What else you need to use it
Worked out from Elgato’s own specifications and box contents for this model. The setup builder checks the same parts against your computer and the rest of your gear.
You need
- A USB 3 port (5 Gbps), straight on the computer. A USB 2 port is too slow for it. The maker asks for a direct port rather than a hub. USB-C is a plug shape, not a speed, so check the port itself.
- An HDMI cable from your console or camera. No HDMI cable is listed in the box.
Check first
- A free USB port. The device plugs in directly; the short extension in the box only moves it away from the port.
- HDCP turned off on the source. It captures unencrypted HDMI only. Consoles have their own HDCP setting; protected films and streaming apps cannot be captured. Black screen fixes
Optional
- Camera Hub optional; UVC-compatible application. The maker’s app adds settings; the device works without it.
When this model makes sense
- Bring a camera’s clean HDMI output into your computer when you don’t need a passthrough to a TV.
- Bring a second PC’s HDMI output into your streaming PC; for a console you play, a card with passthrough keeps the game on your TV with no delay.
- Use a camera or console you already own if it can stay on, and powered, for your whole stream; choose the HDMI cable to match its socket.
The Capture card connections guide weighs it against the other ways to fill the same role.
Connections and specs
- Full name
- Elgato Cam Link 4K
- Still sold
- Yes, a current model
- Type
- Capture cards
- Connection
- Connector shape
- HDMI; USBA plug’s shape doesn’t tell you its speed →
- Video inputs
- HDMI unencrypted
- Video outputs
- USB capture only
- Capture output
- 4K · 60 fps (latest model 20GAM9903 only, in MJPG); 4K · 30 fps (earlier models’ maximum; software and format conditions apply)Capture and passthrough explained →
- Display passthrough
- None documentedCapture and passthrough explained →
- USB speed (Gbps)
- 5
- Older and newer units
- The current version adds 2160p60 (MJPEG); older units stop at 2160p30, so check which one you have before choosing 60 fps.
- Captures HDCP-protected video
- No
- Software
- Software you need
- Camera Hub optional; UVC-compatible application
- Size and mounting
- Dimensions
- 81 × 12 × 31 mm
- Weight
- 20 g
- In the box
- Included parts
- Cam Link 4K; USB 3.0 A-to-C extension (30 cm), current revision
- Computer
- Operating systems
- Windows 10 64-bit+; macOS 13+; iPadOS 17+
Check these conditions first
Not yet confirmed from Elgato’s documents: power draw. The builder treats it as unknown, never as a yes.
For HDMI capture, treat what your TV shows and what the computer records as two different things. A card can pass a mode through to the TV without sending that same mode to the computer over USB. Top resolution, top refresh rate and HDR rarely come together, so check the maker’s mode table for the exact combination you want.
What is included, and what may be missing
- Cam Link 4K
- USB 3.0 A-to-C extension (30 cm), current revision
Both cable ends and the data rating matter more than the plug shape: streaming cables and ports explains how to match them.
Place it in the complete setup
Every connection
- Webcam USB outUSB cable → A USB port on your computer
- Microphone USB outUSB cable → A USB port on your computer
- Microphone / interface headphone out3.5 mm or 6.3 mm headphone connection → Headphones (what you hear)
- Computer Ethernet portEthernet cable → router; your upload → Platform (check the stream preview)
- Wall socketThe maker’s power supply, or USB power → Computer and devices that need their own power
The diagram shows a simple USB setup. Find where the Elgato Cam Link 4K goes, then follow each input back to what feeds it and each output on to where it goes. HDMI and XLR gear needs a capture card or audio interface between it and your computer; it doesn’t plug straight in the way this USB example does.
The setup builder turns this into a connection list for your own computer and gear, and the pre-stream checklist covers the rehearsal once it is wired.
Compare it head to head
Each page sets the two models’ specs side by side and says what else each one needs.