Gaming has been an entertainment paradigm of youngsters. Even adults and people of all age are hooked with gaming. They like to explore the virtual world, play against each other, play role-playing games and various kinds of games. It has become a major stress buster for many people. In case you want to record your game play, then there are some options that are available in the market. If you are searching for a recording solution in order to capture your gameplay from your PC or various consoles, then you should definitely consider purchasing a capture card.
These devices will allow you to record your videos and then save them locally without any trouble and in the available best quality. Most of the game capture cards come with extra software which allows to add voiceovers and even editing of the recordings. There is a huge list of game recording capture cards, and people often wonder which one to buy? Well, in case you are stuck with such kind of list, then we bring you a wonderful solution. In this article, we present great performing top 15 best capture cards that you can purchase.
1. Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro
When it comes to the leader in game capture card category, this card is definitely the one. While the company provides other capture cards but HD60 remains to be the best offering. It is based on the PCIe interface. This capture card provides a wonderful max bitrate of 60 Mbps. It has advanced features along with onboard H.264 encoder which allows you to record an unlimited amount of footage in brilliant 1080p60 quality. The HD60 Pro also comes with a software called Master Copy which provides you the ability to record your game as well as stream them at the same time.
This capture card is compatible with PC, and you can purchase it for
Buy from Amazon: ($168.87)
2. AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2
This wonderful offering from AVermedia provides great capture quality at amazing rates. It is perfectly designed and come with many features. It uses a USB interface to record games, and it can also work even without a PC. It also has an in-built H.264 encoder which allows it to save all the captures in the optimal format. It ships with RECentral3 Software which provides you the ability to stream your gameplay while you capture it, all at the same time. The Portable 2 is an entirely plug-and-play device and wonderfully works right after taking it out of the box. It also provides microSD card support so that you can easily save all of your recordings while on-the-go.
It is compatible with PC as well as various consoles such as PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. You can purchase it for $147.
Buy from Amazon: ($169)
3. Epiphan AV.io 4K
When it comes to quality, nothing beats Epiphan AV.io4K Capture Card. But it doesn’t come cheap. It is among the most expensive card available in the market, and the reasons are solid. To start with, it provides support to both DV-D as well as HDMI video and audio inputs. It can easily record UHD 4K at amazing 30 fps and FHD 1080p at 60 fps. It is completely plug-and-play capture card which can be easily used with all types of operating systems namely, Windows, macOS and even Linux. Also, it comes with USB 3.0 to offer uncompressed as well as high-quality video capture along with optional scaling.
It is compatible with PC and gaming consoles like PS4 and Xbox One. It is priced at whopping $499.95
Buy from Amazon: ($499.95)
4. Elgato HD60S
Another product from Elgato is the HD60S which is focused mainly to resolve the issues of the Pro variant which is its portability. Even though the Pro variant delivers great performance, it also needs a PCIe Interface when it comes to operation. On the other hand, HD60S utilizes USB-C interface to work. However, the switch to USB-C do leads to change in bitrate, but still, it provides a max bitrate of 40 Mbps which is sufficient for most of the users. Other than these differences, the other features are similar to HD60 Pro. It offers the similar low-latency recording along with simultaneous streaming. It also allows you to add a voice with its in-built Live Commentary feature. This feature makes the streaming setup quite attractive.
When it comes to compatibility, it can easily work with PC as well as gaming consoles such as PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It’s reasonably priced at
Buy from Amazon: ($167.95)
5. Magewell XI100DUSB
This is among one of the best portable capture cards which deliver great value for money even though it comes with a steep price. It can easily capture resolutions up to 2K x 2K. It does this with Up/Down scaling capability. This card comes with its own set of solutions when it comes to real-time deinterlacing as well as image control. It also provides support for the UVC Protocol. It is also compatible with all operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux. The salient feature of this device is that it can work for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on a continuous basis without having a single frame drop. This card also provides support for a variety of output color spaces which makes this card quite a versatile product.
This capture card is compatible with PC as well as PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It is priced at
Buy from Amazon: ($299)
6. Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro 4K
Even though Epiphan AV .io 4K Capture Card provides 4K UHD captures, still its huge price tag makes it out of reach for many gamers. What is you wish to have a card with 4K quality recording for your PC gameplay? Well, there comes Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro 4K capture card. It actually looks like a motherboard. Well, it does have the same look. But don’t go by its looks. It is among the most powerful cards that are available in the market. It can easily capture Ultra HD at 30 fps and 1080p at magnificent 60 fps seamlessly. This card comes with its own software which provides you the ability to save files with compression as well as without compression. It supports Windows as well as macOS. This card is for those who don’t want to compromise on quality, no matter what.
It is compatible with PC, and you can buy it for
Buy from Amazon: ($199)
7. Razer Ripsaw
Capture cards are often associated with gaming, and when it comes to old players in the gaming industry, everyone knows Razer. Here comes Razer Ripsaw, a game capture card from Razer. It captures your game footage and gameplay as uncompressed raw data. It also streams it with almost zero latency. This card also supports for a second audio mix-in channel. This provides it the capability to easily plug in an aux-in music source, or you can say, a mic-in capable microphone to layer with your stream along with commentary. This card is designed to easily work with few of the top leading software like Open Broadcaster Software, popularly known as OBS and XSplit. Hence it provides you access to a wide range of high performance and powerful tools in order to produce captivating content. It also uses USB 3.0 interface, and this card can record gameplay footage from your PC along with consoles up to 1080p at great 60 fps.
