Linux users who rely on high-end USB video capture cards for streaming or recording now have a fix for a frustrating bandwidth drop. A recent kernel update resolves a bug that forced several 4K capture devices to fall back from 10 Gbps to 5 Gbps speeds. This speed reduction often prevented stable 4K 60 FPS capture, creating a bottleneck for content creators. The patch restores the intended SuperSpeed Plus performance for affected hardware.
Kernel update restores 10 Gbps speeds for affected capture hardware
The issue stemmed from how the Linux kernel handled USB BOS descriptors for specific capture card models. Johannes Bruderl identified that the kernel's request for the BOS descriptor caused the device to stop responding. After retries failed, the system re-attached the device at a lower 5 Gbps speed. The fix implements a USB_QUIRK_NO_BOS path to skip this problematic descriptor request entirely.
The fix landed in Linux 6.19 and is available in the latest upstream Linux 7.1 kernel. Users running these versions will see restored 10 Gbps link speeds for their capture cards. The current list of supported devices includes the Elgato 4K X, AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra 2.1, and ASUS TUF 4K PRO. Additional supported models are the UGREEN 35871 and the EZXCAP401.
We looked at the last Linux Kernel update earlier while tracking stability themes, and this patch addresses a similar hardware compatibility concern. The workaround ensures that the link trains at 10 Gbps without triggering the descriptor failure. This allows the capture card to remain at SuperSpeed Plus 10 Gbps for consistent video output. Users with these specific devices should update their kernels to regain full bandwidth.
The update resolves the bandwidth issue for the listed capture cards on supported Linux versions. Users can now capture 4K 60 FPS content without the previous speed fallback limitations. The fix is available in Linux 6.19 and 7.1 kernels.
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