This is the perfect card for anyone wanting to take their gameplay to streaming platforms with as little hassle as possible. A capture card is just part of our broader streaming ecosystem you should make sure you're investing in a solid webcam and microphone to complete your setup. The picks below were tested using OBS and Xsplit, two popular broadcasting apps among streams, since that's the best to the most of your footage. Plus, the bandwidth requirements often mean 4K is not worth the hassle for most streamers. There are good 4K capture cards out there, but they're also expensive, and those files' storage needs are harsh. 60fps is great if your PC can handle the extra load, but play it safe if you're starting out.

We recommend most people focus on a 1080p target resolution and at least 30fps with any potential capture card purchase. External capture cards are a lot more portable, so much easier to use, and in some cases, cheaper than their internal counterparts since they connect to your PC via USB 3.0 or USB Type C. Nowadays, capture cards come in all shapes and sizes and, best of all are, they no longer require you to pry open your PC and hope to God you've got an extra card slot next to your GPU to install. Whether you're recording footage from a Playstion 5 for your YouTube channel or plugging in a fancy new DLSR camera for your cooking show on Twitch, a capture card is an absolute necessity for, uh, capturing those moments of glory. The best capture cards are a part of any serious content creator's toolbox.

Cheap game capture cards for laptops