Intel Core Duo T2250 socket: Socket M

What the Core Duo T2250 is

The Intel Core Duo T2250 is a 1.73 GHz mobile dual core from May 2006. It runs two Yonah cores at a fixed 1.73 GHz through a 13x multiplier on a 533 MT/s bus, so 2 cores give 2 threads with no turbo step. Cache is 2 MB of shared L2 on a 65 nm process. Power is rated at 31 W.

The T2250 shipped as an OEM part, which means it reached buyers inside complete notebooks instead of retail boxes. Notebook makers used it as a cost tempered dual core for spring 2006 lineups, pairing two Yonah cores with the slower 533 MT/s bus. Multitasking still gained over any Solo, while sustained transfers trailed the 667 MT/s Duo parts.

Yonah is a 32-bit line, with 64-bit support arriving only on the Merom parts that later shared this socket. The locked multiplier holds the 13x ratio steady on every board whose BIOS lists the exact sSpec. Two cores share the single 2 MB cache, so cache heavy pairs of threads contend more than on later split cache designs.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The T2250 fits the Socket M lever socket (Socket M) on Napa boards with the 945PM or 945GM chipset. The 478-contact Micro-FCPGA package seats with zero insertion force and locks under the screw lever. The board BIOS must list the exact sSpec, since Napa revisions set which steppings boot, and the board must support the 533 MT/s bus speed.

This page covers the socketed Micro-FCPGA package. Soldered low voltage Yonah parts such as the Core Duo L2400 shipped as Micro-FCBGA for Socket 479 boards instead, and those chips cannot move to Socket M. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers pairing rules for socketed mobile parts.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory is DDR2 through the board chipset in two channels. DDR2-533 SO-DIMMs match the 533 MT/s bus of the T2250, and the board fixes the slot count plus the maximum capacity. The notebook vendor list sets the tested module size for the exact model.

The front side bus runs at 533 MT/s between the CPU and the mobile chipset. No PCIe lanes come from the T2250 itself, while board graphics and expansion slots hang off the chipset. The slower bus trims sustained throughput beside 667 MT/s Duo parts at similar clocks.

Cooling is the notebook vendor heat pipe assembly for the exact chassis, sized for the 31 W envelope with a side vent. Retail desktop towers do not mount to mobile sockets, so the fan and pad set must come from the notebook maker. Paste or pad replacement follows the service manual for the exact model.

Upgrade paths

On Socket M the step up from a T2250 is a 667 MT/s dual core such as the Core Duo T2400 at 1.83 GHz, the T2500 at 2.0 GHz, or the T2600 at 2.17 GHz. Each keeps the 31 W envelope while adding bus bandwidth with the clock lift. The board must support the 667 MT/s bus speed, which most Napa boards do. A swap must stay within the thermal design the chassis was qualified for, and the BIOS must list the new sSpec.

A larger step is a Merom Core 2 Duo such as the T5500 at 1.66 GHz on the same Socket M, which adds 64-bit support with 2 MB of L2 cache. Napa boards need a Merom aware BIOS revision for those parts. Past Merom the path leaves the socket for a Socket P Santa Rosa board, as described in the Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide.