AMD’s Z2 Extreme Surpasses Intel’s Lunar Lake in Gaming Benchmarks — MSI Claw 8 at 17W Shows Z2E Leading by 8.5%, Reducing to 6% at 30W

Sure, let’s dive right into it. So, I stumbled across this thing, right, and it’s kind of a showdown—like, you know, those epic battles in handheld gaming? Weird how these things latch onto your mind. Where was I? Oh yeah, the MSI Claw A8 is duking it out with something called the Claw 8 AI+. They’re powered by some AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme and Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V, respectively. Both running at this magical 17-watt setting, which is main-stage stuff for handhelds. AMD didn’t just join the race; it practically sprinted ahead.

Oh, and there was this tweet about it I saw—couldn’t quite figure out why it was important, but maybe the image was cool or something. Anyway, keeping these handhelds alive is all about efficiency, right? At around $900 to $1,000 each, it’s a heavyweight fight for your wallet, but really, the biggie is how much punch they pack per watt. Heck, Intel’s been the top dog here forever. AMD, not so much—but you know, things change, and suddenly, they’ve got this Z2 Extreme gearing up.

Now, this mighty Ryzen Z2 Extreme—eight cores doing their dance up to 5.0 GHz. But I’m here for the juicy bits: sixteen RDNA 3.5 compute units. And, naturally, they’re built on TSMC’s 4nm process. Bet you didn’t expect that level of geek, eh? It’s serious business when power ranges from 15W to 35W. But, here’s the kicker, the memory’s external, which maybe I should care about more?

So, Intel counters with its Core Ultra 7 258V, built on TSMC’s N3B—because smaller nodes mean bigger performance gains, or something. Fewer tweaks for OEMs, though. Not sure if that’s a drawback? And I’m not even sure the reviewer did the maths right. If Intel’s power includes the memory and AMD’s doesn’t, then, what gives? Maybe the numbers are skewed.

Checking benchmarks, started at 10 watts with this Z2 Extreme, hitting 20 FPS on GR Extreme. Dramatic leap from last year’s Z1 Extreme—classic underdog story, isn’t it? Although, when all those FPPT, SPPT, and SPL are equal—strange things started happening at 30 watts. You’d think more power equals better performance, but it was the opposite. Puzzling, huh?

Hit the real-world scenarios with a 17W cap. Results spilled the beans:

1. Monster Hunter Wilds: AMD at 31.8 FPS, Intel 25.7.
2. Cyberpunk 2077: AMD 43.6 FPS, Intel 41.7.
3. Resident Evil Village: AMD 65.6 FPS, Intel 58.0.
4. Far Cry 6: AMD 31.2 FPS, Intel 30.9.

Sometimes AMD felt smoother, like finding your favorite old sweater when it starts getting chilly. Reviewer had a moment of introspection there—admitting to not understanding mobile SoCs. Humble pie, eh?

Pump the wattage to 30, and the race tightens. Intel claims a few wins, but AMD still leads. I guess the phrase is, “it’s complicated.” Maybe Intel gets a boost from a bit more power room, but something holds it back.

Little tech specs run—AMD’s got more oomph below 20 watts, and Intel likes low-power havens. Guess it’s all about where you’re playing. Like choosing between a summer drive or a winter stroll.

If you’re torn between the Claw A8 and Claw 8 AI+—one has stronger GPU chops, while the other might have a slight edge in low wattage gigs. Meh, pick your poison.