On the testbench today, Elgato 4K X. This is an USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 connected HDMI capture card capable of recording resolutions up to 4K and 144 frames per second.

Let's jump straight in.

The Elgato 4K X comes in a blue elegant and stylish box showing off the product on the front as well as telling us that it can do "True 4K capture", with HDR and VRR. It works with Playstation 5, Xbox and more. It should also be plug and play for Windows, MAC and iPAD - only missing Linux, I'm sure official support for Linux will come in the near future as more gamers and users of capture cards are getting more familiar with Linux.


On the backside we get some information such as it is capable of recording video up to 4K 144 frames per second, VRR up to 144 fps, HFR up to 240 fps and HDR10. They elaborate a little more on the input compatibility with PS5, Xbox One X/S, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, ROG ally and more.

Requirements for the Elgato 4K X is Windows 10 / macOS 13, iPadOS 17 or later. 6th generation of Intel Core i5 CPU or better. USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2 port, even though USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 1 also works but with reduced capture resolution - as your computer won't get the video stream fast enough on the Gen 1 specifications, so the 4K X capture device automatically downgrades to a lower capture resolution.

This is great, not that you get a lower resolution, but it still works if your computer isn't top notch. But that is probably why you get a 4K X capture device, so you can record game play, get a couple hundred thousand followers/subscribers and then afford the best of the best computer hardware and then just rinse and repeat until you're famous.

Of course, there are other use cases for an HDMI capture device, but I guess most are after that gameplay footage in crisp 4K resolution.

The Elgato 4K X can also pass through lag free video up to 4K144 to a TV or gaming display. Other pass through modes are 1080p up to 240 fps and 1440p up to 144 fps. The Elgato 4K X cannot pass through 8K, for that you need their 4K Pro device that is a PCI-X 2.0 x4 device. But really, how many have either 8K capable monitors or TV available today, or a game console that can output 8K video. Surely they are starting to be available in 2025, but they are so expensive and so out of reach for more people that it is not something you need to consider at this point in time.


Opening up the box reveals another box which holds the actual 4K X capture device as well as some basic how to information. We also get to know that there is a capture utility that we can download from the Elgato website. We can also see that the included HDMI cable are certified for ultra high speed. I honestly think this is the first time I've ever seen a certified cable bundled together with any product. It is nice to see and it should hopefully mean that the HDMI cable are of great quality and hopefully will last longer than "normal" HDMI cables.

Included in the kit is also a USB-C cable that feels to be of quite high quality as well - no certification though, so we could never know for sure. There are, as far as I can see, no USB logo on the packaging which should say that the USB cable and the 4K X in itself isn't "certified" for using USB and USB-C connectors and cables - IF we should continue on that line with the HDMI certification that is. However I'm quite sure that when you spend the amount of money - its not expensive, but still - on the 4K X, I'm sure you get high quality cables no matter a certification or not.



The product itself, the 4K X is a small black box with well designed and stylish lines and is satisfyingly symmetrical. We find HDMI IN and OUT connectors as well as the USB-C connector in between on the back. In the front we find a small status LED, the 4K X logo as well as an analog audio connector. In terms of hardware, that's all there is to it.

So let's head on to the testing.

The 4K X from Elgato can handle quite a lot of different resolutions, both in for recording and out to a monitor or TV screen. The following table shows which resolutions can both be recorded in SDR or HDR, as well as which resolutions that can be pass through to a monitor or TV.



Hooking up the 4K X to our Playstation 5 system is just as easy as connecting the PS5 directly to a TV, there are only two more cables, another HDMI that goes to a TV or monitor, and a USB-C cable that you connect to the computer you want to record the videos on. Without power there will be no passthrough, which of course is no huge surprise, there is active hardware inside the 4K X that needs power to even pass through the video. No complaints, just an observation and could be good for you to know that you can't just have it plugged in all the time and not power it up and still be able to play on your TV or monitor.

Next we need to install the software on our Windows computer. For this test and review we use the Elgato 4K Capture Utility. Installation went all ok, but running it to receive a video stream from the 4K X did not go as well. It turns out I had an too old version of NVIDIA drivers for the graphics card in our test computer - which the NVIDIA software refused to install. But after downloading it manually from their website and installing it, rebooting the computer, starting up the Elgato 4K Capture Utility - we have a video stream!

