MSI Claw: Gaming handheld gets a performance boost

Just a few weeks ago, MSI released its own gaming handheld, the Claw, which is intended to take on the top dog or competitor as a Steam Deck alternative. However, the MSI Claw is based on an Intel Core Ultra chip and, according to initial tests, was not entirely convincing in terms of performance. Thanks to a new update, performance has now been increased by up to 150 percent.

MSI Claw receives BIOS and GPU driver update

The MSI Claw has received a new update for BIOS and GPU drivers, which significantly improves the performance of the gaming handheld. Depending on the game, up to 150 percent more performance is now offered. This means that the 100 most popular games on Steam can now be played without any problems.

The new E1T41IMS.106 BIOS (referred to as 106) and the 31.0.101.5445 GPU driver (referred to as 5445) are said to have drastically improved performance. In the open-world game 7 Days to Die, performance increases by up to 150 percent, but the updates also significantly improve performance in titles such as Monster Hunter World (64 percent) and Cyberpunk 2077 (58 percent).

The updates must be downloaded from the official MSI website and the Intel ARC website. ” Starting with BIOS 106, users can update the BIOS directly in the Windows environment without using an additional USB flash drive or docking station,” reveals MSI.

According to MSI, they are working closely with Intel to further improve the performance of the Claw and optimize the user experience.

MSI Claw: These are the best settings according to the manufacturer

The manufacturer also shares the best settings that deliver the highest possible performance after the new BIOS and GPU update. According to this, you should set the MSI Claw as follows to get the most out of the handheld:

The Claw uses an Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 155H or Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 135H processor with 16 GB of RAM and an Intel Arc GPU. According to initial tests, the gaming performance was significantly below that of most competitors such as the ASUS ROG Ally (our test), which are equipped with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme and RDNA 3 GPU.