Head-to-head · Best Capture Cards for Streaming

AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573) vs Razer Ripsaw HD

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 4K (GC573) comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.3 vs 4.2). The gap is mostly about Desktop PC streamers who prefer an internal card for 4K60 HDR capture and have a free PCIe slot. — read the strengths below before deciding.

Higher ratedRanked #4 in Best Capture Cards for Streaming

AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573)

4.3

$159.99as of Jun 7

The AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573) is the internal-card pick, delivering 4K60 HDR10 capture and high-frame-rate 1440p144/1080p240 modes from a PCIe slot. Reviewers praise its low latency and superb footage, and it often undercuts Elgato's internal 4K60 Pro. The catch is a documented PCIe-bandwidth quirk that can cap capture near 55fps on some setups, so slot placement matters.

Strengths

— 4K60 HDR10 capture and passthrough as an internal PCIe card
— Supports high-frame-rate 1440p144 and 1080p240 capture
— Very low latency capture with playable preview window

Watch-outs

— PCIe x4 bandwidth quirk can cap capture near 55fps on some boards
— Passthrough latency too high to game on the return signal
— Best 4K/HDR/high-fps recording historically favored NVIDIA GPUs

$159.99 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Ranked #5 in Best Capture Cards for Streaming

Razer Ripsaw HD

4.2

$136.97as of Jun 7

The Razer Ripsaw HD is the budget entry point, capturing crisp 1080p60 with 4K60 passthrough at the lowest price of this group. TweakTown crowned it the king of entry-level capture cards, and reviewers love the plug-and-play simplicity. The big caveats are no first-party capture software and a 1080p capture ceiling, so it suits beginners more than 4K creators.

Strengths

— Sharp, uncompressed-looking 1080p60 capture for the price
— 4K60 HDMI passthrough so you keep playing in full resolution
— Simple plug-and-play USB 3.0 setup with no drivers fuss

Watch-outs

— No dedicated capture software of its own
— Capture limited to 1080p60 with no 4K recording
— Earlier Ripsaw hardware had freezing and compatibility complaints

$136.97 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573)

The GC573 is the only internal PCIe card here, capturing 4K60 like the AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra S (GC553Pro) but inside the case. It lacks the 4K144 ceiling of the Elgato 4K X and the plug-and-play ease of the external Elgato HD60 X, and its passthrough latency is worse than those external boxes.

Razer Ripsaw HD

The Ripsaw HD is the cheapest card here and captures 1080p60 like the Elgato HD60 X but without first-party software. It cannot match the 4K60 capture of the AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra S (GC553Pro) or AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573), nor the 4K144 ceiling of the Elgato 4K X.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573)	Razer Ripsaw HD
Max Capture	4K60 HDR10 (1440p144 / 1080p240)	1080p60
Passthrough	4K60 HDR10, 1440p144, 1080p240	4K60
Interface	PCIe x4 (internal)	USB 3.0
HDMI	HDMI 2.0 in / out	HDMI in / out
HDR	HDR10 capture + passthrough	—
Compatibility	Desktop PC (PCIe slot required)	PC, PS5/PS4, Xbox, Switch
Form Factor	Internal add-in card	External
Audio	—	Aux mic / audio mix-in

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