Best capture cards

Best capture cards

1

Capturing to stream on Twitch? Creating a walkthrough for your YouTube channel? Or just collating some key moments informally to share with your gaming friends? You need a capture device. Here at ebuyer, we have a selection to cater to all your needs and budgets, from internal cards to compact portable devices.

Your relationship with your favourite game – or games – has reached the point where you want to record the onscreen action and activities. You want to capture that game data and save it, for watching later or sharing. Brag or laugh about those Fortnite moments. Talk through how to find the set of armour crafting diagrams in The Witcher 3. Talk tactics in Into the Breach. Here are some options from key brands like AverMedia and Startech.

1. AverMedia GL310 LGP Lite Capture Device

+ Easy to set up

+ Easily record to SD card

– Bit old

It’s a little old now, but the AverMedia GL310 LGP Lite remains an excellent capture device at a lower cost. It’s easy to set up, plug and play, and will easily record gameplay at up to 1080p with H.264 video. With the push of a button, you can stream, with voice commentary, to your preferred platform. The device also includes an SD card for easy recording of your MP4s – for example, you can record console gameplay without even hooking it up to a PC. This neat little box (weighing in at 117g) comes complete with AV in, HDMI in and out and audio in and out ports and USB 2.0.

2. Startech USB 2.0 Capture Device For HDMI Video – Compact External Capture Card – 1080p

+ Compact and portable

+ Affordable

– Low HD refresh rate

A compact bit of kit, weighing in at a very modest 45g, the Startech USB 2.0 Capture Device For HDMI Video is designed for simplicity and portability. It doesn’t require an extra external power supply, so has multiple uses in varying scenarios when out and about. Video from any device equipped with HDMI is encoded using H.264, globally the most used video codec. As such, you’ll avoid any hassle trying to convert format. Note, however, while it will capture 1080p HD resolution, its maximum refresh rate is 30Hz; video source with a higher rate will be reduced in the exported video. Comes with a two-year warranty, and lifetime technical support.

3. AverMedia GC570 Live Gamer HD 2 Capture Card

+ Smooth and lag-free

+ 1080 at 60fps

– Compatibility

Going up in budget here, the AverMedia GC570 Live Gamer HD 2 Capture Card can stream 1080p at 60fps, smooth and without any lag in the MJPEG video format. Unlike the portable, compact options, this is a bit of kit to install in your PC in a PCIe slot and it works with your GPU and CPU. Indeed, ideally it needs an Intel i5 or above CPU and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 or AMD Radeon R7250X or above. Connect to other, external devices via HDMI or 3.5mm audio ports. If your PC case has windows, it has blue LEDs. And if they clash with your RGBs, they can be turned off. Comes with AverMedia’s RECentral 3 app to handle settings.

4. AverMedia GC513 LIVE Gamer Portable 2 PLUS Capture Device

+ Ultra HD 4K support

+ Plug and play

– USB 2.0

In the mid-budget range for portable kit, here’s another AverMedia capture device. Don’t be fooled by its portability (it’s 147mm long, weighing in at 185.5g) though, it can support Ultra HD 4K resolution at 60fps. It also supports lower resolutions, notably the ubiquitous 1080p at 60, 50 or 30fps. It also supports both H.264 and MJPEG video formats. A switch allows you to choose between: PC mode for immediate streaming; PC Free Mode for recording to SD card while on the go, such as if you’re gaming on a friend’s console; and storage mode, where it works like a card reader. One drawback, however, is it’s USB 2.0 not 3.0, so there’s the potential for some lag in transfer.

5. Startech Standalone Video Capture and Streaming – HDMI or Component, 1080p – USB 2.0

+ Ease of use

+ Versatility

– 1080p HD only

Another external device, the Startech Standalone is a few years old, but is comprehensive in its capabilities and, as such, versatile and useful. Its connections include HDMI in/out but it also has component (3 x RCA) if you’re working with an older source, and even an RJ45 Ethernet port for live streaming in real time. Alternatively, you can record to SD card. A large button is for easy one-touch recording while there are two modes for standalone for recording or streaming. The Startech standalone encodes in H.264, and it offers 1080p HD at resolutions of 30, 50 and 60. All in all, a very handy bit of kit, especially if you still work with analogue sources as well as newer digital formats.

6. Startech PCIe Video Capture Card – HDMI- VGA DVI And Component In

+ Comprehensive connectivity

+ Lossless 1080p

– Price

At the pricier end of things, here’s another PCIe card, a Startech capture card with 1080p at 60fps capabilities. At this price, you’d expect it to be versatile, and, yes, its connectivity includes HDMI, DVI, VGA, and component input sources. It also supports two-channel stereo audio (HDMI and RCA). Arguably, it’s more of a tool for professional filmmaking but it can also be used for high-end game footage streaming and sharing, such as for Twitch.tv, with its H.264 encoding and lossless 1080p. Video formats supported are MPEG4, AVI, H.264, FLV, TS. Note, it’ll require a CPU of Core i5 RAM 4GB or above.

Capture devices come in a various shapes and forms. Notably, you can choose between portable and PCIe, installed internally in your PC. Or indeed, you might need to use both types as you travel your game worlds and want to share the experiences.