Skip to main content TechRadar the technology experts Search TechRadar View Profile België (Nederlands) Deutschland North America US (English) Australasia New Zealand Tech Radar Pro Tech Radar Gaming Nintendo Switch 2 Best laptop NYT Wordle today Gaming Computers Intel’s latest boasts about its integrated graphics makes me less excited for the Nintendo Switch 2 - and more hyped for the MSI Claw 8 AI+ Isaiah Williams 30 April 2025 MSI Claw, be mine... When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler) Intel has highlighted the improvements of its Arc iGPUs used in the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and MSI Claw 7 AI+ handhelds The Arc 140V and 130V both have better power management optimization It's resulted in better frame rates and frame pacing across multiple games Handheld gaming is again growing in popularity, with new AMD and Intel SoCs (System-on-Chip) hitting the market that provide great gaming performance, and Team Blue has taken steps to improve the efficiency of two of its iGPUs. In an official blog post, Intel confirmed a performance update for both the Arc 140V and 130V iGPUs, claiming a 10% FPS gain and a 25% upgrade on 99th percentile (essentially lowest possible FPS) uplifts across several games at 17W (power consumption). The Arc 140V is present in the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and the MSI Claw 7 AI+ handheld gaming PCs, which both use the powerful Core Ultra 7 258V processor. This is all possible thanks to the previous Arc Graphics driver 32.0.101.6734, which improved power management at lower wattages (also incorporated in its latest Arc Graphics driver 32.0.101.6739), as Intel highlighted in its release notes. We previously reported on this, but now Team Blue has performance charts to showcase the enhancements. You may like Intel makes its XeSS 2 upscaling tech easier to add to games - here's why that's good news for PC gamers with tight budgets AMD is making a handheld gaming PC chip with proper AI capabilities, but do gamers really need this? This prototype mini PC demonstrates a massive leap forward for integrated graphics in a console form factor In games like Cyberpunk 2077, God of War Ragnarok, and Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, both average FPS and 1% lows see significant improvements between drivers 6732 and 6734 while gaming on 17W TDP. Notably, Fortnite on driver 6734 has the biggest uplift in both average FPS and 1% lows; essentially, this increases smoothness with better frame pacing. (Image credit: Intel) The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is the king of efficiency by the looks of it... Considering its 80WHr battery and performance capabilities at a low 17W TDP, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is probably the best handheld gaming PC in terms of efficiency. I'd be lying if I said I've been using my Asus ROG Ally consistently; it's been mainly collecting dust, because its battery life is poor. As much as I don't mind staying plugged into a wall socket (same as what you'd do with a gaming laptop), it gets frustrating. I've not had the pleasure of using the MSI Claw 8 AI+ yet, but everything I hear about it makes me want it that much more (especially after the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal). You'd barely need to push the device beyond 17W, and you'll still have great performance - and I can't say the same about the ROG Ally. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Now, if you do want to use the MSI Claw while on battery, it's still going to last a lot longer than the ROG Ally and other handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go. It's a testament to how MSI turned things around after its initial attempt with the MSI Claw A1M model. Let's hope it can once again outdo itself with a new device in the future... You may also like... Two new laptops with Nvidia's RTX 5060 are coming, and leaked performance makes it seem like 8GB GDDR7 might actually be enough I've never been more excited to get my hands on a new handheld: Intel's new graphics driver reportedly provides greater MSI Claw 8 AI+ performance The Nintendo Switch 2 could have one advantage over handheld gaming PCs - and it's probably not what you think See more Computing News Isaiah Williams Social Links Navigation Staff Writer, Computing Isaiah is a Staff Writer for the Computing channel at TechRadar. He's spent over two years writing about all things tech, specifically games on PC, consoles, and handhelds. He started off at GameRant in 2022 after graduating from Birmingham City University in the same year, before writing at PC Guide which included work on deals articles, reviews, and news on PC products such as GPUs, CPUs, monitors, and more. He spends most of his time finding out about the exciting new features of upcoming GPUs, and is passionate about new game releases on PC, hoping that the ports aren't a complete mess. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Intel makes its XeSS 2 upscaling tech easier to add to games - here's why that's good news for PC gamers with tight budgets AMD is making a handheld gaming PC chip with proper AI capabilities, but do gamers really need this? This prototype mini PC demonstrates a massive leap forward for integrated graphics in a console form factor Intel's rumored 'Celestial' GPUs could finally give Nvidia and AMD cause for concern AMD raises the bar for gaming on lightweight laptops – its new Strix Halo chip could run games better than an Nvidia RTX 3060 Hang on handheld fans, we could be seeing AMD's FSR 4 upscaling on new handhelds after all - if this new RDNA 4 leak is legitimate Latest in Gaming PCs Oblivion Remastered in 8K with the Nvidia RTX 5090 looks to the past to show gaming's future – both the good and the bad The new Alienware Aurora with an RTX 5070 has just got its first ever price cut AMD is making a handheld gaming PC chip with proper AI capabilities, but do gamers really need this? I've never been more excited to get my hands on a new handheld: Intel's new graphics driver reportedly provides greater MSI Claw 8 AI+ performance I wanted Nintendo to wow me with the Switch 2 – instead it’s made me hug my ROG Ally X handheld even closer AMD's powerful Ryzen AI Max processors are on their way to desktop PCs - and a side effect could kill off discrete GPUs for gaming Latest in News Google CEO hopeful Gemini will be integrated into Apple Intelligence in time for iPhone 17 launch Co-op fending off hackers by shutting down IT systems Cronos: The New Dawn developers reveal that it will take around 18 hours to beat Shark goes for broke and straps a water tank onto its latest fan so it can blast you with cool mist all day Experts warn of heatwave danger to routers, so act now before summer kicks in and temperatures could really soar – to the point that kills your Wi-Fi Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 rumored specs: predictions for every key spec LATEST ARTICLES Co-op fending off hackers by shutting down IT systems Shark goes for broke and straps a water tank onto its latest fan so it can blast you with cool mist all day I tested the Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF for two weeks and couldn't get enough of its otherworldly performance Cronos: The New Dawn developers reveal that it will take around 18 hours to beat I loved LG phones because they were affordable, risky, and weird – and the smartphone world could use more of that TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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