AVerMedia Streamer Cap 4K or Elgato Cam Link 4K?

AVerMedia has released a new capture card, and they sent me a sample to take a closer look at and share my thoughts. I made sure to approach the comparison as objectively as possible.

The AVerMedia Streamer Cap4K (BU113) is designed to connect DSLR cameras to a PC for recording or streaming using recording software such as OBS or AVerMedia’s own RECentral. This makes it a direct competitor to Elgato’s Camlink4K. So, our central question today is: Can AVerMedia overcome Elgato’s market dominance and convince with cheaper products?

First and foremost, both capture devices do exactly what they’re supposed to. The image is crystal clear on both, and even during long-term testing—in our case, 3-4 hour livestreams—I didn’t notice any delays or image errors.

Device	Price	Size	Performance
Cap4k	€99.99	9.42 x 4.54 x 1.60 cm	4k30
Camlink4K	€129.99	8.08 x 3.10 x 1.19 cm	4k30

Cap4k & Camlink4K Comparison at a Glance

Dimensions, Setup & Heat Management:

When considering these devices, we must look at their size and, consequently, their passive heat capacity. While the Camlink4K is slightly smaller at 9.42 x 4.54 x 1.60 cm, it must be connected to the motherboard I/O and its awkward shape blocks two additional USB ports on my backpanel, including USB 3.0 ports. The Cap4K is larger at 9.42 x 4.54 x 1.60 cm but connects via a USB 3.0 cable, allowing it to be placed on the desk closer to the camera. AVerMedia definitely has an advantage here as the Cap4K doesn’t get warm at all. Both devices were equally easy to set up as video capture devices in OBS and could be manipulated well in ChromaKey mode and scaling.

Availability:

Both the Cap4K and the Camlink are available for Amazon Same-Day-Delivery. So, if the device were to fail after several thousand operating hours, you could quickly get a replacement.

Conclusion:

Is the AVerMedia Cap4K (BU113) superior to the Elgato Camlink4K? Qualitatively, I see no differences—you simply save €30 with AVerMedia. So, yes, in terms of price-performance ratio, the Cap4K (BU113) is superior.