MSI Claw benchmarked using AMD and Intel chips: Ryzen Z2 Extreme trumps Core Ultra 7 258V

[DragonSlayer101]

Why it matters: MSI's new Claw A8 handheld builds on the success of the Claw 8 AI+ with notable performance gains in popular games, especially at typical handheld power levels. As handheld gaming grows more demanding, small but key hardware improvements are making a big difference for players.

Following the success of its Claw 8 AI+ console in 2024, MSI unveiled the Claw A8 handheld at Computex 2025. Early benchmarks from China-based reviewer Golden Pig Upgrade show a significant performance boost over the previous model, based on tests across 10 games at 1080p using 17W and 30W power targets. The results suggest the Claw A8 is noticeably faster than the Claw 8 AI+.

The Claw A8, powered by AMD's new Ryzen Z2 Extreme 'Strix Point' processor, led in nearly all the games at 17W, delivering higher average frame rates and similar or better one-percent lows. Titles where it held a clear edge include Far Cry 6, Monster Hunter Wilds, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Resident Evil Village.

AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme@17W (MSI Claw A8)
vs
Intel Core Ultra 7 258V@17W (MSI Claw 8 AI+)https://t.co/dN3oqGzzCX pic.twitter.com/JNmPJHCkjs

– HXL (@9550pro) August 3, 2025

The Claw 8 AI+, powered by Intel's Core Ultra 7 258V 'Lunar Lake' SoC, edges ahead in Hitman 3, posting 32.1 fps versus the Claw A8's 32. It also delivered better one-percent lows in Mount & Blade 2 and F1 24, suggesting more consistent frame pacing in those titles. While the margins are narrow, they highlight that AMD's lead isn't absolute – and Intel's chip can still shine in some games.

The tipster also tested both consoles at 30W to gauge performance scaling when plugged into a power source. While this didn't significantly change the overall rankings, the Claw 8 AI+ delivered slightly better frame rates in five of the games tested.

The Z2 Extreme in the Claw A8 combines three Zen 5 performance cores and five Zen 5c efficiency cores, paired with a Radeon 890M GPU featuring 16 RDNA 3.5 Compute Units. By contrast, the Claw 8 AI+ uses Intel's Core Ultra 7 258V, which includes four Lion Cove performance cores and five Skymont efficiency cores, along with Arc graphics powered by eight Xe2 cores.

Both the Claw A8 and Claw 8 AI+ currently retail between $900 and $1,000, a logical price point given their similar performance in most games. However, the newer model is likely the better pick for most gamers, offering slightly faster performance in the crucial 15 – 20W range and a higher 35W TDP ceiling that provides extra headroom when drawing from AC power.

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MSI Claw benchmarked using AMD and Intel chips: Ryzen Z2 Extreme trumps Core Ultra 7 258V

 

[Megalomaniac]

These PC gaming handhelds get more and more powerful every other quarter. I can't see buying one of them when the next one is better and is just around the corner.
For just $899 - $999 you can get a 5000 series laptop with a 5050 8GB. By Black Friday, that deal will get better.

 

[yRaz]

These PC gaming handhelds get more and more powerful every other quarter. I can't see buying one of them when the next one is better and is just around the corner. For just $899 - $999 you can get a 5000 series laptop with a 5050 8GB. By Black Friday, that deal will get better. It's funny you said that because they started 3 years ago and we're just now seeing more powerful stuff new coming out over the last 3-4 months based on the new gen of tech. Go ahead and buy one, the current state of performance is where these are going to be until at least 2 years. Rumor has it that the Steam Deck 2 is waiting for DDR6 and Valve is going to just let OEMs run SteamOS on their hardware. DDR6 isn't coming to consumers until at least 2027 and, more realistically, 2028


. Know what I'd really find exciting? A handheld motherboard standard that you can swap out your board into a new case or recycle your old case with a new board when the parts come out. Now THAT would be cool.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Pretty underwhelming if you already have the Z1e. Looks like about a 10-15% uplift which makes me glad I didn’t wait. Maybe after a die shrink and RDNA 4, I will upgrade my Ally X.

 

[J95qRP7]

Also worth pointing out that the Intel Claw gets the ML XeSS, while the Z2E will be stuck on FSR3.1. Given that upscaling is very important for these devices, this gives the Intel device an excellent feature advantage.

 

[Burty117]

I’m quite happy waiting for a SteamDeck 2.

The first one provides enough performance for everything I want, would like a bit more performance out of games like Cyberpunk but not enough to warrant buying another handheld.

Still impressive how far these handhelds have come though.

 

[godrilla]

Also worth pointing out that the Intel Claw gets the ML XeSS, while the Z2E will be stuck on FSR3.1. Given that upscaling is very important for these devices, this gives the Intel device an excellent feature advantage.

Exactly in 2025 especially where 30 fps raw performance seems like what you'll get with these with upscaling it's very important to include the best visual upscaler and frame generation which should improve performance and smoothness. Xess is superior than rdna 3.5 as per Tim's from Hardware Unboxed proves as objectively as possible. When is rdna4 coming to the handheld?

 

[vekspec]

These PC gaming handhelds get more and more powerful every other quarter. I can't see buying one of them when the next one is better and is just around the corner.
For just $899 - $999 you can get a 5000 series laptop with a 5050 8GB. By Black Friday, that deal will get better.

Yeah no kidding, I own the OG Ally (Z1 Extreme) and not long after, it's replaced by the Ally X that's better and now my OG feels left behind.

 

[Watzupken]

These PC gaming handhelds get more and more powerful every other quarter. I can't see buying one of them when the next one is better and is just around the corner.
For just $899 - $999 you can get a 5000 series laptop with a 5050 8GB. By Black Friday, that deal will get better.

They are getting better, but they are incrementally better. If you are using a handheld console running a Z1E with sufficient RAM, there is no need to rush out and get the latest. While I agree that a laptop with dedicated GPU is a better deal, the handheld PC is actually easier to game anywhere at home or outside. All you need is the console and a 65W power brick if you want to game longer. Since I got a Legion Go S, I hardly use my laptop even though the latter performs better. With Steam OS, I can also stream game from my laptop directly to the handheld console and it is a very useful feature to maintain portability.