Question / Help Desktop > Capture Card > Laptop. Will it work?

[John Sudario]

i want to get a capture card but seen post that say you need two desktops. Will it work if it is one desktop and one laptop.

My desktop is a medium gaming desktop that can run GTA at medium graphics settings, and my laptop is Intel i7 and Radeon HD 6000. When using a capture card, does both desktops have to be high quality?

Last but not least, will capture cards record audio? Is there any that record audio? And if not what is a good way to record audio.

 

[FerretBomb]

Yes, but a desktop is recommended as laptops tend to use cut-down parts to fit within power needs and the small thermal envelope.

Your stronger CPU machine should be the one you use for encoding. There is almost no benefit gained for using a weaker CPU that you just have laying around. It will just complicate your setup, and use more electricity for no real gain.

Most capture cards will capture audio, but you have to set up your gaming system to output audio in a way that can be captured (in most cases, out over HDMI rather than the motherboard's audio out). There are a LOT of hassles involved in getting a proper audio setup with a 2PC system, and it's one of the biggest arguments against bothering with a second encoding-only machine.