Best video capture software for PC?

Operating Systems & Open Source Windows
1

Hey guys, I've been making gameplay videos for my youtube channel for a long time now, but I want to start recording PC gameplay also.  My PC specs are pretty good, but whenever I try this my framerate drops considerably.  My specs are as follows:

PC Specs:

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i Liquid CPU Cooler

Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 Classified Edition 4GB Video Card 

 

Also, I've been using a copy of FRAPS.  Any tips? Thanks!

2

Fraps is averqge and easy to use. dxtory is my personal choice. Also, grab the Lagarith codec here: http://lags.leetcode.net/codec.html

It looks amazing and it's fast.

3

Thanks Logan! I'll definitely check it out!

4

I'm with logan, dxtory is very powerful but a bit more comlicated. (I also use the lagarith codec ^.^)

5

Don't buy Video Capture Software, buy Video Capture Hardware!

 

The new HDPVR and some Elgato Cards records directly from HDMI and resulting in more CPU Cycles and smaller file sizes.

6

I have an old HDPVR which I use to record console stuff but I don't think I'll be buying the new one just for that.

7

I'm grabbing one of these once I get paid. Captures full 1080p video at 30fps straight to compressed file that is somewhere around 20-25x smaller than a fraps video.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815100100

8

I use this...

http://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Capture-PlayStation-Recorder-10025010/dp/B00840353W

I originally bought it to record console gameplay, but I recently tried it out on my gaming PC and I absolutely love it.  It records at 1080p 30 FPS (perfect for YouTube), and the file sizes are much smaller than what fraps and dxtory produces.  While recording with dxtory, I noticed my video was choppy (both the video file and while gaming).  I think this had something to do with me using a single HDD to do all this on.  It simply couldn't handle it all.

Anwho, I don't know where I'm going with all this, but I hope this helps.  I think the point I'm trying to make is: if you go with recording software such as dxtory, make sure you have an HDD separate from your OS/gaming drive.  I think this will help keep everything smooth and less choppy.

Good luck!