MSI's new handheld gaming PC—Claw—has (so far) experienced a scattershot global launch and review program. Initial impressions from embargo-busting Chinese evaluators indicated that the Intel Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" APU-based devices struggled to keep up with 2023's lineup of AMD-powered handhelds—namely the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. YouTube tech channel, Retro Tech Dad, has acquired two MSI Claw SKUs for testing purposes—the more expensive model sports an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, while the basic variant makes do with a Core Ultra 5 135H. The plucky new-ish competitors—updated with freshly-released drivers—were pitched against both ASUS ROG Ally variants (Ryzen Z1 Extreme and Z1 vanilla), but the main takeaway from Retro Tech Dad's testing activities is the higher-end Claw's apparent inability to outpace its weaker sibling.

Once again, we see these Intel "Meteor Lake" mobile chips falling behind AMD's popular Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU—the standard Ryzen Z1 seems to be a closer rival. VideoCardz has analyzed Retro Tech Dad's initial findings—these figures: "suggests that the Core Ultra 5 135H performs better than the Core Ultra 7 155H in low-TDP settings. However, overall, both APUs provide nearly identical performance." It is worth watching Retro Tech Dad's full video coverage—he posits that Intel's silicon is capable of trading blows with equivalent AMD parts, but current drivers could be holding back this unrealized potential. The cheapest Claw SKU seems to be the de facto choice (for Team Blue enthusiasts), given its demonstrated ability to keep up with higher-priced options within MSI's handheld family.VideoCardz has kindly extracted a selection of charts from Retro Tech Dad's very thorough video evaluation. Starting off with benchmarks extracted from Forza Horizon 5, Cyberpunk 2077, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider sessions:Purely Cyberpunk 2077:Retro Tech Dad: "In this video, we will be following up to my in-depth coverage of MSI Gaming's first entry in the Windows-based handheld market, with the MSI Claw. This time around, we will be focusing in on the Core Ultra 7 155H model and see how it compares against its cheaper and less powerful sibling, the Core Ultra 5 135H variant."


"Not only that, we will be examining Intel's driver updates as well as putting the MSI Claw against the ASUS ROG Ally with the AMD Ryzen based Z1 and Z1 Extreme APUs using in-game benchmarks as well as actual gameplay comparisons."