AMD’s latest and best handheld chip continues showcasing its capabilities against competing products, this time taking the fight to Intel’s Lunar Lake offerings. In a recent head-to-head comparison by reviewer Golden Pig Upgrade, Ryzen Z2 Extreme demonstrated strong performance in multiple titles against Core Ultra 7 258V, particularly when set to its efficient mode.
For this comparison, the MSI Claw A8 represented team AMD, leveraging a Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, with the MSI Claw 8 AI+ hoisting the blue colours, powered by the Core Ultra 7 258V. The former features three Zen 5 plus five Zen 5c cores alongside 16 RDNA 3.5 compute units, whereas the latter combines four P cores plus four E cores with 8 Xe2 GPU cores. The reviewer tested these chips in 10 games at 1080p resolution, both at the efficient 17W and high-performance 30W power targets.
Overall, both solutions delivered respectable results in most games, trading blows with each other at 30W. In 8/10 instances, both remained within the margin of error, offering close enough frame rates that you won’t be able to tell which one is faster without an fps counter. The only outliers were Monster Hunter Wilds and Assassin’s Creed Shadows where the Ryzen managed to separate itself, boasting a 27% and 20% advantage, respectively.
Surprisingly, when configured to 17W, AMD’s Z2 Extreme gained further ground, which was unexpected since Intel’s Lunar Lake solution is known for its efficient operation. It seems that AMD’s latest chips have absolutely closed the gap in this department, leading in nearly most benchmarks, albeit with little separation in some. Most importantly, the Z2 Extreme maintained high 1% lows in many games, which should result in a more enjoyable gaming experience, free from many hitches and stutters.
Now, considering how previous tests have shown that the MSI Claw A8 doesn’t extract the maximum performance out of AMD’s Z2 Extreme for some reason, higher results can be expected through software or design optimisations. When put against the Lenovo Legion Go 2, the Claw A8 showed a slight yet measurable disadvantage, indicating there is still room for improvement, which would further separate it from Intel’s offering.
Both the Z2 Extreme Claw A8 and Ultra 258V Claw 8 AI+ retail around $1,000. Considering their similar overall performance, at least in these 10 games, picking the cheapest one in your region seems the best choice. That said, given the opportunity, the Z2 Extreme version can offer you a slight advantage, both now, and potentially later if MSI finds a way to get to the level of the Legion Go 2.
Which would you choose if it was your cash on the line?
