Sony officially revealed the PS5 Pro, leading some gamers to say they’d rather buy or build one of the best gaming PCs instead of paying $700 for the console. If that sounds familiar, that’s because the same thing happened when the PS4 Pro was announced in 2016. Granted that system didn’t cost nearly as much as the PS5 Pro, but the discussions still centered around getting the most bang for your buck from a gaming machine.
I sympathize with preferring a gaming PC over a PS5 Pro. As I said recently, I’ve been a PlayStation fan for over 20 years but I’m skipping the PS5 Pro because I already own a gaming rig. However, I understand that not everyone can afford a gaming PC or might not have room for a big desktop. Because of that, I think it’s actually better to buy one of the best gaming laptops instead.
Sure, gaming laptops aren’t as powerful as their desktop counterparts, but if you want to enjoy games at higher refresh rates and higher frame rates than either the PS5 or Xbox Series X generally deliver, you can enjoy that experience even on machines with modest components. And even if you have to wait a year or two for PS5 exclusives like Astro Bot to arrive on PC, gaming laptops let you play the majority of third-party games at launch.
These laptops aren’t also just strictly for gaming either, unlike a console. Yeah, you can stream YouTube and Netflix on PS5, but surfing the internet on the PS5’s limited web browser is frustrating. And don’t even think about using Google Docs on the system. Sure, you’re not buying a gaming console for basic computing, but if you can buy a machine that lets you work and play, why not have the best of both worlds? And unlike a PS5, you can take a gaming laptop wherever you go and continue playing.
Objectively, the PS5 Pro is a great value if you’re a dedicated PlayStation player who only plays games on the company's consoles. But if you truly want to get the most for your money, then a gaming laptop is a much better choice. To that end, I’ve listed 7 gaming laptops I’d recommend over the PS5 Pro.
Most of these portable rigs cost less than or around what the PS5 Pro will cost when you include the $80 disc drive attachment. The notebooks I’ve selected might not be the latest and greatest, but if you set the resolution to 1080p (which looks great on gaming laptops’ displays) and keep graphical settings on medium to high, most games will run at 60 frames per second or above—which even the PS5 Pro might not consistently pull off. I’ve also included a couple of pricier considerations for those who can afford them, though even these won't nuke your bank account.
Don’t bother buying a PS5 Pro. Get one of these gaming laptops instead!
