Introduction
So Pakgamers, does it suck not being able to record those awesome moments when you pull an incredible stunt or escape from a fierce battle with only 1HP or snipe someone from miles away on a gaming console in great quality? Well, worry no more as today I have AverMedia GC551 Live Gamer EXTREME 2(LGX2) Game Capture Box for unboxing and reviewing
What AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 GC551 is, is a game capture box that enables you to record your games from the console at uncompressed 1080p 60fps. And not only that, but it also features a 4K resolution pass-through which means you can be recording the gameplay at 1080p60 and at the same time enjoying the game on your 4K TV in its eye-popping 4K resolution.
Well, a question arises here, that both the Xbox One/Xbox one S/Xbox One X and PS4 and PS4 Pro consoles do have gameplay recording capability, so why do we need a game capture box? Well, indeed they do, but the output of those in-built recordings are compressed so much that they look very different than they did on your screen while playing. And not only that, but the AVerMedia GC551 also comes with the bonus of being able to stream your gameplay as well as record them at the same time with live feedback thanks to the RECentral 4 software. Getting a little bit interested? Well, there’s more so keep reading.
And if you are wondering who AVerMedia is or haven’t heard about them before, well, they mainly make game capture box like the GC551 Live Gamer EXTREME 2 that we are reviewing today and game capture cards that install directly onto your system in the PCIe slots for ultra-low feedback latency. And other than that, they have a few headphones, webcams, speakers and sound bars under their wings.
So without any further delay, let’s dive deeper into the rabbit hole with the unboxing of the AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 GC551.
Unboxing
As demonstrated in the picture, it features a rectangular design with a very aggressive top that has a red frame. The frame is detachable so that you can replace the paper cover underneath with your own designs. It’s done by removing the thumb screw at the back. And also, all the I/O ports are present at the back. At the front, we also have the AVerMedia logo present on the right side. This goes very well with the black matte body of the GC551. And the blue/ purple thing on the top is actually an LED indicator for stats like connected, recording etc. The sides of the box have somewhat of a geometric design and it also has some glossy strips. From an aesthetic point of view, this looks attractive. And at the back, we have the USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 port and one HDMI in and HDMI out port. All of them have their markings above them. And right in the center, we have the thumbscrew with AVerMedia logo on it. It has a mirrored finish on it so a proper picture of this was a tough task. Once you’ve removed the thumb screw from the back, this is what the Live Gamer EXTREME 2 looks like without the top cover. And at the bottom, we have 4 feet in the corners along with an information sticker in the middle. Whereas you might have to leave some of the other game capture boxes dangling in the air, AVerMedia wants the Live Gamer EXTREME 2 to be a part of your desk. So there proper weight and cable length and balance present on this game capture box. And that is all the accessories we get with the AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2. So we have a paper telling us to register the product for a 1-year warranty extension, a paper with some foreign language on it, then the quick guide. The GC551 also comes with a Power Director 15 Product key card for all your video editing needs. And then we have 1x USB Type-A to Type-C cable, 1x HDMI cable and 1x screw.
System Requirement:
OS: Windows® 10 (64 bit)
Desktop: Intel® Core™ i5-4440 3.10 GHz + NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 660
Laptop: Intel® Core™ i7-4810MQ + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M
4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
Powered USB 3.1/3.0 port* (Intel chipset recommended)
*USB 2.0 not supported
The AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 does require a system with some beefy specs to be able to record a smooth video on to your system. Nothing too high end that gamers on PC or Laptop won’t already have though.
AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 Installation:
The setup process for the AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 is pretty easy. There are only about three things you need to do.
User Experience & Conclusion:
Well, my user experience with the AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 is mostly positive. I say mostly as there are a few things that I want to mentioned which felt annoying. Before that, I wanted to point out the setup process for the GC551 is really easy so you don’t really need too much technical knowledge to set it up. Once the GC551 was set up, all I needed to do was download the software and the driver package from the product page and we were good to go.
What makes the experience annoying is the RECentral 4 software. The Avermedia’s RECentral software has been infamous for bugs since the first release. But in RECentral 4, I didn’t come across any bugs rather I faced some load time delays. Like switching from tabs, selecting different scenes, changing the video recording settings would freeze the application for 2-3 seconds. Which has a mid-high end PC feels somewhat annoying. Though it’s nothing that actually affects the video recording quality of the Live Gamer EXTREME 2.
