These steps can be tried when Elgato Cam Link 4K video freezes in Elgato 4K Capture Utility, OBS Studio, or other software.
Troubleshooting steps:
- Double Check The Port
- USB cable
- USB Controller Drivers
- Try All USB ports
- Bandwidth
- Reduce Resolution or Frame Rate
- Advanced - Change the USB transfer mode
- Advanced - AMD B550/X570 Motherboards
- Contact Customer Support
Ensure that the port the Elgato Cam Link 4K is plugged into is a USB 3.0 port. These ports can often be identified by their blue interior color.
Ensure that the cable being used is the one that came with the capture device.
If a different cable is used, it may not be a USB 3.0 cable and it may cause issues.
Try removing the extension cable that comes with Elgato Cam Link 4K to check if that makes a difference.
Make sure to install the latest drivers provided by your motherboard or notebook manufacturer for the USB 3.x controller. This will ensure that the Elgato Game Capture device is able to connect, and has the best possible performance.
Other controllers usually also work fine with Microsoft's drivers.
Some USB controllers, such as Intel, do not have separate drivers. Instead, these ports use basic Microsoft drivers which cannot be re-installed.
Many motherboards have USB 3.0 controllers from different manufacturers, therefore it's worth trying to connect Elgato Cam Link 4K to a different USB port, which is internally connected to a different USB controller.
Other USB ports, such as USB 3.1 and USB 3.2 are backward compatible and support USB 3.0 devices. Try connecting Elgato Cam Link 4K to those USB ports as well.
There could be bandwidth issues if too many devices are connected to the same internal USB hub or controller. Please make sure the USB hub is USB 3.0 compatible.
Disconnecting other devices or connecting them to different ports can help.
USB ports are controlled by what is called a USB controller. These controllers are used for pairs of USB ports. If both USB ports are occupied by high bandwidth devices such as USB capture devices, external hard drives, webcams, etc the available bandwidth may be used up.
Reduce Source Resolution or Frame Rate
Elgato Cam Link 4K sends uncompressed video to the computer. Lowering the incoming source resolution or frame rate directly results in Elgato Cam Link 4K using less USB bandwidth.
Try lowering the source, usually a camera, resolution, or frame rate. For example, 1080p60 to 720p60 or 4K30 to 1080p30.
Advanced troubleshooting - Change the USB transfer mode
These steps are for Windows only
Changing the USB transfer mode of the Cam Link 4K can help solve issues. This is an advanced troubleshooting step that can introduce other issues. If you are not comfortable doing this or are unsure if this will help, please contact Elgato customer support.
1) Download and install the Elgato 4K Capture Utility software from http://e.lga.to/download
2) Open the 4K Capture Utility.
3) Press and hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard, and then click on "Open Preferences" at the top right of the 4K Capture Utility software window.
4) In the preferences window select the device tab.
5) In the device tab, make sure Cam Link 4K is the selected device.
6) Click on the USB Transfer Mode drop-down menu and select "Isochronous".
7) Now click on apply and OK. The signal from the Cam Link 4K may disappear for a few seconds, then reappear.
Advanced troubleshooting - Set PCIe to Gen3
Update: AMD has announced that a new AGESA update, AGESA 1.2.0.2 will fix USB issues on affected B550/X570 motherboards. BIOS updates containing the new AGESA version is rolling out now.
Please check your motherboard manufacturer site for a new BIOS update.
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The latest version of PCIe, PCIe 4.0, has been reported to cause USB bandwidth issues and USB device dropouts on AMD B550 and X570 chipset motherboards. These issues may appear when using a PCIe 4.0 capable motherboard with a PCIe 4.0 capable device such as a graphics card (GPU) or NVMe SSD (Solid-state drive).
Setting the PCIe lane speed from Generation 4 (Gen4) to Generation 3 (Gen3) may help in cases where USB devices such as Cam Link 4K are freezing or disconnecting at times.
Setting PCIe generation from Gen4 to Gen3 can be done in the motherboard BIOS.
Each motherboard model and manufacturer will have a different name and location inside the motherboard BIOS for the PCIe generation setting.
The setting is usually found in Onboard Device Configuration settings and will be labeled as:
PCIEX_MODE
- [AUTO]
- [GEN 1]
- [GEN 2]
- [GEN 3]
- [GEN 4]
Select [GEN 3] then save and exit the BIOS.
Contact Elgato Customer Support
If any assistance is needed, feel free to contact us through the widget at the right.