The best clipping software for a low-end PC
Looking for the best clipping software for PC? If you game on a low-end or older machine, the real question is not which tool has the most features, it is which one captures your gameplay without dropping your FPS. Two paths get you there: move the work off your PC into the cloud, or lean on your GPU's hardware encoder to keep the hit small.
Trusted by 1.5M+ creators · ★ Trustpilot 4.1/5 (917 reviews)
The problem with clipping on a weak PC
It is not the game that is the issue, it is the tool recording it.
Most clip software runs on your machine while you play
Local recorders and replay tools sit in the background capturing, encoding, and buffering video the whole time you game. On a low-end or older PC that shares CPU, GPU, and RAM with the game itself, which shows up as stutter, frame drops, and long saves. So the clipping software that fits a weak PC is the one that uses the fewest resources: either the lightest local recorder, one that leans on your GPU's built-in hardware encoder so the cost is tiny, or a cloud tool that moves the work off your PC entirely.
Which approach fits your PC?
The right pick depends on whether you can spare any headroom at all while you play.
Offload it to the cloud
If your PC is already maxed out running the game, do not add a recorder on top. A cloud AI clipper reads your stream or an upload on its own servers and sends finished clips back. Your machine does none of the clipping or editing.
Use your GPU's encoder
If you have a reasonably modern NVIDIA or AMD card, its built-in encoder (NVENC or AMF) handles recording with only a small FPS hit. Good for capturing solo play you never stream, at the cost of some local resources and manual editing.
Best clipping tools for low-end PCs
Grouped by where the work runs: one cloud tool that offloads it entirely, and three GPU-native recorders that keep the local hit small. We build Eklipse, so read our pick with that in mind, and check the honest limits we list on each.
Eklipse
A cloud AI clipper. You connect Twitch, Kick, or YouTube, or upload a VOD, and Eklipse reads the footage on its own servers, finds the moments that landed, and cuts them into vertical clips. The heavy work, detection, editing, and rendering, never touches your PC.
NVIDIA ShadowPlay
Built into the NVIDIA app, it records and saves instant replays using the GPU's NVENC encoder, so the FPS cost is small even on modest hardware. The catch is it only exists if your graphics card is a supported NVIDIA GeForce.
AMD Radeon ReLive
The AMD equivalent, part of the Adrenalin software. It uses the card's AMF hardware encoder for background recording and instant replay, keeping the performance hit low on AMD systems that would struggle with a software recorder.
OBS Studio
The free, open-source standard. It is heavier by default, but set it to your GPU's hardware encoder and a sane bitrate and it runs on surprisingly modest machines. Total control, in exchange for setup and doing every edit by hand.
Reconfirm current pricing and features before you buy.
Cloud clipping vs a local recorder, on a weak PC
The whole question is what runs on your machine while you are trying to play.
The row where a local recorder wins is left in on purpose: if you never stream, it captures what a cloud tool cannot.
What you actually pay
The GPU-native tools are free. Being straight about where Eklipse costs more, and why.
- No subscription to capture
- Capture solo and offline play
- You find and edit the clips yourself
- Cloud AI, zero load on your PC
- 1080p export, vertical clips, no watermark
- Finds the moments and posts them for you
Reconfirm current pricing at checkout before purchase.
Why 1.5M+ creators trust Eklipse
Aggregated from public review platforms.
What creators say about Eklipse
Real reviews from public platforms. We did not write these.
“The web app works really well for what I use it for. I really like the auto clipping function as well as the studio for manual editing, and auto-posting for premium games like Call of Duty.”
“This is a great app! It does exactly what it’s supposed to do… after one stream it made 43 clips. One of the first apps I’ve found that has actually worked.”
“I’ve been using Eklipse to turn my full League of Legends matches into TikToks and the AI is surprisingly accurate. It finds all my kills and teamfights, saving me hours of manual editing.”
“I paid for premium and it has been pretty good at getting relevant clips from my streams. Four out of five, mostly.”
“Eklipse is a solid tool for turning full streams into short, shareable clips without much effort. It saves a ton of time, is easy to use, and works well for TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts.”
“As a premium user I can confirm Eklipse is way better than other competitors. No credits, just workflow. For me, that is a debate ender.”
Verbatim from public reviews on Trustpilot, the App Store, and Google Play.
Low-end PC clipping FAQ
What is the best clipping software for a low-end PC?
If you stream or can upload a VOD, a cloud AI clipper like Eklipse is the lightest option, because the recording, detection, and editing all happen on its servers rather than your machine. If you play offline and have a supported NVIDIA or AMD GPU, ShadowPlay or ReLive capture with only a small FPS hit thanks to hardware encoding.
What is the best clipping software for PC?
It depends on your hardware. On a capable PC any GPU-native recorder (ShadowPlay, ReLive, OBS) or a cloud clipper works well. On a low-end or older PC the deciding factor is performance cost: a cloud AI clipper like Eklipse adds zero local load because the recording, detection, and editing run on its servers, while ShadowPlay and ReLive stay light by using your GPU's hardware encoder.
What clipping software uses the least resources?
A cloud tool uses the least, because nothing runs on your PC at all. Among local options, recorders that use your GPU's built-in hardware encoder (NVENC on NVIDIA, AMF on AMD) are the most lightweight, since they offload encoding to dedicated silicon instead of your CPU. Software-only recording is the heaviest and the first thing to avoid on a weak PC.
Does clipping software lower your FPS?
Local recorders can, because they encode video on the same CPU and GPU that runs your game. Using your GPU's built-in encoder (NVENC or AMF) keeps that cost small. A cloud tool like Eklipse adds no local load at all, since nothing runs on your PC.
Can I clip without recording on my PC at all?
Yes. Eklipse reads your Twitch, Kick, or YouTube stream, or an upload, and processes it in the cloud, so there is no local recording and no big files on your disk. You can see how it works across 1,000+ games on the use-case pages.
What is the best free clipper for a weak PC?
ShadowPlay on NVIDIA cards and AMD Radeon ReLive are the lightest free options because they use the GPU's hardware encoder. OBS Studio is free on any GPU if you set it to hardware encoding. All three run locally, so they still use some resources while you play.
Do I need a good GPU to make clips?
For smooth local recording, ideally yes, or at least a GPU with a hardware encoder. For cloud clipping you do not: Eklipse does the work on its servers, so the clip quality does not depend on your graphics card at all.
Will Eklipse work if my PC can barely run games?
The clipping and editing run in the cloud, so that part does not depend on your PC. You still need to get the footage to Eklipse, either by streaming or by uploading a recording. If you want to weigh it against other tools, see all our comparisons.
Clip your best moments, not your FPS
Cloud AI that reads your stream, finds the moments that landed, and cuts them vertical and ready to post, with zero performance cost while you play.
Get started with EklipseFree to sign up · no credit card to create an account · works in every region
