Head-to-head · Best Capture Cards for Streaming

AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573) vs AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra S (GC553Pro)

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra S (GC553Pro) comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.3 vs 4.5). The gap is mostly about 4K streamers who don't need HDMI 2.1 / 4K144 and want to save versus the Elgato 4K X — read the strengths below before deciding.

AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573)

Ranked #5 in Best Capture Cards for Streaming

AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573)

4.3

$299as of May 19

The Live Gamer 4K is the pick for streamers running a single-PC setup with a free PCIe slot. Internal PCIe means lower CPU overhead than USB cards and zero USB bandwidth contention, which matters when you're also running USB mics, controllers, and audio interfaces. The trade-off is portability: you can't move this between rigs the way you can a Ripsaw or HD60 X. If your streaming PC is your daily driver and stays put, it's a quietly underrated pick.

Strengths

— PCIe internal card — frees up a USB port and avoids USB bandwidth contention
— 4K60 HDR10 capture, 4K HDR passthrough on a single PC
— RECentral software offers more capture configuration than Elgato's lighter app

Watch-outs

— Requires a desktop PC with a free PCIe x4 slot — laptops and consoles can't use it
— Setup is heavier than external USB cards (case open, driver install, BIOS sometimes)
— Streamers who use a separate streaming PC need to factor in a second machine

$299 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #2 in Best Capture Cards for Streaming

AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra S (GC553Pro)

4.5

$140as of May 19

The Live Gamer Ultra S is the AVerMedia answer to the Elgato 4K X for streamers who don't need 4K144. It captures full 4K60 with RGB24 color depth and supports 1080p240 for esports streamers. It's typically $30-100 cheaper than the 4K X depending on sales. The trade-off is HDMI 2.0 instead of 2.1 — if you only need 4K60 passthrough anyway, this is the smarter buy.

Strengths

— 4K60 RGB24 capture — true-color uncompressed pipeline
— 5.1 surround sound capture for console streams
— Roughly $30 cheaper than the Elgato 4K X with similar 4K60 capability

Watch-outs

— HDMI 2.0 only — passthrough caps at 4K60, no 4K120/144 like the Elgato 4K X
— OBS plugin support is more limited than Elgato's ecosystem
— RGB24 capture eats storage faster than YUV420 modes

$140 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573)

Only PCIe internal pick in this lineup — the Elgato 4K X, Elgato HD60 X, AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra S, and Razer Ripsaw HD are all external USB. Matches the AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra S on 4K60 capture spec but trades the Ultra S's portability for internal-card-only setup. Loses to the Elgato 4K X on 4K144 capability.

AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra S (GC553Pro)

Closest direct competitor to the Elgato 4K X on capture quality at a lower price. Loses on passthrough (4K60 vs 4K144), wins on RGB24 true-color capture. The Elgato HD60 X is much cheaper but caps at 1080p60. The Razer Ripsaw HD is in a different price tier entirely and matches the HD60 X's 1080p60 ceiling.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573)	AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra S (GC553Pro)
Capture Resolution	Up to 4K60 HDR10	Up to 4K60 RGB24
Passthrough	Up to 4K HDR	Up to 4K60 HDR
Interface	PCIe x4	USB 3.2 Gen 2
Connectivity	HDMI 2.0 in/out	HDMI 2.0 in/out
Form Factor	Internal expansion card	External
Software	RECentral 4	—
OS Support	Windows 10/11 x64	Windows 10/11, macOS 13+
Audio	—	5.1 surround capture

← See the full ranking of best capture cards for streaming