game capture software vs hardware

Okay, so, I wanted to get into this whole game recording thing, right? I wasn’t sure where to start, but I knew I had options: software or hardware.

First, I messed around with OBS Studio. It’s free, which is a huge plus. I just downloaded it, installed it on my PC, and started playing around. It was a little tricky figuring out the settings, you know, bitrates, resolutions, and all that. I did some test recordings, just me playing some games, to see how it looked.

The thing I noticed with OBS was that it kinda made my computer work harder. I mean, it was running the game, capturing the video, and encoding it all at the same time. My CPU usage went up like crazy, sometimes hitting 17% or even more. I was worried this might affect the game’s performance, maybe make it laggy.

Software Encoding Woes

I learned that this was called software encoding. Basically, my computer’s CPU was doing all the heavy lifting.

• Pros:
• It’s free! You just download the software.
• Pretty flexible, lots of settings to tweak.
• Cons:
• Can be a real CPU hog.
• Might mess with your game’s performance.

Then, I started looking into capture cards. These are like separate little boxes you connect to your PC. I borrowed one from my friend. It had its own thing for encoding, called hardware encoding. With this setup, my computer didn’t have to work as hard to record. My CPU usage was much lower, and the games ran smoother.

It was cool, I found out that GPUs have their own memory and all. Made recording easier on the CPU, I guess.

Hardware Encoding

• Pros:
• Takes the load off your CPU.
• Generally, smoother recording and gaming.
• Cons:
• Costs money, and some can be pretty pricey.
• Another thing to set up and connect.

So, after trying both, I realized it comes down to what you need and what your setup is. If you have a powerful PC and don’t mind it working a bit harder, software like OBS is great, especially since it’s free. But if you want the smoothest experience, or if your PC isn’t super powerful, a capture card is the way to go. Just be prepared to shell out some cash for it.

Oh, and one more thing I learned! Capture cards can also record stuff from other devices, like a game console. OBS, on the other hand, is more for recording what’s on your PC screen.

Ultimately, I went with a capture card because I wanted the best quality and performance. But honestly, both ways work. It’s all about figuring out what works best for you.

Man, I wish I knew all this before I started. It would have saved me some time for sure. But hey, live and learn, right? Just sharing my experience. Hope this helps someone out there!