The Sony PlayStation 5 Pro is finally out of the bag and comes with a hefty $700 price tag to go with its upgraded software and hardware credentials, making it a potent offering in a market that is seeing increasingly demanding first-party and third-party titles in play, many of which can capitalize on significantly powerful hardware should it be offered.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2024 (4070)
What Does The PlayStation 5 Pro Offer To Gamers In 2024?
The PlayStation 5 Pro offers a stated 45% increase in GPU power even as it leaves its CPU and memory size unchanged. It does make its memory a whopping 28% faster to go with the 67% larger GPU on offer in addition to 2TB of storage for what is possibly going to be both larger libraries and higher quality textures for gamers to account for.
It also throws in software optimizations including the Ai-driven sharpening tool it dubs “PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution,” as well as better Ray Tracing performance on a GPU that should closely resemble the AMD Radeon RX 7700XT thanks to it effectively being a limited Radeon 7800XT in terms of clock speeds.
Finding a PC or Laptop Equivalent In 2024
This does warrant the obvious question: What is the modern PC or laptop equivalent of what is going to be the gold standard for high-fidelity console gaming in the foreseeable future? While building a modern PC to equate to or exceed the capabilities of the PS5 is easy, it is a bit harder to find a 1:1 equivalent in terms of laptops, which are a lot less customizable in terms of internals.
The team at Game Rant has risen to the challenge and handpicked some of the best candidates when it comes to gaming laptops that come close to, meet, or exceed the PS5 Pro’s expected performance while being able to do so on the go.
ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) Gaming Laptop
A Balanced All-Rounder
If you’re after a laptop that runs games well but doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, then the ASUS ROG Strix G16 may be the best choice for you. This mid-range modern gaming laptop boasts an impressive 14-core Intel i7 processor and a dedicated RTX 4060 GPU that is capable of handling most modern games on medium to high settings. Also included is a whopping 1TB of SSD storage, meaning you will experience faster start-up and load times on all installed games and programs. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM also helps to keep programs smooth and consistent, creating a luxurious experience that isn’t absurdly expensive.
The ASUS ROG Strix G16’s 2024 iteration packs last year’s Intel Core i7 13650HX CPUs with a 14-core configuration that should keep up with the PS5 Pro’s CPU offering with ease and an RTX 4060 GPU that might be somewhat underwhelming versus the latter but feels adequate for the 165Hz refresh rate FHD display it offers currently.
With a large 1TB SSD on offer in addition to 16GB of fast DDR5 RAM (and 8GB of dedicated GPU VRAM) in play, it does deliver adequately on both storage and memory fronts with ease. The PS5 5 Pro arrives with a larger SSD and significantly higher CPU/GPU bandwidth on offer, even as it is sure to leverage its better cooling and flexibility with power draw to its advantage. The G16, for its part, offers an impressive discount of 17% over MSRP, which brings it just north of the sub-$1000 price tag that most of its RTX-4060-based laptop competition currently fetches.
Users get premium build quality, better thermals, and a powerful CPU in the tradeoff. While it isn’t the most powerful gaming laptop for its asking price and does somewhat gimp on the display with the competition offering 2K displays or higher refresh rates, it still delivers the goods to a demanding audience and earns itself a recommendation as an excellent mid-range gaming laptop users can upgrade to in 2024.
Note:For users requiring more power in the same form factor, ASUS also has anongoing deal for a higher-end version of the same laptopwith a higher-end CPU, GPU, and display on offer.
MSI Thin 15 15.6-inch 144Hz FHD Gaming Laptop
Excellent Value-Centric Player
Looking for a gaming laptop that won’t break the bank but packs great power under the hood? From its Intel Core i7-12650H processor to the GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card, prepared to run most games without any issues. The MSI Thin’s 15.6-inch 144Hz delivers immersive gameplay along with smooth visuals. You also get a plethora of connectivity options which comes in handy for peripherals and other devices.
For users on a budget looking to spend just as much as the upcoming PS5 Pro, the MSI Thin 15 seems to be the best candidate as it offers an excellent CPU/GPU combination for its price tag while matching the PS5’s RAM offering with a 512GB SSD in tow.
Those looking to match or exceed the PS5 Pro might be disappointed, but for users looking to replace the PS5 by simply having a gaming device on the go that holds its own in productivity tasks, the MSI Thin 15 comes well-equipped for that price, even as it compromises on battery life and SSD space to deliver a more consumer-friendly pricetag.
Note:The Amazon link above is for the older model that sports a slightly faster, but older Core i7 CPU from Intel’s 12th generation lineup and consequently costs more than the unit at Best Buy.
Razer Blade 18 (2024)
A Different Kind Of Weapon
The Razer Blade 18 2024 edition brings the latest flagship Core i9 mobile CPU to deliver unparalleled performance in CPU-intensive operations, while also maintaining its hold on gaming through the RTX 4090 GPU. From its configuration to its display, every feature ventures into overkill territory, making sure no stone is left unturned.
The Razer Blade 18 gaming laptop offers one of the best displays in the business while offering top-tier internals. It backs its MiniLED display’s 300Hz refresh rate with the fastest mobile GPU money can buy, the RTX 4090, and a potent 24-core Intel Core i9 CPU to meet both gaming and productivity needs on the go with ease.
