Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2: HDR, high refresh and legacy limits

For a 4K60 HDR file, check the recorder and host

Elgato documents unencrypted HDMI 2.0 input and up to 4K60 HDR10 capture for the MK.2. Its recorded-HDR instructions use 4K Capture Utility on Windows and HEVC/H.265. For the 4K60 HDR recording path, the manufacturer calls for an NVIDIA GTX 1050 or newer; the 4K Utility requirements page separately lists a Windows 10 64-bit system, CPU/RAM guidance and PCIe bandwidth. The utility itself is now legacy, so verify the exact software and driver versions rather than treating those historic requirements as a promise of current compatibility. A possible separate app workflow is not the same as recording HDR inside OBS.

Decision: If the job is specifically a Windows 4K60 HDR file, the MK.2 has a documented route through 4K Capture Utility, but it needs an x4 PCIe path and application-specific host checks. Read the MK.2 assessment or open the finder with this HDR capture and display request.

An HDR input does not mean an HDR OBS file

Elgato's internal-card OBS guide says an HDR source is converted to SDR for OBS by the device's tone-mapping path; the guide says Elgato Studio should be closed for that OBS behavior. That is different from preserving HDR in the recorded file. Elgato's Multi App guidance says other applications receive the HDR signal when the 4K Capture Utility is recording it; Stream Link must be used to tone-map the signal for third-party software that expects SDR. Multi App is limited to Windows 10 in Elgato's documentation and has a minimum driver version for the MK.2. Both 4K Capture Utility and Stream Link are now legacy. For ordinary OBS use, confirm that the intended output is SDR; for two-app HDR recording, confirm the Stream Link and software versions in advance.

Decision: Choose the MK.2 for an OBS workflow only when the documented OBS output format and the utility/Stream Link requirements meet the actual recording task; do not read “HDR source” as “HDR file in OBS.” Find models for the same Windows/PCIe/OBS 4K60 path.

High refresh depends on timing and firmware

Elgato lists 1440p144 and 1080p240 capture/passthrough modes. Its resolution guide warns that uncommon timings can behave imperfectly and may require a custom or edited EDID; even staying below the stated HDMI 2.0 pixel-clock ceiling is not a guarantee. VRR passthrough was added in a specific firmware release, and Elgato's update page names the required utility and driver. Because this is discontinued hardware with no further driver/firmware development, an unknown used card should not be treated as already updated.

Decision: A 1440p144 arrangement is a conditional fit only when the source, display and EDID can be verified; it is not a safe inference from a 4K60 name. Find the exact Windows/PCIe 1440p144 request.

Confirm the exact board and the PC

The MK.2 is PCIe 2.0 x4 and uses a physical x4, x8 or x16 slot with enough electrical bandwidth. Check the motherboard's lane-sharing notes, case space and bracket. The official comparison shows that the MK.2 is visibly smaller than the original 4K60 Pro and adds HDR recording, tone mapping and Multi App; the legacy list puts the MK.2 among discontinued models. Elgato's standard box list names a high-speed HDMI cable and a low-profile bracket, with a high-profile bracket pre-installed, but that does not establish what a secondhand seller includes. Ask for a clear actual-card photo, exact suffix, both brackets/cable if needed, working return terms and a current driver/application check. The manufacturer image on this page is a model reference, not proof of an individual offer's identity or condition.

The specific match for this article is the MK.2 review. The original Game Capture 4K60 Pro is a distinct, larger board and does not record HDR; the newer 4K Pro is a separate model with different interface capabilities. Keep those three identities separate when comparing a listing.

How the MK.2 changes combined finder results

When earlier products, PCIe, 4K60 capture and a 4K60 display path are selected together, the MK.2 joins the inclusive match set. The matcher does not infer Windows, a specific app or HDR merely from those four choices; this broader result is not proof that a particular PC or signal chain is suitable. Open the exact earlier-inclusive PCIe 4K60 capture-and-display finder request.

Adding an unencrypted HDMI source and a 4K60 passthrough requirement also leaves the MK.2 in the earlier-inclusive PCIe set, even when no capture rate or operating system has yet been chosen. HDMI passthrough is a display route, not another capture input; add the desired capture mode only when it is part of the real workflow. Find this exact HDMI/4K60-display/PCIe combination.

Among earlier Elgato PCIe cards, the MK.2 also remains in the Windows/OBS match set for unencrypted HDMI capture at 1080p60. That modest SDR request does not require HDR, but legacy software and present-day host compatibility still need checking. Open the same earlier-inclusive Windows/PCIe/OBS 1080p60 finder request.

For an earlier-inclusive Windows/PCIe OBS request with 4K60 HDMI capture and 4K60 passthrough but no HDR-file condition, both the original 4K60 Pro and the MK.2 remain candidates. On the MK.2, Elgato documents an OBS tone-mapped SDR route for HDR input; it does not make the OBS recording an HDR file. Find this exact 4K60 SDR-oriented OBS request.

When the same 4K60 Windows/PCIe/OBS request also requires a 4K60 HDR recording, the MK.2's matching route is the documented Multi App arrangement: 4K Capture Utility records HDR while Stream Link supplies tone-mapped SDR to OBS. This does not mean OBS writes the HDR file, and the utility/Stream Link/driver path is legacy and version-dependent. Find the exact HDR-recording plus OBS request.

For 1440p144 capture and passthrough on Windows PCIe, the MK.2 joins the earlier-inclusive set alongside the original 4K60 Pro, but neither model's mode table guarantees every nonstandard timing. Elgato warns that a custom or edited EDID may be needed. Find the exact earlier-inclusive Windows/PCIe 1440p144 request.