What equipment should I consider buying to record pc games?

SauronsOneRing

SauronsOneRing

Active Member
Right now I lack really any actual software besides a forty dollar headset I bought. What sorts of capture cards exist solely for capturing games on p.c.s?
 
You really don't need one. the are all on-base programmes such as fraps, Camtasia studios etc. Which can be free, if you know how ;D
 
A computer which actually can handle playing the game and recording at the same time. :) My laptop couldnt with big games.
 
iBenminja said:
A computer which actually can handle playing the game and recording at the same time. :) My laptop couldnt with big games.
Click to expand...
I have a similar problem. My laptop only has a core 3 processor, and I don't know what it's graphics card is. Probably not too great. The laptop is only 2.5 years old, so it's not super obsolete.
 
There's a lot of options when concidering PC screen recording. Are you going to use software to record? Are your PC going to be able to handle recording through software? If not, will you invest in a capture card? Which capturecard? Are you PC a desktop or laptop? If desktop then internal or external capturecard?

Those are some of the questions to put in front of yourself.

For software have a look at Fraps, Bandicam and DXTory. Propably the best softwares out there.

Software
Fraps: Insanely high quality video though huge file sizes and no customization in codecs.
Bandicam: Easier on the computer and able to change codec which is means smaller filesizes at high quality. For really high quality, I would choose fraps though.
DXTory: Not really tried this one out, but it should be more lowimpact on performance than the 2 others whereas the quality would still be pretty good. Bigger files than Bandicam though.

Capturecards - External
Elgato Game Capture HD: High quality recording, all the general needed features and supports temporary recording, where you can browse back through the timeline and then record a specific portion.
AverMedia Live Gamer Portable: About the same quality as the Elgato with a bit extra features. As far as I remember, then LGP is a bit more expensive. This support the "after recording" aswell just like elgato. Supports PC Free recording aswell (Capture to SD Card)
Roxio Game Capture HD Pro: This a bit less pricey, but suffers a lot from degradation in features. Compared to the competition. Great for a beginner that don't got that much money in the pocket.

Capturecards - Internal
AverMedia Live Gamer HD: This is the internal brother to the LGP. PCi-E slot card that can be controlled through the push of a button. Almost all the same features as LGP, but higher quality and best for PC Streaming Through Capture Card.
Blackmagic Intensity Pro: High quality internal capturecard which got all the basic features of a capturecard and should be really good for streaming aswell. Recording is a breeze in general with capture cards.

Capturecards are really allround these days and before making a choice on the short description I've made, I recommend checking them all out yourself and find what fits your needs. ;-)

-Hope this helped :)
 
Marcus "Rediche" Geil said:
There's a lot of options when concidering PC screen recording. Are you going to use software to record? Are your PC going to be able to handle recording through software? If not, will you invest in a capture card? Which capturecard? Are you PC a desktop or laptop? If desktop then internal or external capturecard?

Those are some of the questions to put in front of yourself.

For software have a look at Fraps, Bandicam and DXTory. Propably the best softwares out there.

Software
Fraps: Insanely high quality video though huge file sizes and no customization in codecs.
Bandicam: Easier on the computer and able to change codec which is means smaller filesizes at high quality. For really high quality, I would choose fraps though.
DXTory: Not really tried this one out, but it should be more lowimpact on performance than the 2 others whereas the quality would still be pretty good. Bigger files than Bandicam though.

Capturecards - External
Elgato Game Capture HD: High quality recording, all the general needed features and supports temporary recording, where you can browse back through the timeline and then record a specific portion.
AverMedia Live Gamer Portable: About the same quality as the Elgato with a bit extra features. As far as I remember, then LGP is a bit more expensive. This support the "after recording" aswell just like elgato. Supports PC Free recording aswell (Capture to SD Card)
Roxio Game Capture HD Pro: This a bit less pricey, but suffers a lot from degradation in features. Compared to the competition. Great for a beginner that don't got that much money in the pocket.

Capturecards - Internal
AverMedia Live Gamer HD: This is the internal brother to the LGP. PCi-E slot card that can be controlled through the push of a button. Almost all the same features as LGP, but higher quality and best for PC Streaming Through Capture Card.
Blackmagic Intensity Pro: High quality internal capturecard which got all the basic features of a capturecard and should be really good for streaming aswell. Recording is a breeze in general with capture cards.

Capturecards are really allround these days and before making a choice on the short description I've made, I recommend checking them all out yourself and find what fits your needs. ;-)

-Hope this helped :)
Click to expand...
Thanks for this information. I'm just trying to make due with what I have for the moment.
 
One thing I would suggest is to record your audio separately using a program like Audacity (it's free, btw). The main reason to do this is to be able to properly edit the audio later.
For example: I edited a video last night where I was coughing a lot because of a cold. If I hadn't recorded the audio separately, I wouldn't have been able to cut all that racket I made out in post. It also helps because you can adjust audio levels much easier. If you end up recording video and audio together, your voice may either be too loud or too soft, and the footage may be completely unusable.
 
What evilmuska just said is true: Seperate audio file. You're not required to do this in Audacity. Software like Bandicam and various capturecards do support this feature :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top