Intel Core 7 250H socket: BGA 1744

What the Core 7 250H is

The Core 7 250H is a fourteen-core, twenty-thread mobile processor that Intel released in December 2024 near the top of Core Series 2. Six Performance-cores and eight Efficient-cores give 20 threads at 2.5 GHz P-base with turbo to 5.4 GHz, while the Efficient-cores run 1.8 GHz base with turbo to 4.0 GHz. Cache totals 24 MB of Intel Smart Cache for large project working sets and build caches. Processor base power is 45 W with turbo up to 115 W.

Full 14-core layout with 96 EU graphics defines the high-volume performance pick for engineering fleets: the same cores and cache as the flagship Intel Core 9 270H with 400 MHz less boost for lower prices. Against the 10-core Intel Core 7 240H it adds four Efficient-cores for heavier multitasking at matching power. ARK lists 1.55 GHz graphics against tables that round to 1.5 GHz, and this page follows ARK for specification accuracy.

Graphics are Intel Iris Xe with 96 execution units at up to 1550 MHz, the largest GPU in Series 2 for integrated play. ECC memory is absent. The 35 W minimum assured power lets thinner performance bodies configure the chip down for quiet library and travel duty.

Workload fit is high-end performance laptops: engineering workstations, creator systems and gaming laptops where 14 cores cover compilation, rendering and play inside 45 W. Buyers pick the 250H where the 240H lacks threads but the Core 9 premium buys little extra for mainstream engineering work. Fleet buyers often standardize on this SKU for engineering teams because one configuration covers developers and designers together across sites.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The 250H 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 market and no processor upgrade, so the whole machine is chosen at order time.

Memory support spans DDR5-6400, DDR4-3200 and LPDDR5X-6400 across two channels to 96 GB. Performance workstations favor SODIMM boards for later expansion to 64 GB and beyond, while thin gaming bodies use soldered LPDDR5X for bandwidth and battery life in tournaments.

The Series 2 stack shares this package from the 8-core 210H through the 14-core 270H. Only clocks, graphics tiers and positioning differ between the two 14-core SKUs.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

DDR5-6400 and LPDDR5X-6400 support feeds 14 cores with wide bandwidth for creation datasets. Dual-channel fitting is mandatory for the 96 EU graphics, with 2 x 16 GB the baseline for engineering and 2 x 32 GB for heavy virtual machines and datasets. DDR4-3200 SODIMM remains an option on budget boards.

PCIe 5.0 lanes total 28 with Gen5 graphics links and Gen4 storage links on typical performance boards. Fast Gen4 SSDs in RAID-like pairs suit scratch disks, while the Gen5 link carries discrete graphics on gaming bodies with this chip for high-refresh play.

Cooling follows the chassis across 35 to 115 W with substantial heat pipes for sustained 45 W. No boxed cooler exists. Long renders and compiles settle at the sustained power the body rejects, so maker cooling reviews predict behavior best for purchase decisions and warranty claims.

Upgrade paths

No CPU upgrade exists on soldered boards. The Series 2 ladder climbs from Core 5 SKUs through the 10-core 240H to this 14-core part and the flagship 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 performance chassis for years.

Beyond Raptor Lake-H the replacement is a whole laptop on newer silicon. The LGA, PGA and BGA: CPU package types explained guide covers the soldered tradeoff behind these designs.