Fastest codecs for HD capture

[Mr Chris]

This could possibly have been one for the Newbie forum, but anyway...

I'm trying to record a screen capture in VirtualDub, preferably 1920x1080, 25fps. Out of all the compatible codecs I've tried, the best I've managed at that resolution is around 19fps. At 1280x720, I can achieve 24.7fps (or so). 25fps isn't a problem at any SD res. I'm not capturing sound.

Now here's the bit that's surprised me: those best figures happened while using the x264vfw - H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec (Ultrafast preset, single pass lossless). If you'd have asked me beforehand, I'd have confidently predicted that that would have been among the slowest of my options. Shows what I know.

So, vague as the question may be, what are my best options for screen capturing in HD? There must be a faster codec than the above, isn't there? Are there any VirtualDub tweaks I may be missing? Or am I going about all this completely the wrong way and should be using different capturing tools all together (freeware preferred, obviously)?

Any help at all will be gratefully received.

[Cornucopia]

Check your subsystem/infrastructure: bus(es), hdd/ssd r/w speeds, background processes, cpu utilization. All becomes clearer when you do the math. And remember, the chain is only as good as its weakest link.

Scott

[jagabo]

x264 at the Ultrafast preset is about as fast as any of the fast lossless codecs like huffyuv, ut video codec, lagarith...

Make sure audio isn't your problem. Don't try to compress it while capturing.