. You can even stream that footage immediately into PC instruments like OBS Studio. Whereas the ShadowCast is appropriate with all current-generation consoles, it could possibly solely course of 1080p footage at 30 fps, and the footage high quality is suitable, not distinctive.

Finest 4K seize card

AVerMedia 4K60 HDR10

Picture: AVerMedia

As a result of present limits of how a lot information you’ll be able to funnel via a USB connection, PCIe seize playing cards are your best choice if you wish to seize gameplay at 4K, 60 fps. Your best option we’ve discovered for doing that’s the AVerMedia 4K60 HDR10, which is often out there for round $200.

Picture: AVerMedia

As its title suggests, the 4K60 is able to a most seize and passthrough decision of 4K at 60 fps, even with HDR enabled. The cardboard can even file at increased body charges with decrease resolutions than 4K, maxing out at 144 fps for 1440p, or 240 fps at 1080p. It’s vital to notice, nonetheless, that whereas the Xbox Sequence X and PlayStation 5 are each able to outputting 4K resolutions at 120 fps, this seize card’s HDMI 2.0 ports imply you’ll solely be capable to seize 120 fps footage by flattening your console’s output decision to 1440p. We’re protecting our eyes out for seize playing cards that use HDMI 2.1, which can permit for capturing 4K footage at as much as 120 fps on consoles.

Some alternate options to AVerMedia’s 4K60 embrace Elgato’s PCIe card, the 4K60 Professional MK.2, which is supplied with comparable specs, however prices $249.99. The largest distinction (apart from the model title) is that AVerMedia’s possibility doesn’t embrace video enhancing software program. That’s no large deal, so long as you’re desperate to discover ways to use OBS Studio.

There are PCIe card choices out there on Amazon for as little as $100, however given the potential for an unvetted PCIe card to do some precise hurt to your desktop (or simply not work as marketed), we wouldn’t advocate taking this route.

Finest seize card that doesn’t require a PC

AVerMedia GC513 Moveable 2 Plus

Picture: AVerMedia

Stand-alone seize playing cards can seize footage with out being tethered to a PC. As a substitute, they function a microSD or full-size SD card slot that can retailer your gameplay till you’ll be able to deposit the information onto your PC. This function alone makes this sort of seize card probably the most versatile possibility, regardless that they at the moment assist a decrease seize decision than the alternate options. However look no additional for one which’s superb for bringing to tournaments, or different conditions the place a laptop computer or desktop received’t be out there to you.

Picture: AVerMedia

Till Elgato makes a extra aggressive possibility than its discontinued 4K60 S+, your best choice for a stand-alone card is the AVerMedia GC513 Moveable 2 Plus, which helps 4K passthrough at 60 fps, however is proscribed to recording 1080p at 60 fps. Whereas recording to distant storage is a key promoting level for the GC513, it may also be used whereas linked on to a PC, like different seize card fashions.

Presently, stand-alone seize playing cards are a rarity on this product class, so there isn’t an abundance of alternate options. Nevertheless, should you’re in search of one thing that prices much less, the Hauppauge HD PVR Professional is obtainable on Amazon for round $130. The HD PVR Professional gives lots of the identical specs as its AVerMedia counterpart, however is appropriate with standard-size SD playing cards along with microSD playing cards, not like the GC513, which may solely use microSD playing cards for storage.

Picture: AVerMedia

Finest digital camera seize card

Elgato Cam Hyperlink 4K

Picture: Elgato

Digital camera seize playing cards are extra of a distinct segment product, permitting you to show most DSLR cameras right into a webcam. Some newer DSLR cameras assist this function out of the field with native USB connections, however different cameras might want to depend on a digital camera seize card to translate what your digital camera sees right into a video sign that’s usable by your PC.

The best choice for that is the Elgato Cam Hyperlink 4K, which permits for 4K video seize at as much as 30 fps and is from common producers like Nikon, Canon, and GoPro.

AVerMedia gives a barely inexpensive digital camera seize card that options comparable specs for about the identical value. The AVerMedia BU113 can technically file 4K footage at 30 fps, however its shorter listing of absolutely appropriate cameras means solely a handful of gadgets can assist this function.