And recording videos was also very easy in the RECentral 4 applications. There are 3 pre-defined recording quality presets present that you can use and good enough for average 1080p60 content. But if you need the extra details and want your videos to look crystal clear, then you can also play with the video bitrate as the GC551 is capable of recording uncompressed videos.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do some stream testing as our internet package isn’t sufficient enough for good quality streaming so we will have to skip on that. But streaming and creating your own template/scene is also very easy in the RECentral 4 application. And also, you can use the Avermedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 with OBS or Xsplit if you prefer that.
The Avermedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 is also advertised with ultra-low latency feedback. Well, as a dedicated PC gamer and somewhat of a competitive FPS gamer, I would agree that the latency is very low and you might not even notice it at all like a certain friend of mine. But it’s still there even if in a few milliseconds. And I guess that’s as best as we can expect from a game capture box with multiple wires going through it for connectivity and feedback. In short, if you’re a casual gamer and depending on the nature of the game you are playing, you can play the games in the live feedback screen on your PC without even noticing the delay.
So now that we know what the AverMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 and RECentral 4 is capable of, the main question that arises is that, should you buy this? Well, if you give importance to the quality of your content and want an easy solution for all storage and editing needs, then the AverMedia Live Game EXTREME 2 is a sweet deal. However, you get what you pay for as one-upping on the resolution will set you back on around 30k approx or so. But if you’re making such an investment, make sure that you have at least a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X to make use of the 4K pass-through feature. Otherwise, for other consoles that don’t natively support 4K resolution, you’re better off with the cheaper options that only does 1080p60 recording like the Avermedia Live Gamer EXTREME (GC550) or the Live Gamer Portal (GL-310).
IMG 20180805 150549 — imgbb.com
IMG 20180805 150709 — imgbb.com
https://ibb.co/jDwPdz
https://ibb.co/e3geBK
So Pakgamers, does it suck not being able to record those awesome moments when you pull an incredible stunt or escape from a fierce battle with only 1HP or snipe someone from miles away on a gaming console in great quality? Well, worry no more as today I have AverMedia GC551 Live Gamer EXTREME 2(LGX2) Game Capture Box for unboxing and reviewing
What AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 GC551 is, is a game capture box that enables you to record your games from the console at uncompressed 1080p 60fps. And not only that, but it also features a 4K resolution pass-through which means you can be recording the gameplay at 1080p60 and at the same time enjoying the game on your 4K TV in its eye-popping 4K resolution.
Well, a question arises here, that both the Xbox One/Xbox one S/Xbox One X and PS4 and PS4 Pro consoles do have gameplay recording capability, so why do we need a game capture box? Well, indeed they do, but the output of those in-built recordings are compressed so much that they look very different than they did on your screen while playing. And not only that, but the AVerMedia GC551 also comes with the bonus of being able to stream your gameplay as well as record them at the same time with live feedback thanks to the RECentral 4 software. Getting a little bit interested? Well, there’s more so keep reading.
And if you are wondering who AVerMedia is or haven’t heard about them before, well, they mainly make game capture box like the GC551 Live Gamer EXTREME 2 that we are reviewing today and game capture cards that install directly onto your system in the PCIe slots for ultra-low feedback latency. And other than that, they have a few headphones, webcams, speakers and sound bars under their wings.
So without any further delay, let’s dive deeper into the rabbit hole with the unboxing of the AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 GC551.
Unboxing
As demonstrated in the picture, it features a rectangular design with a very aggressive top that has a red frame. The frame is detachable so that you can replace the paper cover underneath with your own designs. It’s done by removing the thumb screw at the back. And also, all the I/O ports are present at the back. At the front, we also have the AVerMedia logo present on the right side. This goes very well with the black matte body of the GC551. And the blue/ purple thing on the top is actually an LED indicator for stats like connected, recording etc. The sides of the box have somewhat of a geometric design and it also has some glossy strips. From an aesthetic point of view, this looks attractive. And at the back, we have the USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 port and one HDMI in and HDMI out port. All of them have their markings above them. And right in the center, we have the thumbscrew with AVerMedia logo on it. It has a mirrored finish on it so a proper picture of this was a tough task. Once you’ve removed the thumb screw from the back, this is what the Live Gamer EXTREME 2 looks like without the top cover. And at the bottom, we have 4 feet in the corners along with an information sticker in the middle. Whereas you might have to leave some of the other game capture boxes dangling in the air, AVerMedia wants the Live Gamer EXTREME 2 to be a part of your desk. So there proper weight and cable length and balance present on this game capture box. And that is all the accessories we get with the AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2. So we have a paper telling us to register the product for a 1-year warranty extension, a paper with some foreign language on it, then the quick guide. The GC551 also comes with a Power Director 15 Product key card for all your video editing needs. And then we have 1x USB Type-A to Type-C cable, 1x HDMI cable and 1x screw.
