Question / Help Best Capture card for OBS (2pc Setup)

[HellYeahPlay]

Hi Guys! I recently bought a second computer specifically to relieve the gaming computer. But now I have a serious question arose that haunts me - What capture card to buy?

At first I thought to buy SC-512N1-L/DVI, but after reading reviews about it, I gave up on this idea, as it turns out, a lot of problems.

I also thought about AVerMedia C985, but it supports 1080p only 30 fps.

Now I think about Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro, as it supports 1080p 60fps.

But as a result of the large number of proposals in the market, I confused.
Which capture card, with support for 1080p 60 fps, to buy? That would work perfectly with OBS Studio and not cause unnecessary problems.

I would be grateful for any help in this matter

Thank you in advance.

P.S. Sorry for the curve English.

 

[alpinlol]

Apparently the Razer offers a really good USB Capture Card
http://www.razerzone.com/de-de/store/razer-ripsaw

But in your case a PCI-E Capture Card is probably the way to go though the I never looked into those.

 

[Boildown]

So I'm the one here that often promotes the Datapath capture cards (more info in this thread: https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/unsupported-datapath-vision-capture.12503 ).

I find them to be rather trouble-free and awesome. They adapt to whatever video signal you send it, as long as the cable and connection support it (usually single-link DVI, or its HDMI equivalent, which exceeds 1080p60). No need to check that your resolution and framerate you want to use is supported in some chart, if you're doing something with a non-standard frame size or frame rate. As long as its below the maximum pixel rate of the card you buy, it'll adjust to it.

And importantly, they can be found cheap on Ebay (USA has more options, but based on your language comment, here's an example E1S for US$189 before shipping, that the seller is willing to ship internationally: http://www.ebay.com/itm/231973388545 ).

A couple of caveats...

1) Unless it has AV in the model name, it won't do audio, just video. I route my audio via a 3.5mm Y-splitter from my stereo fronts on my gaming PC to the line-in of the sound card in my capture PC. Very simple, always works. I use two microphones side-by-side, one goes to the capture PC and is "always on" (unless I turn it off on the mic itself), and the other goes to my gaming PC with the usual push-to-talk for teamspeak, ventrillo, or whatever. KISS principle here.

2) They require a physical PCIe 4x slot, which includes 8x and 16x slots. If your motherboard supports SLI or has an additional 4x slot, you're probably good, but check on this before you buy.

3) Some people have said they had audio-video desync problems. I think this is because they poorly planned their audio transmission and it would have happened on any video capture card that doesn't route audio in HDMI. I've never had this happen to me.


Alternative options that I've heard good things about: The Magewell capture cards... they're relatively competitively priced (below Datapath stock prices, but well above the ebay prices), do audio over HDMI, and run on PCIe 1x slots (usually). I think they require it to be a PCIe 2.0 slot, whereas Datapath will run on a 1.0, but Magewell wins here because practically all motherboards have PCIe 2.0 or 3.0 in the past 7 years or more. I've never used a Magewell myself because I got my Datapath cheap on Ebay before I heard of them, but I've heard good things.

 

[HellYeahPlay]

Thanks for answers!

But I would like to learn more about more simple solutions. Someone has experience with Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro or Extremecap U3 on 2 PC Stream Setup?

 

[FerretBomb]

The Razer Ripsaw is literally an Avermedia Extremecap U3 in a different case, with a changed hardware ID. The Extremecap is well-known for having significant problems. DO NOT BUY ONE.
Currently the only USB3.0 cap card worth getting in my opinion is the Elgato HD60S.

If you have the option of an internal PCIe card, there are more options available. The Elgato HD60 Pro is a very solid card. I use a Micomsoft SC512, and I've heard very good things about the Magewell cards (and have been looking at picking one up to test it alongside the other two). All three of these support audio-over-HDMI which can simplify your audio setup and sync significantly.

Datapath cards are definitely quality, but their lack of ability to capture sync'd audio can be a dealbreaker for many. I have a DPV-E2, and don't use it due to the hassle of figuring out a way to split out HDMI embedded audio (like from a gaming console). For something like an HDMI webcam where you're already going to run audio separately they'll work great. But I can't recommend them for newer casters due to the audio issue. It really IS a problem, and sync drift can be real when the card itself isn't handling audio/video sync (I'll sometimes run analog audio into my SC512 through the breakout cables and it handles audio sync perfectly, while running it over the Line-In on my motherboard and letting OBS handle sync will result in drift over time).


Recommendation? Grab an Elgato HD60 Pro. They're readily available, priced right, are solid performers, and if there's a problem Elgato Support are VERY on top of things and conversant with OBS. They'll get you sorted out fast. The only down side is that they don't provide a breakout for SD inputs. If you don't retrogame though, it's a non-issue.

