In the ever-evolving realm of gaming processors, a recent head-to-head comparison between AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme and Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V reveals some unexpected results. Despite the Ryzen’s seemingly superior specs, the battle for gaming performance supremacy is closer than anticipated.
Zooming In
The Contenders
The matchup features two powerhouse processors in the latest MSI handhelds. The Claw A8 hosts the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, while its competitor, the Claw 8 AI+, packs the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V. On paper, the AMD chip sports eight cores all capable of multithreading, leveraging a blend of Zen 5 and Zen 5c architecture, while the Intel Lunar Lake chip features a balanced mix of four performance and four efficient, low-power cores, forgoing multithreading to focus on efficiency.
Performance Metrics
Benchmark tests from Golden Pig Upgrade Pack put these processors through their paces across ten popular games at both 17W and 30W power settings. At full power, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme edges out in half of the games, draws even in two, and marginally trails in the remaining three. However, when power is limited to 17W, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme extends its lead in all but one game. Average frame rates show the Ryzen outperforming with 42 fps compared to Intel’s 38 fps, showcasing an 11% performance edge when power efficiency is prioritized.
The GPU Faceoff
Examining the GPU capabilities, the Ryzen’s Radeon 890M with its 2.9 GHz boost clock undeniably trumps the Intel Arc 140V, despite both boasting the same number of shader units. This suggests AMD’s architecture tendencies offer a slight edge in graphics processing power, crucial for gaming performance.
Concluding Thoughts
The results highlight that the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme is the better performer overall, especially at lower power settings, though not by an overwhelming margin. Intel’s Lunar Lake processor proves to hold its ground in the mobile gaming space admirably. It’s noteworthy that as the landscape of handheld gaming PCs grows, having competitive options from both AMD and Intel benefits users by driving innovation and keeping prices in check. The coming year could see more developments as Intel transitions to its Panther Lake series, promising even more formidable competition in the future.
