AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra 2.1 (4K60, HDMI 2.1)

Our analysis

The Elgato Game Capture Neo passes 4K60 through and records at 1080p60 over USB 3.0; the Live Gamer Ultra 2.1 passes up to 4K144 over HDMI 2.1 and records in 4K60 over a 10 Gbps USB-C link. It is the capture card for people who refuse to play at 60 Hz while they record: of the cards in our guide, it is the only one with HDMI 2.1 passthrough, so a PS5 Pro or a high refresh monitor keeps its full speed.

What stands out

• Passthrough up to 4K144 with HDR and VRR: your screen gets the full signal, which is the whole point if you play fast shooters on a high refresh display.
• 1440p240 and 1080p360 passthrough: competitive monitors at those rates keep their smoothness instead of being capped by the capture chain.
• HDR10 capture on Windows: you can record HDR footage, not just pass it through to the TV.
• USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 at 10 Gbps: the fastest interface in our guide, against USB-C 3.0 on the Elgato 4K S.

Where it falls short

If you only stream at 1080p, most of what this card adds goes unused. On macOS, capture drops to 4K60 and the HDR10 capture is listed for Windows only, so Mac users get less of the card.

Look elsewhere if

Your console runs at 60 Hz and you simply want solid 4K60 capture (with HDR up to 1080p60): the Elgato 4K S is our default, with plug-and-play OBS support on PS5, Xbox and Switch 2. If you are just starting on Twitch or YouTube and 1080p60 recording is enough, the AVerMedia streaming card with 4K60 HDR passthrough keeps your TV picture in 4K HDR while it records at 1080p60.

We compare all four cards, from the entry option to this one, in our capture card guide for PS5, Xbox and Switch 2.