 

[HellYeahPlay]

The Razer Ripsaw is literally an Avermedia Extremecap U3 in a different case, with a changed hardware ID. The Extremecap is well-known for having significant problems. DO NOT BUY ONE.
Currently the only USB3.0 cap card worth getting in my opinion is the Elgato HD60S.

If you have the option of an internal PCIe card, there are more options available. The Elgato HD60 Pro is a very solid card. I use a Micomsoft SC512, and I've heard very good things about the Magewell cards (and have been looking at picking one up to test it alongside the other two). All three of these support audio-over-HDMI which can simplify your audio setup and sync significantly.

Datapath cards are definitely quality, but their lack of ability to capture sync'd audio can be a dealbreaker for many. I have a DPV-E2, and don't use it due to the hassle of figuring out a way to split out HDMI embedded audio (like from a gaming console). For something like an HDMI webcam where you're already going to run audio separately they'll work great. But I can't recommend them for newer casters due to the audio issue. It really IS a problem, and sync drift can be real when the card itself isn't handling audio/video sync (I'll sometimes run analog audio into my SC512 through the breakout cables and it handles audio sync perfectly, while running it over the Line-In on my motherboard and letting OBS handle sync will result in drift over time).


Recommendation? Grab an Elgato HD60 Pro. They're readily available, priced right, are solid performers, and if there's a problem Elgato Support are VERY on top of things and conversant with OBS. They'll get you sorted out fast. The only down side is that they don't provide a breakout for SD inputs. If you don't retrogame though, it's a non-issue.

Big thx! So, i will try Elgato HD60 Pro

 

[HellYeahPlay]

So, i read some info on this forum about Elgato HD60 Pro, and this card have some problem to)

Someone can tell me about about 2pc Setup without capture card? I talking about nginx etc. How this work? Quality, stability? Is there any difference between Stream through nginx and capture card?

 

[alpinlol]

Theres even a Guide on it somewhere on this Forum, it would be best for you to look for that 2PC Setup with NGINX

 

[HellYeahPlay]

Theres even a Guide on it somewhere on this Forum, it would be best for you to look for that 2PC Setup with NGINX

Yeah, i know, but i would like to hear the views of those who use this method. What's the difference between Nginx and capture card? If all work fine, why people buying capture card for 2pc stream?

 

[alpinlol]

Yeah, i know, but i would like to hear the views of those who use this method. What's the difference between Nginx and capture card? If all work fine, why people buying capture card for 2pc stream?

Well you are still using some Resources on your Gaming System and its far more work setting everything up on the Linux side if you are not a daily Linux User.

For the Quality its actually even better in my Opinion compared to a Capture Card

 

[Boildown]

With the no-capture card method, you still have to run OBS on your gaming PC. With the do-have a capture card method, OBS only runs on the encoding PC, not the gaming PC.

Each has a different set of restrictions and complications that might convince someone to use the other one. Capture cards can be expensive though, so its worth trying out the no-capture-card method to see if it works for you, before you buy one.

 

[FerretBomb]

Some people do have issues with the HD60 Pro. I have not run into any of them myself, and as far as I know, once they reach out to Elgato Support, they've got the problems fixed. I suspect an element of PEBKAC at play.

Yes, the nginx method is cheaper, and requires more technical skill. There is still impact on the gaming machine with it though too; so if a game doesn't play nicely with OBS GameCap, it'll still have a problem as compared to a capture card setup. Essentially you go the capture card route if you want/need ZERO impact on gameplay from streaming. So it's important for esports professionals, and high-end casts.

A bigger issue is that when people look at the nginx method, they assume they can chuck an old, outdated machine as their encoder box. It's STILL hugely computationally expensive to do real-time video compression. Regardless of if you use the nginx method or a capture card, your STREAMING machine (the one doing the video compression) should have the strongest CPU you have available. Otherwise you'll just be wasting your time over just streaming 1PC.

 

[HellYeahPlay]

Some people do have issues with the HD60 Pro. I have not run into any of them myself, and as far as I know, once they reach out to Elgato Support, they've got the problems fixed. I suspect an element of PEBKAC at play.

Yes, the nginx method is cheaper, and requires more technical skill. There is still impact on the gaming machine with it though too; so if a game doesn't play nicely with OBS GameCap, it'll still have a problem as compared to a capture card setup. Essentially you go the capture card route if you want/need ZERO impact on gameplay from streaming. So it's important for esports professionals, and high-end casts.

A bigger issue is that when people look at the nginx method, they assume they can chuck an old, outdated machine as their encoder box. It's STILL hugely computationally expensive to do real-time video compression. Regardless of if you use the nginx method or a capture card, your STREAMING machine (the one doing the video compression) should have the strongest CPU you have available. Otherwise you'll just be wasting your time over just streaming 1PC.

Ty, about CPU - I bought i7-6700к