What Capture Card Do You Need for 4K 120fps Xbox Series X Gameplay?

Xbox Series X needs an HDMI 2.1 capture card with 4K/120 passthrough — Elgato’s 4K X, the 4K Pro, and AVerMedia’s GC553G2 and GC575 all qualify.

A 4K/120 Xbox setup rarely fails at the console. It fails at the capture card, because a card built on HDMI 2.0 tops out at 4K60 and drags the chain down with it. HDMI 2.1 on the input and the output is the line that matters.

Working out what capture card you need for 4K 120fps Xbox Series X gameplay comes down to that spec plus three more: a display that accepts 120Hz, cables rated for the bandwidth, and a computer fast enough to record what the card hands it. Four current models clear the bar, and their limits are not identical.

Which Capture Cards Handle 4K 120fps Xbox Series X Gameplay?

Four HDMI 2.1 cards pass a 4K/120 signal to your TV while recording: Elgato Game Capture 4K X, Elgato Game Capture 4K Pro, AVerMedia Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 (GC553G2), and AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K 2.1 (GC575). All four keep the Xbox at 120Hz on the display side; they differ in how much they can record and what they plug into.

The Elgato Game Capture 4K X runs up to 4K144 in both directions on compatible screens, and Elgato notes that displays using Display Stream Compression are capped at 4K120. It is the least fussy starting point for a console-only desk. Elgato’s Game Capture 4K X product page lists the full input and output spec.

AVerMedia’s Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 (GC553G2) passes up to 2160p144 with HDR and VRR and records to 2160p144 on Windows, but only 2160p60 on macOS, where HDR capture is unavailable. It connects over USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C at 10 Gbps.

The Live Gamer 4K 2.1 (GC575) is the internal pick: a PCIe Gen 3 x4 card that passes and records up to 2160p144, with that top recording rate arriving through AVerMedia Streaming Center.

Elgato Game Capture 4K Pro appears on Elgato’s own 120Hz compatibility article as an HDMI 2.1 model for 4K/120 workflows, but that page publishes no full spec table. Prices on all four shift often, so check the manufacturer’s US store before ordering rather than trusting a figure from an old review.

The Rest Of The Chain Has To Keep Up

A card alone will not hold 120Hz. The Xbox, the card, the cable, and the display each have to carry HDMI 2.1, and one HDMI 2.0 cable, splitter, or AV receiver in the middle drops everything to 4K60.

• Display: 4K/120 or higher. A 4K60 panel caps the output no matter what the card can do.
• Cables: HDMI 2.1 rated; AVerMedia recommends the original or included cables.
• Computer: USB 3.2 Gen 2 or better for the GC553G2, or a PCIe Gen 3 x4 slot for the GC575.
• Operating system: Windows 10 or 11 x64 for both AVerMedia cards. The GC553G2 also runs macOS 13/14 and iPadOS 17, at 4K60 and without HDR capture.
• Software: Elgato points out that a full 120fps recording needs the capture app set to 120fps, such as OBS Studio. Passthrough alone will not do it.

The wiring order that works:

1. Xbox HDMI out into the card’s HDMI in.
2. Card HDMI out into the 4K/120 display.
3. Card into the PC over USB 3.2 Gen 2, or the GC575 into a PCIe Gen 3 x4 slot.
4. Drivers, firmware, and capture software installed, then the Xbox set to a supported 4K resolution at 120Hz.
5. Recording software set to 4K and 120fps.

You will know it took when the Xbox reports 120Hz, the card utility shows a 4K/120 input, and the preview runs smooth. A 60Hz max in the Xbox menu means something earlier in the chain is capping you.

Pick The Card That Fits Your Rig

Passthrough is not capture, and the recording side is what decides the purchase. Every card here feeds 4K/120 to your TV; they separate on what they can record at the same time.

Go external (4K X or GC553G2) if you record from a laptop, split time between consoles, or move the card between machines. Go internal (GC575) if you have a desktop with a free PCIe Gen 3 x4 slot and want one tidy single-PC setup. Treat the 4K Pro as the choice for someone who specifically wants an HDMI 2.1 Elgato unit and has confirmed its specs with Elgato first.

If you would rather weigh them side by side — ports, recording ceilings, and which ones held 120Hz in practice — our tested Xbox Series X capture card roundup covers the same four in more depth.

Two limits catch people late. Elgato and AVerMedia both note that DSC-equipped displays can cap passthrough at 4K120 rather than 4K144, and AVerMedia’s listed cards output 5.1-channel audio but only stereo LPCM 2.0. Neither breaks a 4K/120 Xbox setup; both matter if you planned around the bigger numbers.