MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ $1,499 Model: Arc B370 Specs, 512GB SSD and Conflicting GPU Listing

Notebookcheck reports that MSI has now announced the model globally, following earlier retailer appearances and a release in China. That does not establish worldwide retail availability: the report identifies US sales but says pricing and availability elsewhere remain unknown.

What changes—and what stays​

MSI’s US specification pages identify the cheaper model as Claw 8 EX AI+ CG3M-072USY, compared with CG3EM-024US for the original configuration. Those nearly identical names conceal several meaningful differences.

These specifications come from MSI’s model-specific US product pages, rather than assumptions based on the shared Claw branding.

The cheaper model also retains a stated 500-nit IPS-level touchscreen. On paper, MSI has concentrated the savings in processing hardware and storage rather than cutting the screen, memory capacity or battery size. That makes this a lower-tier configuration, not a wholesale redesign wearing a familiar badge.

A graphics-listing discrepancy worth catching​

There is an important wrinkle for buyers: MSI’s own pages disagree about the new model’s GPU.

The dedicated US specification page explicitly lists Intel Arc GPU B370 for CG3M-072USY. However, MSI’s US store page for that same model lists B390 graphics with 12 Xe-cores, despite identifying the processor as the standard Arc G3. The dedicated specification page supports Notebookcheck’s B370 reporting, but the conflicting storefront description deserves clarification before purchase.

Practical advice: match the complete model number, processor, graphics and SSD capacity on the order—not merely the “Claw 8 EX” name. If the seller promises B390 graphics in the cheaper CG3M, ask for written confirmation. The product names are close enough without the specification sheets joining the confusion.

How much performance does $300 buy back?​

Notebookcheck’s benchmarks of an engineering-sample Arc G3 put the standard chip’s Arc B370 roughly 6% behind the G3 Extreme’s Arc B390 in 3DMark Time Spy at 35 W—and virtually identical at 20 W, with Notebookcheck noting the gap will probably grow at higher power limits. That is an encouraging comparison for the cheaper model, but it is a synthetic-benchmark result from an engineering sample—not a promise that every game will lose precisely the same amount of performance.

The storage difference is more straightforward. MSI confirms 512 GB in the new US configuration and 1 TB in the original. Buyers should therefore weigh the saving against both graphics performance and the space available for their intended game library, rather than treating this as a simple $300 discount on identical hardware.

Likewise, the shared 80 Wh battery specification establishes capacity, not equal—or improved—runtime. Neither specification page supplies a controlled battery-life comparison between these configurations.

Still a Windows PC, with useful connections intact​

The new model runs Windows 11 Home, and MSI advertises its Center M software with an Xbox Mode interface tailored to handheld controls. It also retains two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a microSD Express reader. MSI’s global specification page lists an M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 SSD slot, although that alone does not establish how straightforward an internal upgrade would be.

The conclusion is fairly clear: MSI has made its Claw 8 EX family more accessible without stripping away the headline display and memory specifications. But “cheaper” is relative at $1,499—and buyers should resolve that conflicting GPU listing before committing premium-handheld money.

Correction (November 13, 2026): The performance comparison originally described the standard Arc G3 as roughly 6% behind the G3 Extreme in gaming performance. Notebookcheck's figure is the 3DMark Time Spy deficit at 35 W on an engineering sample; at 20 W the two GPUs are virtually identical, and Notebookcheck expects the gap to grow at higher power limits.