| Interface: | USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-C |
| Input: | HDMI |
| Output: | HDMI |
| Capture Resolution: | 1080p60 (max) |
| Supported Resolutions: | 2160p, 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576p, 480p, 480i |
| Pass-Through Resolution: | 4Kp60 (max) |
| Record Format: | MPEG 4 |
| Dimensions (W x D x H): | 145.3 x 97.2 x 29 mm (5.72 x 3.83 x 1.14 in) |
| Weight: | 182 g (6.42 oz) |
System Requirement:
OS: Windows® 10 (64 bit)
Desktop: Intel® Core™ i5-4440 3.10 GHz + NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 660
Laptop: Intel® Core™ i7-4810MQ + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M
4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
Powered USB 3.1/3.0 port* (Intel chipset recommended)
*USB 2.0 not supported
The AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 does require a system with some beefy specs to be able to record a smooth video on to your system. Nothing too high end that gamers on PC or Laptop won’t already have though.
AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 Installation:
The setup process for the AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 is pretty easy. There are only about three things you need to do.
- Grab the USB Type-C to Type-A cable that came with the GC551, and connect the Type-C end on the USB Type-C port on the GC551 and connect the other end on a USB 3.0/3.1 port on the PC/Laptop.
- Grab the HDMI cable that came with your console (PS4, Xbox One etc) and connects one end to the console and the other end to the HDMI-In port on the GC551.
- Grab the HDMI cable that came with the GC551 and connects one end to the TV and the other end to the HDMI-Out port on the GC551.
User Experience & Conclusion:
Well, my user experience with the AVerMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 is mostly positive. I say mostly as there are a few things that I want to mentioned which felt annoying. Before that, I wanted to point out the setup process for the GC551 is really easy so you don’t really need too much technical knowledge to set it up. Once the GC551 was set up, all I needed to do was download the software and the driver package from the product page and we were good to go.
What makes the experience annoying is the RECentral 4 software. The Avermedia’s RECentral software has been infamous for bugs since the first release. But in RECentral 4, I didn’t come across any bugs rather I faced some load time delays. Like switching from tabs, selecting different scenes, changing the video recording settings would freeze the application for 2-3 seconds. Which has a mid-high end PC feels somewhat annoying. Though it’s nothing that actually affects the video recording quality of the Live Gamer EXTREME 2.
And recording videos was also very easy in the RECentral 4 applications. There are 3 pre-defined recording quality presets present that you can use and good enough for average 1080p60 content. But if you need the extra details and want your videos to look crystal clear, then you can also play with the video bitrate as the GC551 is capable of recording uncompressed videos.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do some stream testing as our internet package isn’t sufficient enough for good quality streaming so we will have to skip on that. But streaming and creating your own template/scene is also very easy in the RECentral 4 application. And also, you can use the Avermedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 with OBS or Xsplit if you prefer that.
The Avermedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 is also advertised with ultra-low latency feedback. Well, as a dedicated PC gamer and somewhat of a competitive FPS gamer, I would agree that the latency is very low and you might not even notice it at all like a certain friend of mine. But it’s still there even if in a few milliseconds. And I guess that’s as best as we can expect from a game capture box with multiple wires going through it for connectivity and feedback. In short, if you’re a casual gamer and depending on the nature of the game you are playing, you can play the games in the live feedback screen on your PC without even noticing the delay.
So now that we know what the AverMedia Live Gamer EXTREME 2 and RECentral 4 is capable of, the main question that arises is that, should you buy this? Well, if you give importance to the quality of your content and want an easy solution for all storage and editing needs, then the AverMedia Live Game EXTREME 2 is a sweet deal. However, you get what you pay for as one-upping on the resolution will set you back on around 30k approx or so. But if you’re making such an investment, make sure that you have at least a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X to make use of the 4K pass-through feature. Otherwise, for other consoles that don’t natively support 4K resolution, you’re better off with the cheaper options that only does 1080p60 recording like the Avermedia Live Gamer EXTREME (GC550) or the Live Gamer Portal (GL-310).
IMG 20180805 150549 — imgbb.com
IMG 20180805 150709 — imgbb.com
https://ibb.co/jDwPdz
https://ibb.co/e3geBK
Last edited:
