Switching sides? … MSI Claw becomes the first to ship a Ryzen Z2 Extreme handheld, ahead of the competition.
Taken from Videocardz … Chinese content creator 会弹钢琴的疯疯 has secured a unit of the MSI Claw powered by the Ryzen Z2 Extreme. This gaming handheld, announced just a few weeks ago, is the first Ryzen Z2 Extreme device to begin shipping, beating both Lenovo, who announced their model months ago, and ASUS, who revealed theirs more recently.
One thing to remember about the MSI Claw is that it was originally an Intel-based system. MSI was the first, and essentially the only major brand, to adopt Meteor Lake for a gaming handheld. However, that version was (simply put) a commercial failure. MSI later upgraded it to use Lunar Lake and even released a new version with a larger 8-inch screen. Despite early setbacks, the Core Ultra 200V-based handheld remains one of the best gaming systems on the market, thanks to its significantly improved Xe2 graphics architecture.
The Ryzen Z2 Extreme also features a newer architecture and now includes RDNA 3.5 graphics, an upgrade from the previous generation’s RDNA 3. The GPU subsystem has also been improved, with the Radeon 890M now offering 16 Compute Units.
MSI has never staged a classic launch for any of its Claw systems. The original Claw 7 received limited international media coverage, had very few review units, and went on sale before most people had even seen it in use. That model officially launched in China, and it appears the Ryzen Z2 Extreme version is following the same path. While it is already available on Chinese e-commerce platforms, it has not been officially launched elsewhere.
Now speaking about the review, the Z2 Extreme delivers strong performance across a wide power range. At 35W, it scores over 3600 points for GPU and 8800 for CPU in 3DMark Time Spy, matching the HX 370 in graphics but trailing in CPU. It clearly outperforms the older Z1E and competes closely with Intel’s Core Ultra 258V, offering better CPU performance but slightly lower GPU results. At 12W, the Z2E surpasses the Z1E by a noticeable margin and nearly matches the 370, pulling ahead in efficiency when total system power is equal. At 25W and above, performance is similar between Z2E and HX 370, with Z2E offering better power efficiency.
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