After I known as the MSI Claw a humiliation in my Might 18th overview, one commenter identified they’d gotten greater benchmark scores than me. Certain sufficient: MSI had pushed out new graphics drivers and BIOS updates between the time I benchmarked and the time we revealed.
I’ve now examined these updates. In a few of my exams, they’re higher. In others, I truly discovered them worse! Total, they don’t change my conclusion one bit: the MSI Claw is the worst decide from at this time’s crop of client handheld gaming PCs, and you must steer clear.
Beneath, you’ll discover my new benchmark ends in the identical video games, throughout all the Claw’s normal energy modes. In virtually each take a look at, you’ll see the Claw dramatically behind the competitors in pace whereas utilizing extra energy.
New outcomes bolded. All exams at 720p low, save Dust Rally at 720p extremely.
Worse, I’m nonetheless discovering the Claw varies wildly between playable and utterly unplayable in demanding video games the place the inexpensive Steam Deck has no points. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I noticed the sport repeatedly and inexplicably dip to only 20fps in a cave with no enemies round at 720p and Medium spec, earlier than recovering to a secure 60fps a short while later.
I noticed one thing related in Cyberpunk 2077, despite the fact that the MSI Claw now usually has a better framerate in that sport after updates.
And I’m additionally now seeing some very bizarre habits with the Claw relating to energy modes. You would possibly count on MSI’s “Efficiency” mode to be speedier than its “Balanced” mode, proper? That’s not what I noticed in Cyberpunk 2077 — and after I took a detailed take a look at the framerate dips, I observed they all the time coincided with an sudden energy dip.
Whereas the Intel Meteor Lake chip consumed a fairly secure 30 watts in Balanced mode, it tried to hit 35, 36, even 37 watts in Efficiency mode — and couldn’t keep it, dipping right down to 29 watts repeatedly. Plugged into USB-C energy, the Efficiency mode labored higher, frequently pulling between 37 and 45 watts of energy. Not that the additional energy made an enchancment in Cyberpunk, sadly.
And in the event you’re seeing greater scores than I’m, I extremely counsel you run that benchmark one other three or 4 instances, as a result of it appears like MSI now runs its chip unsustainably sooner for some time after you turn energy modes, then throttles again down. The Asus ROG Ally does the identical trick, and I all the time needed to run my benchmarks a bunch of additional instances there earlier than I begin counting, so I don’t throw off the common with outliers. I didn’t want to do this after I first reviewed the Claw.
To MSI and Intel’s credit score, at the very least Dave the Diver feels playable now at a clean 60fps with solely occasional drops, not like in my unique overview.
Total, I feel the MSI Claw ought to by no means have gone on sale. I’m glad I by no means had the urge to purchase one when it first got here out. I might really feel cheated, similar to the customers in MSI’s personal boards say they really feel cheated, now that MSI has introduced not one, however two improved variations lower than three months after the unique got here out.
It actually doesn’t assist that the corporate put it on sale earlier than giving reviewers an opportunity to warn anybody.
If MSI is severe concerning the handheld area, and it appears like the corporate is, I feel it ought to supply a trade-in program for consumers of the unique Claw. If you wish to repair this, MSI, allow them to decide considered one of this fall’s revisions at a large low cost.