By the name, it sounds like both of the products are similar, with some minor differences. However, it isn’t like that. There are several & pretty considerable differences in both when looked at deeply. In this guide of Elgato HD60 VS HD60S reviews comparison, we will mention those differences, similarities, and the winner.
Even though choosing a winner in both of these is not an easy task because requirements and demands may differ for every person out there. In any way, we will try to help you choose by giving as much reliable information as possible.
If you are on this guide, you may already know that Elgato is considered the best company for making capture cards. They have plenty of products such as Elgato HD60, Elgato HD60S & S+, Elgato HD60 Pro, 4k60 Pro, and the list goes on.
Our focus is on two products, which are HD60 and HD60s.
You need to realize that Elgato is no longer featuring Elgato HD60 on their website. Instead of HD60, you will find other capture cards, including HD60S and S+, with others.
Now that you know what the circumstances are let’s dig deeper into the technical details.
Before we jump to in-depth details, have a look at this comparison table below.
Contents
Comparison Table: Elgato HD60 VS HD60S Reviews
[wptb id=991]Factors we consider for comparison
To make a fair & worthy comparison, we list some factors which will be kept in mind while making a comparison. These important to be noticed factors are as below:
- Portability
- Connectivity
- Features / Performance
- Quality of Video
- Use cases
- Price Value
We will go through each one by one. Let’s see the portability for both first.
1. Portability
In portability, without a single doubt, we and anybody will agree that Elgato HD60S is more portable than HD60.
The HD60S is a kind of plug-n-play capture card, while on the other hand, Elgato HD60 requires you to use USB 2.0, which sounds compromising performance.
So, looking at the portability, other Elgato products, such as HD60 Pro, aren’t much portable since they are internal cards and use a PCIe slot.
Until now, remember that HD60S will prove to be much more handy, portable, and easy to carry than HD60.
But if you focus only on two, i.e., HD60 and HD60S, both are portable enough.
2. Connectivity – Elgato HD60 vs. HD60S Reviews (Connection Types)
Once you’ve got anything, the next part is connecting it with your system “successfully,” so it works the way you want it to work.
And the real question here arises how do you connect both capture cards to your system. This is the point where one big difference can be seen.
How to connect Elgato HD60?
Elgato HD60 is a kind of external card that connects to your system. To connect your Elgato HD60 capture card, you will need a USB 2.0 port.
Other capture cards, excluding HD60S, such as Elgato HD60 Pro, use the PCIe under the graphics card slot, then plugin HDMI into your graphics card and display devices such as Monitor or TV.
This is one main reason for its less portability.
But here, the plus point is that it (Elgato HD60 Pro) becomes a little faster than HD60S, which we cover next for answering “Why.”
How to connect Elgato HD60S?
Like Elgato HD60, HD60S also uses a USB port, but it uses the faster 3.0 USB port. It connects directly to your PC via a USB cable. It uses USB 3.0 cable, which can cause a little compromise in performance, but it doesn’t really feel like that.
If you compare it to HD60, then HD60S will perform better than HD60 but slightly inferior to HD60 Pro.
In short, it is a plug-n-play card – you plug it in your computer via a USB cable, and you are good to go.
This is the point where either capture card may win because it depends upon your choice. Ask yourself this question: Do I want to use it on multiple PCs? If Yes, you know what to do.
3. Features / Performance
In features, the key & noticeable feature you will see is Instant Game View.
Instant Game View is available in HD60S but not in HD60.
What this feature does is that it gives an instant preview on your display and reflects what you see in-game in real-time. This preview includes the gameplay, your reactions on webcam, and of course, live commentary.
How does that matter? It matters because you have to make sure that your viewers see precisely what you see and do while gaming. Instant Game View makes you expect the lowest possible delay between preview and game.
It is only in the case of HD60S, but HD60S doesn’t offer this feature.
Master Copy VS Stream Copy
One advantage of HD60 is its ability to create Master Copy, a feature that HD60S cannot provide.
In Master Copy, you can record and stream simultaneously at the same time. Elgato HD60 allows you to do this, and they call this feature “Master Copy.” It comes in handy when you want to record and stream at the same time.
It is not much of an issue, but it can prove to be one when you want to record and stream simultaneously because creators may want to stream at one time and then edit the recorded footage to upload on Channel.
Another ability that Elgato HD60 has but HD60S lacks is the ability to create H.264 recording. Elgato HD60 can record videos in the H.264 encoding format, making the file sizes lower and better.
On the other hand, HD60S provides a Stream Copy feature, which records and streams in the same resolution. Everything, including frame rate, bit rate, and resolution, is the same.
H.264 Support
Elgato HD60 supports an H.264 encoder, which means your recordings will be encoded in an H.264 format for the best quality but smaller size.
However, HD60S doesn’t have that ability.
Performance
Performance-wise, HD60S will prove to be handy, but it really depends upon your type of use. If you want to record and stream – at the same time, then HD60S should be the choice.
It is made possible because it offers zero-latency – thanks to its Instant Game View feature.
You can record at resolutions such as 1080p 60fps, 1080p 30fps, 1080ti, 720p 60fps, 720p 30fps, 575p, 576p, 576i and 480p.
