Gaming handhelds are about to see a major boost in gaming performance thanks to AMD's new flagship chip, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, and we now have a taste of what to expect thanks to new benchmarks.
The first AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme benchmarks are in on Geekbench, as spotted by X user Olrak29_, showcasing the performance we can expect in the upcoming MSI Claw A8 — both in CPU and GPU performance.
In the Geekbench 6 CPU results, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme-equipped MSI Claw A8 delivered a 2,748 single-core score, along with a 12,182 multi-core score. This is a strong improvement over its predecessor, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, with around a 27% boost overall compared to other Geekbench benchmarks (via Wccftech).
We expected a major boost in performance, with AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme coming with 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 5 architecture for faster multitasking, 15W to 35W power output and 16 GPU cores from its Radeon 890M iGPU with AMD's RDNA 3.5 to deliver FSR and frame-gen tech to boost frame rates.
Speaking of graphics, the GPU performance is also shown on Geekbench, with a Vulkan score of 45,064 and an OpenCL score of 37,970. As per the Geekbench results, this pushes past the AMD Ryzen 9 HX 370 (44,399/37,297) and crushes the Z1 Extreme (34,715/29,632).
According to the results shown on Geekbench, here's how it measures up against the previous Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU in the Asus ROG Ally X, along with the laptop equivalent AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 in the Asus TUF Gaming A14 in our testing.
Devices | Geekbench 6 Single core | Geekbench 6 multi-core |
MSI Claw A8 (AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme) | 2748 | 12182 |
Asus ROG Ally X (AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme) | 2565 | 11085 |
Asus TUF Gaming A14 (AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370) | 2863 | 12729 |
As you can see, this shows a smaller boost in CPU performance (a 6-9% boost), but given the Z2 Extreme APU is made for handheld gaming, this is still a solid uplift, and the GPU power it appears to offer will make this chip a beast for gaming on the move. Plus, it isn't certain if this ran on 15W or 30W power, and the MSI Claw A8 tested appears to use 16GB of DDR5 RAM as opposed to the 24GB it can go up to.
Regardless, the improvements are clear, and this also gives us a look at what the ROG Xbox Ally X will deliver, seeing as Microsoft's upcoming handheld comes with the same Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU.
Top-tier performance at a price
Rumor has it that the ROG Xbox Ally X may be priced around $799 to $899, and recent reports indicate the MSI Claw A8 will be around $860. While the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme looks to offer significant boosts in gaming performance, it's set to come at a premium cost.
Many of the best gaming handhelds don't come cheap, but considering consoles like the recently launched $599 Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS and $449 Nintendo Switch 2 are far less, it will be interesting to see how the latest handhelds with Z2 Extreme performance take off.
For a better look at how well MSI's upcoming handheld performs, check out our hands-on with the MSI Claw A8.
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