MSI Claw 8 AI+ sees performance and battery life boosts with updated drivers

Since its release, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ has received multiple performance-focused updates, and as ETA Prime has shown, the latest Intel graphics driver, version 32.0.101.6987 WHQL, offers a notable performance boost on the gaming handheld.

In the new video, ETA Prime first tested Forza Horizon at 17 W TDP, 1200p, and Medium preset. Before the update, the game averaged at 66 FPS, but after, the gaming handheld is shown to offer an average of 88 FPS with the same settings. As for the other games, the YouTuber didn't provide much of a before-and-after comparison.

However, ETA notes that there's a noticeable performance boost on those titles with the latest driver installed, and the other games that were tested on the updated gaming handheld are as follows:

• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 - around 60 FPS average at the 1200p resolution with a mix of medium and low preset and at 17 W TDP.
• Marvel Rivals - at 1200p with medium preset, 25 W TDP, and XeSS set to the Performance mode, the game averaged at about 95 FPS.
• Cyberpunk 2077 - at 1200p with medium preset, 25 W TDP, and XeSS Frame Gen, the gaming handheld could run the game with an average of over 80 FPS.

Besides the performance gain, ETA Prime notes that MSI Center and BIOS updates that the gaming handheld has received have offered battery life improvements. Again, the YouTuber didn't specifically do a before-and-after comparison, but ran some battery-related tests on the updated Core Ultra 258V-powered MSI Claw 8 AI+.

All the games that were later tested for benchmarking the battery life were with the screen's brightness set to 50%, refresh rate at 60 Hz, and the fans set to auto. Moreover, WiFi, Bluetooth, and the RGB lights were kept on. Here's how the runtime looked at different TDPs:

• At 8 W TDP - 8 hours and 40 minutes.
• With the TDP set to 17 W - 3 hours and 40 minutes.
• At 25 W TDP - 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Overall, at the current stage, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V gaming handheld seems to be a better performer than at launch, thanks to all the updates it has received. Of course, per early reviews, the Z2 Extreme version of the MSI Claw is a tad better in comparison, but it's also worth noting that the Intel-powered device is more power-efficient at lower TDPs. Check out the latest video by ETA Prime below to learn more.