Looking at both the video stream on our test computer and the pass through monitor, you can see a slight delay - even if it is minimal. I tried playing a round just watching the video stream in the 4K Capture Utility and it certainly works - but that is not how you use the 4K X capture device, it was just a fun test. The passthrough video signal to the monitor through the 4K X is however excellent, more than excellent - I doubt any normal person or possibly not even a real hardcore gamer can see or feel any input lag to video stream at all. The passthrough works flawlessly.

During my first test recording the Elgato 4K Capture Utility actually crashed, it just closed down without any errors. It was just like you clicked the X button in the window bar or pressed ALT-F4. Being the first test recording it obviously made me a bit worried, but restarting the software and running it for hours and making several test and then actual recordings, there was no problems at all with the software crashing.

So it might just have been a one time thing, or there was perhaps some incompatibility with some other software running at the same time - I really have no idea. But knock on wood, the software has worked perfectly after that.

The following videos show some gameplay footage from Disney Speedstorm on Playstation 5, a Mario Kart kind of game with high speed racing, lots of modifiers and lots of fun when you play with your friends either online or local multiplayer.

First video shows a 1080p recording, while the second is a 4K recording. In my opinion both look fantastic, but the 1080p video - even the original file - is a bit more blurry than the 4K, even when both are watched at 1080p size in a video player locally on the computer. With that said, Youtube of course compresses and makes videos less good looking.

There are some tricks you need to know, such as that you can record in 1080p if you aren't able to record in higher resolution, then upscale it to a 4K video and then Youtube gives you better quality as it won't compress 4K videos as much. Youtube can never give you better quality or even equal to the original file - it is impossible. Basically this isn't even Youtube's fault, even if they develop their own codecs, but the actual codecs used for rendering a video and showing it in a Youtube player unfortunately takes away some quality also.





My final thoughts of the Elgato 4K X is that it is extremely simple to use, just plug it in, start the software and you're up and running. All you have to do is record interesting gameplays, make some sweet commentary and you'll be a Youtuber or Twitch streamer in no time. For some reason going into the test and review of the Elgato 4K X I thought it would be much more problematic. Well, it certainly was last time I tested and reviewed a capture device last time and this was probably 10 years ago, from another brand that we don't have to discuss in this review. Elgato has certainly developed an excellent solution that is very easy to get started with and over time gives you something that could possibly earn you some money - if you play your hand right, no pun intended.

If you want the latest and greatest, surely you can go with an Elgato 4K Pro so you can pass through 8K video, record in 4K 60 fps and some more, but that device is a more in depth installation product than the Elgato 4K X. Also while I haven't been able to test it myself yet, the 4K X should be compatible with Linux and OBS software for recording or streaming video from a gaming console as well. This is thanks to the device being a USB device and doesn't need specifik hardware drivers, which the PCI-X version 4K Pro certainly needs.

This is not a "problem" if you use Windows as your recording rig, but we all know that Linux has been on the rise and will gain a lot of followers, especially now when Windows 10 is "dead" to Microsoft.

The possibility to use the Elgato 4K X with "older", read not too old but a couple of years at least, makes this a must have product for anyone wanting to record gameplay footage from a game console - no matter if you have the latest computer hardware or a couple years old rig. The only restriction will be a little lower recording resolution if you don't have the fastest USB-C connection.


The final thing is the price. For casual gameplay recording, where you record not so often, this might not be the best product when it comes to price. But if your plan is to record gameplay regularly, like once a week perhaps, or possibly even once every two weeks and consistently upload or stream to an online service, I certainly believe that the price tag of USD $249.99 is affordable as the recording or streaming of gameplay footage can potentially give you money back.

You just need incredibly luck, find an extremely popular game or make awesome commentary and you will surely make it, especially with the Elgato 4K X. If you can mix luck, game and commentary, you will have no problem at all bringing in the big bucks.

The Elgato 4K X is certainly an excellent product and a must have for anyone wanting to record high quality game play footage in 2025 and forward.