Introduction

Slowly but surely, AVerMedia's product naming scheme is giving me a headache. The Live Gamer Ultra S GC553Pro, which is the focus of this review, sounds like it's closely related to the Live Gamer Ultra 2.1 GC553G2 (reviewed here), but in reality, the two products have very little in common aside from both being external USB capture cards. If anything, the Live Gamer Ultra S is a "light" version of the Live Gamer Ultra 2.1. It omits some of the latter's key features but regularly costs $60/€60 less. When comparing their full prices, the Live Gamer Ultra 2.1 is exactly twice as expensive, which makes AVerMedia's intention with its younger sibling much clearer.



While the Live Gamer Ultra 2.1 features HDMI 2.1 connectivity, enabling 4K60 capture and 4K144 passthrough, the Live Gamer Ultra S targets users who are satisfied with 4K60 capture and passthrough, but still want higher refresh rates at lower resolutions—144 Hz at 1440p and 240 Hz at 1080p, to be exact. Since 4K livestreaming is still far from mainstream, this covers the needs of most users except for the most advanced streamers. Video format support includes YUY2, NV12, MJPEG, and P010 for HDR recording, as well as uncompressed RGB24 (chroma 4:4:4) for Full HD capture at 60 Hz. What other tricks the Live Gamer Ultra S can perform, and how it handles real-world scenarios—that's what we're here to find out.

Specifications

• Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C (5 Gbps)
• Video Input & Output (Pass-Through): HDMI 2.0
• Audio Input & Output (Pass-Through): HDMI 2.0
• Max Pass-Through Resolution: 2160p60 HDR/VRR, 1440p144 HDR/VRR, 1080p240 HDR/VRR
• Max Capture Resolution: 2160p60, 1440p144, 1080p240 / 1440p30 HDR, 1080p60 HDR
• Max VRR Record Resolutions: 1440p60 / 1080p120 / 1080p240 (AVerMedia Streaming Center needed)
• Supported Resolution (Video input): 2160p, 3440x1440p, 1440p, 2560x1080p, 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576p, 480p
• Video Format: YUY2 / NV12 / RGB24 / P010 (HDR) / MJPEG
• Dimension (W x D x H): 112.6 x 66.2 x 26 mm (4.43 x 2.6 x 1.02 in)
• Weight: 99 g (3.49 oz)