What else you need to use it
Worked out from AVerMedia’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 10 Gbps USB port. Its full modes need 10 Gbps.
- A second HDMI cable, from the card to your screen. Passthrough sends the game on to your TV or monitor with no delay, and that needs its own cable.
- AVerMedia Streaming Center for 4K144 (Windows); Assist Central Pro. The maker lists this software for the device to work as described.
Check first
- A USB port that fits the cable. A USB-C cable is in the box; check its other end against your computer’s ports.
In the box
- The HDMI cable in the box, from your console or camera. One HDMI cable is included.
When this model makes sense
- Capture a console that isn’t copy-protected (HDCP) while you play on your TV through the passthrough.
- Bring a console or a second PC into your streaming PC.
- 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
- AVerMedia Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 GC553G2
- Still sold
- Yes, a current model
- Type
- Capture cards
- Connection
- Connector shape
- HDMI 2.1 in; HDMI 2.1 out; USB-C; 4-pole 3.5 mm headset; 4-pole 3.5 mm gamepad audioA plug’s shape doesn’t tell you its speed →
- Data connection
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)What this means for speed →
- Video inputs
- HDMI 2.1
- Video outputs
- HDMI 2.1 passthrough
- Capture output
- 4K · 144 fps (Windows, MJPEG, in AVerMedia Streaming Center); 4K · 60 fps (macOS)Capture and passthrough explained →
- Display passthrough
- 4K · 144 fps; 1440p · 240 fps; 1080p · 360 fpsCapture and passthrough explained →
- HDR
- HDR10 capture on Windows; not on macOS
- VRR
- VRR passthrough
- USB speed (Gbps)
- 10
- USB speed needed (Gbps)
- 10
- Video formats
- YUY2; NV12; RGB24; P010 (HDR); MJPEG
- Audio format
- 5.1 capture on Windows; LPCM stereo only
- 4K60 on a Mac
- M1 Ultra or M2 Ultra or better for 4K60 MJPEG
- Software
- Software you need
- AVerMedia Streaming Center for 4K144 (Windows); Assist Central Pro
- Size and mounting
- Dimensions
- 120 x 70 x 27.6 mm
- Weight
- 115 g
- In the box
- Included parts
- Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 (GC553G2); HDMI 2.1 cable; USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C cable; 4-pole 3.5 mm audio cable; Quick Start Guide
- Computer
- Operating systems
- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit; macOS 13 or later; iPadOS 17 or later
- Processor the maker asks for
- Intel Core i5 6th gen or AMD Ryzen 3; Intel Core i5 12th gen for 4K144 MJPEG
- Graphics card the maker asks for
- NVIDIA GTX 1060 or AMD RX 5700; RTX 3060 for 4K144 MJPEG
- Memory the maker asks for
- 8 GB dual-channel; 16 GB for 4K144 MJPEG
Check these conditions first
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
- Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 (GC553G2)
- HDMI 2.1 cable
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C cable
- 4-pole 3.5 mm audio cable
- Quick Start Guide
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 AVerMedia Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 GC553G2 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.