Since HD60S uses a USB 3.0 port, it won’t outperform other Elgato Products, excluding HD60, which uses a USB 2.0 port.
On the other hand, other Elgato products, including HD60 Pro, work with PCIe slots to perform much better.
Anyways, the difference in performance is merely noticeable.
Here is the point that will make it more clear: If you want to use a capture card for streaming, go for the Elgato HD60S because it uses a faster 3.0 USB port instead of USB 2.0.
And if you want to use it for recording only, HD60 will do the job.
Both offer a maximum of 40 Mbps Bitrate.
4. Quality of Video
Considering the video’s quality, there is not much to talk about except mentioning the encoding ability of HD60 vs. HD60S.
Both offer fantastic video quality and can record or stream in 1080P HD Quality. And both can support up to 60 frames per second.
The plus point where HD60 gets a plus point is its ability to encode video in H.264 format, which is very beneficial when it provides you the impressive quality of video in minimal size.
Anyways, there is not much of a difference in the quality of both. They both work fantastic and give an impressive video quality.
5. Use Case
For different types of uses, you need different types of hardware. For example, people tend to go with NVIDIA for GPUs, and some go with MSI motherboards for gaming purposes. Similarly, you may either want to use a capture card for one purpose or the other or maybe both.
Let’s now discuss the use cases for each.
Ask yourself this question: What am I going to use it for? Once you answer it, you will have the answer about which is better for you.
For example, if you want to do recording and streaming, i.e., simultaneously, you may want to go with Elgato HD60S since it has the feature of Instant Game View, which offers the lowest possible latency rate. Do you stream at one time and then edit the footage to upload on your channel later? For that purpose, HD60 is a better choice because it allows you to stream at one resolution and record with H.264 encoding, which reduces file size.
What’s The Same?
A significant similarity is observed when it comes to design. Both devices look beautiful in black color. The box has round corners which look very safe and elegant.
Both products can record unlimited duration, do flashback recording, and have stream command.
Both can capture at 1080P resolution with 60 frames per second.
Both have HDMI and can be connected via a USB cable. The only difference is that HD60 uses a 2.0 port, but HD60S uses a faster 3.0 port.
Both have a Max bitrate of 40 Mbps.
Both support the same and same no. of resolutions such as below:
1080p60 | 1080p30 | 1080i | 720p60 | 720p30 | 576p | 576i | 480p
Elgato HD60 vs. HD60s Reviews: Hardware And Performance
Because the HD60 has a built-in H.264 encoder, so it doesn’t put a load on your system, which results in making your system not feel overwhelming.
And Elgato HD60S doesn’t have it, but the feature that makes it stand out is its feature of Instant Game View, which offers zero-latency output.
Elgato HD60 supports 2nd Generation Intel Core i5 2000 series processors or equivalent when it comes to hardware support. While on the other hand, HD60S supports 4th Generation Quad-Core Intel Core i5 4000 series processors equivalent.
You will need to have Windows 10 for connectivity if you are using Windows or Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan if you are using Mac. In either case, you will need to have at least 4 GB of RAM and a compatible USB port – 2.0 in the case of HD60 and 3.0 in HD60S.
Elgato HD60 vs. HD60s Reviews: Which Should You Buy?
Nobody can give an obvious answer since every person may have their own requirements and use cases. We will try to provide you enough information that will help you in deciding one from many.
The preference of one over the other depends upon your wish. You may want to choose HD60 because of its H.264 encoder chip or HD60S because it offers the lowest possible latency output.
Another reason worth considering and can make you decide one among two is the faster USB 3.0 available in HD60S compared to USB 2.0 in HD60.
Surprisingly, there is a hell of a difference in the prices of both. HD60S costs a lot less than the HD60. The Elgato HD60S, which is a newer model, costs much less than HD60.
To give you an idea, the price of HD60S is nearly half that of HD60. However, on Amazon, you will find different prices from different sellers. We recommend going with the corsair seller as they have plenty of good feedback. At last, you have the liberty to go with any of your wishes. Different prices may be because Elgato is no longer featuring Elgato HD60 products on its website.
Anyways, the good news is that both capture cards work like a charm. Their performance and quality are also impressive. The only point which can make you choose one over another is the feature of Instant Game View or H.264 Encoding ability.
Alternatives by Elgato
Instead of Elgato HD60S and Elgato HD60, there are four other capture cards available. These include HD60 S+, 4k60 S+, 4K60 Pro, and HD60 Pro.
Depending upon the type of use or the resolution you work on, you can choose one according to your needs.
FAQ’s
1. What’s the significant difference between Elgato HD60 and HD60S?
There are just two significant differences in both of these. One of them is that HD60 uses a standard USB 2.0 port, while the HD60S uses a faster USB 3.0 port. The second difference is linked to the feature called “Instant Game View,” which you can only find in HD60S.
2. Is the Elgato HD60S worth it?
It depends upon one primary factor. I cleared it above as well, but to make it more transparent, I will say that if you already have HD60, you don’t need to get HD60S as it’s not really that worthy of upgrading. However, if you need to get one now and don’t have any before, going with HD60S will be a better choice.
Conclusion
Originally posted 2021-04-19 23:55:14.