Intel Core 7 240H socket: BGA 1744

What the Core 7 240H is

The Core 7 240H is a ten-core, sixteen-thread mobile processor that Intel released in December 2024 in the upper half of Core Series 2. Six Performance-cores and four Efficient-cores give 16 threads at 2.5 GHz P-base with turbo to 5.2 GHz, while the Efficient-cores run 1.8 GHz base with turbo to 4.0 GHz. Cache totals a full 24 MB of Intel Smart Cache for large project working sets. Processor base power is 45 W with turbo up to 115 W.

Six Performance-cores with full cache define the step up from Core 5 for responsive professional duty: the same 24 MB as the 14-core SKUs behind fewer threads for licensed per-core work and responsive single-thread pace. Against the 14-core Intel Core 7 250H nearby it trades threads for cost at matching cache for budget-conscious creators. No unlocked multiplier is documented for H SKUs in ARK or board firmware notes.

Graphics are Intel Graphics with 64 execution units at up to 1550 MHz for laptop displays and accelerated media with hardware decode. ECC memory is absent. The 35 W minimum assured power lets thinner chassis run the chip below its base rating for quiet library duty.

Workload fit is upper-mainstream performance laptops: developers, analysts and creators who want 6 fast cores with a large cache inside 45 W. Buyers pick the 240H where the Intel Core 5 220H lacks single-thread pace but 14 cores overshoot the budget. Consulting firms often standardize on this tier because one SKU covers developers and analysts together.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The 240H fits the BGA 1744 soldered package at 50 × 25 mm. Laptop makers solder it with cooling for the 45 to 115 W band. There is no socketed variant and no processor upgrade, so configuration happens once at order time.

Memory support reaches DDR5-6400, DDR4-3200 and LPDDR5X-6400 across two channels to 96 GB. SODIMM boards allow later memory expansion while soldered LPDDR designs trade that flexibility for thinner bodies with higher bandwidth and battery life. Makers of creator laptops favor the faster SODIMM options for timeline scrubbing and large asset loads.

The Series 2 stack shares this package from the 8-core 210H through the 14-core Intel Core 9 270H for straightforward lineup planning. Only core counts, graphics tiers and clocks vary between them across the mainstream and flagship tiers.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

DDR5-6400 and LPDDR5X-6400 support at the top of the family rewards memory-bound creation work: large datasets and timelines stream faster than on the Core 5 memory ceiling. Dual-channel fitting stays mandatory for the 64 EU graphics, with 2 x 16 GB the mainstream pick for development and design work with large assets.

PCIe 5.0 lanes total 28 with Gen5 graphics links and Gen4 storage links on typical boards. Fast Gen4 SSDs saturate laptop storage duty, while the Gen5 link keeps discrete graphics viable on gaming-oriented bodies with this chip.

Cooling follows the chassis across 35 to 115 W with heat pipes sized for sustained 45 W. No boxed cooler exists. Creator workloads with long renders settle at the sustained power the body can reject, so cooling reviews of the exact model matter for purchase decisions.

Upgrade paths

No CPU upgrade exists on soldered boards for performance laptops. The Series 2 ladder moves from Core 5 SKUs through this 10-core part to the 14-core Intel Core 7 250H and Intel Core 9 270H, chosen at purchase with display and memory. Storage and SODIMM memory are the only later changes for owners who keep the chassis for years.

Beyond this generation the replacement is a whole laptop on newer platforms with faster memory. The LGA, PGA and BGA: CPU package types explained guide explains the soldered tradeoff behind mobile designs.