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HandheldQuest

Intel chip

Intel Arc G3 Extreme

By ElvisPublished

Intel's Arc G3 Extreme is used in the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and offered in the Acer Predator Atlas 8. Reviewers measured double-digit leads over AMD's Z2 Extreme handhelds and longer battery life at the same 80 Wh. The caveats are early drivers, a smaller list of games with XeSS 3 frame generation and the high prices of the first handhelds using it.

We haven't tested these handhelds ourselves. This guide draws on published reviews of the handhelds built on this chip, and on Intel's own specifications.

Our take

This is the first time Intel has clearly beaten AMD in handhelds, and it's not close in most tests. What impresses me more than the peak numbers is efficiency: Tom's Guide's 17 W result in Red Dead Redemption 2 beat AMD's chip at 35 W.

The handhelds are the problem. At $1,799 the Claw 8 EX is a hard sell, and Intel's driver record on handhelds is shorter than AMD's. If cheaper Arc G3 Extreme handhelds arrive, this becomes the chip to buy.

Elvis

Specifications

CPU2 P-cores + 8 E-cores + 4 LP E-cores, 12 MB cache
Cores / threads14 / 14
CPU clock1.9–4.7 GHzPerformance-core base to maximum turbo frequency.
GPUIntel Arc B390
GPU Xe-cores12
GPU clockup to 2.3 GHzGraphics max dynamic frequency from Intel; the device may run lower.
Power (TDP)8–35 WIntel's configurable TDP range; the device sets its own limits.
ProcessIntel 18A

Source: Intel, Intel Arc G3 Extreme specifications, checked October 22, 2026. Each handheld sets its own power limits within this range.

Gaming handhelds with the Intel Arc G3 Extreme

Specs

Intel lists 14 CPU cores (two P-cores, eight E-cores and four low-power E-cores), an Arc B390 GPU with 12 Xe-cores at up to 2.3 GHz and an 8 to 35 W configurable range, built on Intel 18A according to Intel's newsroom.

Performance in the MSI Claw 8 EX

Engadget saw gains of 50 to 75 percent over the ROG Xbox Ally X and Legion Go 2; in Cyberpunk 2077 at 35 W, 1080p medium with XeSS performance it measured 95 fps against 62 and 57 fps. Engadget tested an Intel engineering sample with pre-production drivers.

Tom's Hardware measured a 20 to 30+ fps lead over its peers, with Cyberpunk 2077 on the Steam Deck preset at 78 fps on battery at 800p. PC Gamer's table put the Claw first in every game but one, and Notebookcheck says it easily beats the Z2 Extreme.

Efficiency stands out most. Tom's Guide measured Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p medium at 63.8 fps at 35 W and 48.8 fps at 17 W, against 22.8 fps for the AMD-based ROG Xbox Ally X20 at 35 W.

Frame generation adds more on top. Notebookcheck measured Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p Ultra at 39.6 fps native and 127.8 fps with 4x frame generation, but Tom's Guide counts only about 50 games with XeSS 3 support.

Battery and heat

In the Claw's 80 Wh battery, Notebookcheck measured Cyberpunk 2077 at 1:39 at 35 W, 2:21 in AI Engine mode and 3:19 in Endurance mode. Tom's Guide recorded 4:10 in 3DMark's gaming battery test, against 2:47 for the ROG Xbox Ally X20. (Tom's Guide)

PC Gamer saw the CPU reach 97 °C at 37 W package power, against 96 °C for the ROG Xbox Ally X at 55 W, with quiet fans. HotHardware found that setting power limits by hand caused frame-time spikes, and that MSI's default mode at 25 W sustained and 37 W boost gave the best results.

Watch

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Vs Xbox Ally X: Intel Arc G3 Extreme = CRAZY FASTHotHardware · June 26, 2026
Intel Destroys AMD in Handhelds - ROG Xbox Ally X20 vs MSI Claw 8 EXETA PRIME · October 22, 2026

Other Intel chips in gaming handhelds

ChipCoresGPU Xe-coresTDPHandhelds
Intel Core Ultra 7 155H16820–115 W2
Intel Core Ultra 7 258V888–37 W3
Intel Arc G3 Extreme14128–35 W5
Intel Arc G314108–30 W1

GPU units are counted the way each maker counts them, so AMD compute units and Intel Xe-cores aren't comparable one to one.