What Are The Best Capture Cards For M1 Macs?

If you’re looking to capture gameplay on your home consoles or to stream from them, you’ve probably looked up some of the different capture cards available to you. While the majority of capture cards work great for people using Windows laptops, they generally have compatibility issues with Macbooks, the new M1 machines in particular. So, if you’ve upgraded to one of the new M1 Macs and want to start capturing gameplay for recordings or streaming, it’s important to find out which capture cards work with the devices, and that’s where our suggestions of the best capture cards for M1 Macs come in.

Elgato Capture Cards

Elgato 4K60 S+

The Elgato 4K60 S+ is a capture card that can be used with and without a PC or Mac. Unfortunately, the 4K60 S+ does not work when paired with Mac computers, but you can use it as a standalone device with a compatible SD card plugged into the capture device to record and store your content. The supported resolutions available with the Elgato 4k60 S+ include:

2160p at 60 frames-per-second
2160p at 30 frames-per-second
1080p at 60 frames-per-second
1080p at 30 frames-per-second

The Elgato 4K60 S+ is compatible with HDR in various resolutions. As mentioned, it can be used either connected to a Windows PC through which you can stream with or it can be used standalone with an SD card. According to Elgato, the SD Card or MicroSD Card must be formatted as either exFAT or FAT32, the latter of which will split recordings into smaller 4GB segments. SD Cards must have a speed rating of V30 (Video Class 30) or higher or must be UHS-3 (Ultra High-Speed Class 3) or higher.

The Elgato 4K60 S+ works, but many people have claimed issues with the device that have either been addressed by speaking with Elgato and upgrading the device’s firmware or by exchanging the capture card for an alternative.

Good For: Recording without a PC
Available here

Elgato HD60 X

Another capture card compatible with M1 Macs is the Elgato HD60 X, which is Elgato’s latest device. The capture card supports HDR 10 Bit Capture and pass-through on Windows 10 and 11 devices, but not on Mac computers. For recording, the Elgato HD60 X supports the following resolutions:

Pass-Through:

2160p at 60 frames-per-second HDR

Maximum Recording Resolution:

2160p at 30 frames-per-second with HDR
2160p at 30 frames-per-second
1440p at 60 frames-per-second
1080p at 120 frames-per-second
1080p at 60 frames-per-second with HDR
1080p at 60 frames-per-second

Since the HD60 S+ requires a USB 3.0 cable, you’re going to need to use a USB 3.0 to USB-C converter to use the capture card on your M1 Mac.

Good For: Recording and streaming
Available here

Elgato HD60 S+

The Elgato HD60 S+ is a lower resolution capture card that is compatible with M1 Macs and can be used for recording gameplay and streaming. The capture card must be plugged into the computer, and it supports up to 4K resolution at 60 frames-per-second with HDR, although HDR support is only compatible with Windows devices. Despite this, the Elgato HD60 S+ supports the following resolutions:

2160p at 30 frames-per-second
1080p at 60 frames-per-second with HDR
1080p at 30 frames-per-second

Good For: Recording and streaming
Available here

AVerMedia Capture Cards

AVerMedia Live Gamer ULTRA (GC553)

AVerMedia’s Live Gamer ULTRA is compatible with M1 Macs but supports only 1080p at 60 or 30 frames-per-second, although the capture card can support resolution up to 4K on other Macs and Windows devices. AVerMedia also suggests you use an adapted from Apple to connect your M1 Mac and the capture card for sufficient USB bandwidth.

On other devices, the Liver Gamer ULTRA supports up to 4K (2160p) HDR resolution at 60 frames-per-second pass-through, but only records at a maximum of 4K resolution at 30 frames-per-second. If you’re looking for a full list of supported resolutions for Mac and Windows:

Pass-Through:

2160p at 60 frames-per-second HDR
1440p at 144 frames-per-second
1080p at 240 frames-per-second

Maximum Recording Resolution:

2160p at 30 frames-per-second
1440p at 60 frames-per-second
1080p at 120 frames-per-second
1080p at 60 frames-per-second with HDR

However, it’s important to note that 4K, HDR, and high frame rate recording are only compatible with NVIDIA graphics cards, and you’ll need an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port to use the capture card.

Good For: Recording and streaming
Available here

AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus (GC513)

The AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus is a portable capture card that can be used with a PC and without a PC, perfect if you don’t have a computer that’s compatible with the capture card. Like with most other capture cards, it can be plugged into a computer or you can plug in a supported MicroSD card and save your recordings on the SD card. When it comes to its supported resolutions, you can expect:

Pass-Through:

2160p at 60 frames-per-second
1080p at 60 frames-per-second

Recording

1080p at 60 frames-per-second

However, it’s important to note that the capture card is only compatible with a MicroSD Class 10 card with a maximum capacity of 128GB. It also supports either FAT32 or exFAT format, although when using FAT32 footage is divided and saved every 4GB, while exFAT allows for continuous recording. Finally, the Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus is only compatible with M1 Macs on macOS 10.13 to 11, it is not compatible with macOS 12 and above.

Good For: Recording without a PC
Available here

AVerMedia Live Gamer Mini (GC311)

AVerMedia Live Gamer Mini is another capture card that is compatible with M1 Macs. The capture card supports a maximum pass-through resolution and record resolution of 1080p at 60 frames-per-second. Unfortunately, the Live Gamer Mini doesn’t support 4K resolution nor does it support HDR, high refresh rates or wide-angle resolutions.

Good For: Recording and streaming
Available here

If none of the above suit your needs or preferences, it may be easier to try and purchase a PC dedicated to recording and streaming gameplay or simply wait until AVerMedia, Elgato or other companies produce more M1 Mac-friendly capture devices, although that may take some time!