It's weird to me that Razer, the company that put Synapse on the map, made yet another capture card that relies on OBS and XSplit for the actual act of broadcasting. Same problem. It wasn't a great start, so how does the HD version hold up at launch?īesides the fact that it's not hugely more affordable than the comparable Elgato HD60 S, my biggest lingering concern about the Ripsaw HD is its lack of integrated software. After a few days, convinced it was defective, I exchanged my Ripsaw for a new one. However, when I unboxed and set up my own, my streaming experience was hindered by a seemingly widespread freezing issue.
That is, until I used it myself.īecause it leveraged USB 3.0 oomph, the Razer Ripsaw promised higher performance than the USB 2-equipped Elgato HD60 of the time, with "nearly zero latency," while capturing gameplay at 1080p 60fps. For that reason, I lauded the Razer Ripsaw for its backward compatibility.
Differentiating itself from the Elgato Game Capture HD60, included in the $180 Razer Ripsaw package was a component adapter, for older consoles such as the PS3, in addition to HDMI for recording and streaming gameplay on the Xbox One, PS4, and now-deceased Wii U. Its goal was to be the capture card for every console, including legacy and some retro boxes. On the contrary, a good capture card could increase the quality of your stream, potentially lighten the load on your main PC, and improve the performance of your games while streaming. One of the most significant factors of live streaming is bandwidth.When it initially hit store shelves in March 2016, the first Razer Ripsaw had a niche focus.
Modern CPUs have gotten good at the necessary multi-tasking, but a dedicated capture card can help lighten the load if only by a small amount these days. That can be a drain if you're capturing at a high bit rate and trying to play a game simultaneously.
With software like OBS, you are entirely reliant on your system resources, such as your CPU or GPU, when it comes to capturing video inputs.
OBS and other third-party capture and streaming software are great, but there are limitations, let's say you want to stream gameplay from a game console or use an HDMI camera instead of a webcam the easiest way to get them to work your PC without an external or internal capture card. Best capture card FAQ Why do I need a capture card if I just use OBS? The capture does a good job, although we did notice the colors were a little washed out nothing a little tweaking in OBS couldn't handle, though. This means the XR1 will take those native signals and spit them out at 1080p/60fps for your stream without needing to change any of your display settings while you game. The XR1 records and streams at 1080p/60fps and supports advanced Pass-Through of 1440p/120fps and 4K/60fps signals. The flashy OBS certified capture device has a built-in audio mixer that'll show your levels using these neat-looking RGB LEDs on the unit itself. Our pick of the best gaming monitors to buy in 2021ĮVGA is best known for its graphics cards, so it was a surprise when it announced the XR1, its first external capture device for streamers. If you’re picking up a capture card as part of a bigger build for a streaming setup, take a look at our picks for the best webcams and the best microphones for streaming too. You never know what kind of content you’re going to want to make in the future, so these cards will hopefully prepare you for anything. Plus, the bandwidth requirements often mean 4K is not worth the hassle for streamers.Įach of our picks works well with all sorts of streaming/recording software such as OBS or Xsplit. There are good 4K capture cards out there, but they’re also expensive, and the storage needs are harsh for those files. 60fps is great if your PC can handle the extra load, but play it safe if you're starting.
We recommend most people focus on a 1080p target resolution and at least 30fps with any potential capture card purchase. Are you recording 4K footage to edit later or focusing on streaming? Need a capture card that travels well with your laptop? Make sure to pick up the capture card that best suits your needs. We've tested all the capture cards on this list for performance and ease of use, so you know which is right for you.