Power Scaling (Shadow of the Tomb Raider, 720p, Highest preset, DX12, TAA)

We wanted to find out how gaming performance varies under different power limits. By setting specific limits, we measured the console's performance and plotted the results on a chart. This data is also compared to several competing alternatives to provide a comprehensive view of how each device balances power consumption and performance.

The second chart shows the total power consumption of each handheld used in our power scaling test. The power data was sourced from the inbuilt performance overlay (SteamOS) and HWiNFO (Windows).

Note that all devices use LCD panels.




The graphs show that the G3 Extreme achieved a resounding victory over every other chip at every power level while also using less total power at every TDP setting, another impressive showing. The power level at which the G3 Extreme comes closest to the Z2 Extreme is 15 W, where it's only 15% faster than AMD's APU.

We also like the fact that the G3 Extreme has quite steady performance scaling across its entire TDP range, slowing down only at 35 W. In other words, you can run the MSI Claw 8 EX at 30 W instead of 35 W for maximum performance because the gains from jumping from 30 W to 35 W are negligible, at least in the case of SoTR.

If you look closely at the first chart, you can also notice that the chip has three "sweet spots" across its TDP range: 10 W, 18 W, and 30 W, with it being faster at 18 W than the Z2 Extreme is at 35 W.