After I known as the MSI Claw a humiliation in my Could 18th evaluation, one commenter identified they’d gotten increased 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 printed.
I’ve now examined these updates. In a few of my exams, they’re higher. In others, I really discovered them worse! Total, they don’t change my conclusion one bit: the MSI Claw is the worst choose from at the moment’s crop of shopper handheld gaming PCs, and you must steer clear.
Under, you’ll discover my new benchmark leads to the identical video games, throughout the entire Claw’s customary energy modes. In virtually each check, you’ll see the Claw dramatically behind the competitors in pace whereas utilizing extra energy.
New outcomes bolded. All exams at 720p low, save Grime 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 cheaper Steam Deck has no points. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I noticed the sport repeatedly and inexplicably dip to simply 20fps in a cave with no enemies round at 720p and Medium spec, earlier than recovering to a steady 60fps a short while later.
I noticed one thing related in Cyberpunk 2077, although the MSI Claw now usually has a better framerate in that sport after updates.
And I’m additionally now seeing some very bizarre conduct with the Claw in the case of energy modes. You may anticipate 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 have a look at the framerate dips, I seen they all the time coincided with an surprising energy dip.
Whereas the Intel Meteor Lake chip consumed a reasonably steady 30 watts in Balanced mode, it tried to hit 35, 36, even 37 watts in Efficiency mode — and couldn’t preserve it, dipping all the way down to 29 watts repeatedly. Plugged into USB-C energy, the Efficiency mode labored higher, regularly pulling between 37 and 45 watts of energy. Not that the additional energy made an enchancment in Cyberpunk, sadly.
And for those who’re seeing increased scores than I’m, I extremely counsel you run that benchmark one other three or 4 occasions, as a result of it seems 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 occasions there earlier than I begin counting, so I don’t throw off the typical with outliers. I didn’t want to try 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 authentic evaluation.
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’d really feel cheated, similar to the customers in MSI’s personal boards who 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 in regards to the handheld area, and it seems like the corporate is, I feel it ought to supply a trade-in program for patrons of the unique Claw. If you wish to repair this, MSI, allow them to choose certainly one of this fall’s revisions at a large low cost.