It doubles down on the RAM front versus the PS5 Pro even as it offers a faster SSD in tow. The Blade 18 is faster than the PS5 Pro while offering portability, a higher refresh rate display and a premium design that attracts plenty of attention, in addition to a capable 6-speaker system built into the 18-inch laptop. The Blade 18 is touted as the “ultimate desktop replacement” by Razer, and it does offer some key upgrades under the hood that make it superior to many of its peers. It is one of the only laptops in the business that conforms to the Thunderbolt 5 standard for hooking up additional displays.
For those looking for a higher resolution, the Blade 18 alsocomes in a 4K 200Hz trim that shares the same asking priceas the model above, something that is a contentious point for many upgraders given Razer’s higher premium versus other RTX 4090-based laptops.
Acer Predator Helios Neo 18
A Pro-Worthy Upgrade
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 is a great budget-friendly option that is powered by the 14th Gen Core i7-14700HX CPU and the Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU (140W). It packs 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage with a 90Wh battery that can be charged via the 330W power adapter.
The 18-inch Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 offers a much beefier 20-core Intel Core i7 CPU in addition to a more powerful RTX 4070 laptop GPU to power its larger and higher resolution 2K display that can refresh at an impressive 165Hz.
The Helios lineup, which is often considered synonymous with value for money when it comes to laptops, packing in above-average hardware at a steep discount has a large $250 discount on offer over MSRP to make it even sweeter than it already is, even as it packs in not one, but 2 active promotions that amount to a total of $140 in free games to kickstart one’s gaming journey.
While the Predator Helios Neo 18 is faster on the CPU front than the PS5 Pro, its GPU is equivalent on paper but, due to power and thermal restrictions might be outperformed by the latter. But with a target resolution of 2K in play, the Neo 18 has plenty of juice to play most modern and upcoming titles without breaking a sweat in 2024 - albeit at the cost of a slight increase in noise when running at its maximum capacity.
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 (2024) Gaming Laptop
ROG’s Finest Gaming Laptop
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 Gaming Laptop is a newer 2024 model of ASUS’s successful Scar lineup that pairs Intel’s latest 24-core Core i9 CPU with Nvidia’s fastest GPU to date, the RTX 4090. With an excellent 18-inch 2.5K display that boasts a high peak brightness as part of ASUS’s Nebula offerings as well as a high 240 Hz refresh rate, the Scar 18 offers plenty of power under the hood. In addition to this, it also has built-in lighting on the laptop itself that offers software control via ASUS’s Aura Sync.
The ASUS ROG branding is synonymous with performance, aesthetic and reliability and the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 gaming laptop aims to deliver on all of the above at a premium. It houses a powerful RTX 4090 and 24-Core Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU that is identical to the Razer Blade 18 above. It, however, switches gears for a more functional display choice for gaming, opting for a 2.5K resoluton and a 240Hz refresh rate backed by liquid-metal infused cooling to keep thermals in check.
The ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 offers a dedicated MUX switch, a full-sized keyboard and excellent RGB lighting, all of which allows it to position itself as one of the best, if not the best RTX 4090-based gaming laptops that come with solid build quality and performance to match. As a result, it trade at a significant premium versus other RTX 4090-based gaming laptops that trade at a much lower price than ASUS' highest-end SCAR offering. It also benefits from an ongoing Nvidia promotion that offers a free copy of Star Wars: Outlaws as well as an Intel promotion that provides a free copy of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Compact Powerhouse
The Zephyrus G14 from Asus is their ultra-premium compact laptop packed with the latest-gen specs. Powering this computer is an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, their high-efficiency mobile chip. An 8GB RTX 4070 running at a max 1655MHz with an MGP of 90W finds itself in a tight 14" laptop chassis, making it impressive for its size.
Gamers toying with an upgrade for their gaming needs while eyeing both, the PS5 Pro and the Steam Deck or similar handhelds might benefit from going for a gaming laptop that offers compact power to represent a middle-of-the-road option that can do both, gaming and work quite well.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 comes with an excellent 3K OLED display that offers a 120Hz refresh rate and 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, in addition to a capable RTX 4070 GPU to go with its 1TB SSD drive. It is also surprisingly portable at 3.31lbs and 0.63' of thickness, making it an ideal companion for users wanting PS5 or PS5 Pro tier graphics on the go, sans the experience of carrying a full-fledged console that can weigh twice as much, if not more in some cases.
It does limit power on the RTX 4070 under the hood to 90W of TGP, and some power users and gamers might not be thrilled with the soldered RAM in play for the 2024 model - older versions did allow for RAM upgrades, but despite these compromises, the Zephyrus G14 is a capable performer that gets the job done at a price tag that feels just about right for the most part, even more so when it goes on sale every few weeks at Best Buy.
FAQ
Q: Can You Get a Gaming Laptop Instead of A PS5 Pro?
Yes, many gaming laptops can be purchased for the sub-$700 price tag the PS5 Pro commands currently.
Q: Does The PS5 Pro Have Wi-Fi?
The PS5 Pro has an upgraded networking stack that includes support for the new Wi-Fi 7 standard versus Wi-Fi 6 found on the older PS5, indicating a 2 generation jump as it skips over Wi-Fi 6E completely.
