Intel-powered handhelds don’t look so bad anymore. A new update to MSI Center M ensures users get the best out of MSI’s Lunar Lake-based models when using manual power profiles. Manually configuring the power settings could previously lead to sub-par performance; the new update safeguards this. Testing on the MSI Claw 8 AI+ shows sizeable performance boosts for gaming – up to 30% in some cases. A TDP slider bug was previously reported in a Center M update a couple of weeks ago.

Even though MSI recently released the Claw A8, its first AMD-powered handheld, that doesn’t mean its older Intel-based models are obsolete. In fact, the Z2 Extreme in the A8 is largely on par with the Claw 8 AI+’s Core Ultra 258V chip, based on gaming benchmarks posted online recently. And now the (up to) 30% gaming boost makes it all the more appealing.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ with updated PL2 setting is up to 30% faster for gaming

Thanks to benchmarks performed by TechPowerUp, which recently got to test the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and then retest it with the correct settings, we can see the difference it makes. This particular model of the Claw is much improved over the original Meteor Lake-powered device, which had an underwhelming launch. The Claw 8 AI+ is one of the only handhelds with a Lunar Lake processor (alongside the 7 AI+); the majority of handhelds are AMD-powered.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ updated benchmarks for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, source: TechPowerUp

MSI Claw 8 AI+ updated benchmarks for Control, source: TechPowerUp

MSI Claw 8 AI+ updated benchmarks for Hogwarts Legacy, source: TechPowerUp

MSI Claw 8 AI+ updated benchmarks for Cyberpunk 2077, source: TechPowerUp

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In our retest, Cyberpunk 2077 and Space Marine 2 achieved nearly a 30% performance uplift with this setting. The Lunar Lake-based MSI Claw AI+ A2VM handheld is the highest-performing device we have tested across the board, even surpassing AMD-based devices in our testing suite. In other games, baseline improvement is set at 10%, just as Intel had notified. Our testing confirmed that Lunar Lake is now the most powerful gaming CPU for handheld devices.

Source: TechPowerUp

What exactly does the update do?

Let’s get a little more into the technical details of this update. TechPowerUp notes it initially used the Manual power profile for testing, which led to the MSI Claw 8 AI+ having its PL1 and PL2 (power limits) set to the same value. PL1 and PL2 are also known as Processor Base Power and Maximum Turbo Power, respectively. Intel’s official specification for Lunar Lake recommends that PL2 should always be at least 1W higher than PL1 – or set to its maximum TDP value, which is 37W.

Due to the way the architecture works, increasing PL2 by just 1W (so they’re no longer the same value) helps unlock more performance, and that’s what the new MSI Center M update does – PL2 is now always locked at least 1W higher than PL1, so you can no longer break this rule with manual settings. Considering how important CPU power usage is on these compact handheld devices, it might not be surprising to see the kind of performance gains you can get from a seemingly simple fix like this.

About the Author

Charlie Noon

Charlie is the Affiliate manager for PC Guide. He has a vast understanding of most PC hardware and consumer essentials, using his knowledge to provide the best products and the biggest deals.