When it comes to compatibility, it can work with any PC or consoles like PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. You can buy this card for
Buy from Amazon: ($164.99)
8. AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME
Even though Live Gamer Portable is enough to provide you all the features that you require which includes capture at 1080p at 60 fps gameplay, it does lack one thing. This portable version can’t capture uncompressed video. And if you go with other variants, then you have to run them with a PCIe interface. This is where the Live Gamer Extreme comes into the picture. This capture card works just like Live Gamer Portable, but it also comes with the inherent ability to capture uncompressed video stream. This Extreme variant provides support to all software which is DirectShow compliant. It costs $20 extra, and you can easily make the switch from a simple and a normal streamer to much capable professional grade streamer.
It is compatible with PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Buy from Amazon: ($175)
9. Elgato HD60
Elgato’s 1080p60 Capture Card, the HD60 does make it to our list just because it is quite simple as well as versatile. However, HD60 S uses the USB-C interface, most of the users don’t event own a device which has a type-C port. Hence, using an adaptor to use the cards can result in lower bandwidths. Well, here comes HD60. It uses the widely available USB 2.0 port. Its features are directly comparable with HD60 Pro. It has an in-built H.264 Hardware Encoder along with Master Copy software. This card also comes with unlimited capturing along with flashback recording as well as the ability to stream at the same time. It perfectly works in a seamless fashion across present as well as previous generation devices.
It is compatible with PC as well as consoles like PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Buy from Amazon: ($139)
10. Roxio Game Capture HD PRO
This card has been present for a long time, and it can easily be called as an outdated product. But the reality is that this card is still among the best. It remains to be the cheapest capture cards available on the market. It performs reasonably well. It also uses USB 2.0 interface for power as well as recording. It does come with HDMI ports. It also has component ports which increase its compatibility. It also provides its own software which allows the gamer to edit H.264-encoded game videos and add transitions along with picture-in-picture. It also allows the user to add soundtracks, special effects, along with text and voiceovers. Only feature that rings down this product is that it can only record in 1080p at mere 30 fps or 1080i at 60 fps. But when it comes to value for the money, this card is worth considering as it comes with features which are comparable with the top tier of capture cards.
This card is compatible with PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Buy from Amazon: ($89)
11. Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition
When it comes to looks, Razer Ripsaw is great looking but Hauppauge HD PVR Gaming Edition is also one of the high-class and great looking capture card which comes with few of the best features. This card comes with no-delay pass through which allows the gamer to play the games while recording and streaming with zero lag at the same time. Like different leading capture cards, it can also record using the H.264 encoder for optimum quality. It also conserves disk space. One of the premium feature of this card which sets it apart is that it comes with AC3 digital audio (SPDIF) along with 5.1 Surround Sound Support.
It is compatible with PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Buy from Amazon: ($172.04)
12. Premium Reshow HD Video Recorder Box
In case looks don’t even matter to you and you are looking for a cheap but capable capture card then you can look at the offering from Reshow. This is Premium Reshow HD Video Recorder Box which is at present the cheapest card present in the market. Even though its price is low, it is decent performing card. You won’t get any fancy feature with this card that you expect from top-tier cards, but when it comes to the price, this card is quite good. This card requires a PC to store the recorded files. You just have to plug it in a FAT, FAT 32 or NTFD formatted storage device just like a USB drive. Then you have to press the button in order to enable it to start the recording. It does come with its own software when it comes to adding voiceovers. It records at a pretty good rate of 1080p at 30 fps.
It is compatible with PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Buy from Amazon: ($71.99)
13. Imillet HDMI USB Auto Video Capture Card
This company has been in the card market for some time, and that is why it is on our list. It may not have the best build quality that you expect, but when it comes to performance, it is definitely good. It utilizes H.264 AVCHD M2TS format. This guarantees quite an effective compression as well as timely delivery. The recorded videos can be easily played on any sort of media player along with Blu-Ray Disc player and even PC.NB which supports the AVCHDA M2TS file format. This is a plug-and-play device which doesn’t even require any drivers.
It works easily with PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Buy from Amazon: ($149)
14. HDML-Cloner Box Evolve
Unlike the usual capture cards that we have described in this list, this capture card is majorly focused on recording TV shows as well as other media content. It supports up to 4K input as well as output, and the recording is done at 1080p. It also has Dual-HD Input Signal Switch which allows you to plug in two devices simultaneously. This card allows you to record as well as save video file continuously to a USB storage device in the NTFS format. It also provides integrated live streaming feature which allows you to broadcast live video contents on YouTube, Twitch, Hitbox, UStream, etc.
It is compatible with PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Buy from Amazon: ($118.99)
15. Elgato Game Capture HD
Let’s end our list with another product from Elgato. This capture card is again known for its good performance. The standard Game Capture HD works great even today even though there are more modern devices. It also features an HDMI along with Retro Input. It also has the ability to record in H.264. It also comes with Master Copy software. However, it doesn’t have any editing capabilities. It has a max bitrate of 30 Mbps, and this device utilizes the USB 2.0 interface and can easily capture any video up to 1080p at 30 fps.
It is compatible with PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Buy from Amazon: ($149.95)
Conclusion
When it comes to gaming purposes or any recording or playback of favorite TV shows, a capture card provides you all the necessary features. These cards are very handy especially when it comes to streaming live any video on Twitch or YouTube or even recording different tutorials on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 or Xbox One. We have presented our top list of few of the best capture cards that you can find on the market. So let us know which suits your requirement, perfectly. How do you like our review? Leave a comment below and let us know.