Intel Processor N250
The Intel Processor N250 is a mobile processor of the Twin Lake family which is mostly identical to Alder Lake-N, an architecture that will turn 4 in H2 2025. The chip is meant for entry-level laptops, tablets and mini PCs with no fans; it offers 4 Efficient (Gracemont) cores that run at up to 3.8 GHz, but no Performance cores. Compared to the N350, the N250 has a half as many CPU cores, resulting in a very significant (over 30%) performance loss. The iGPU is slightly slower here, too.
Gracemont E-cores do not support Hyper-Threading. No extra threads here.
Performance
Its multi-thread performance should be a few percentage points higher than older dual-core CPUs like the Core i3-10110U. Exact figures depend on the cooling solution and TDP settings of the system. Either way, this is a pretty slow chip that is only just fast enough for basic tasks.
Graphics
The SoC comes equipped with a Xe-architecture graphics unit with 32 EUs (Execution Units) running at up to 1.25 GHz. The iGPU can drive up to 3 UHD 2160p monitors and hardware-decodes AV1 among other popular video codecs. Due to the low number of Xe cores and the single-channel RAM restriction, gaming performance is only good enough for older games and fairly low resolutions. GTA V should be playable at 720p on Medium.
Architecture and Features
The integrated memory controller supports single-channel DDR4-3200, DDR5-4800 and LPDDR5-4800 RAM. PCIe NVMe SSD speeds are capped at 3.9 GB/s, corresponding to the PCIe 3 spec. There is no Thunderbolt / USB 4 support here, however, the latest Intel CNVi Wi-Fi 7 wireless networking modules are supported.
Its L3 cache is relatively small at 6 MB, and it has no proper NPU (and thus no Copilot+ branding).
Power consumption
The N250 is supposed to consume 6 watts when under longer loads. This is the Intel-recommended PL1 for the chip. No data on PL2 has been provided but values higher than 15 W are unlikely.
The SoC is manufactured using the second-generation 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 meaning power efficiency isn't great here compared to the latest 3 nm silicon from the likes of Apple.
| Codename | Twin Lake | ||||||||||||||||
| Series | Intel Alder Lake-N | ||||||||||||||||
Series: Alder Lake-N Twin Lake
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| Clock Rate | <=3800 MHz | ||||||||||||||||
| Level 1 Cache | 192 KB | ||||||||||||||||
| Level 2 Cache | 2 MB | ||||||||||||||||
| Level 3 Cache | 6 MB | ||||||||||||||||
| Number of Cores / Threads | 4 / 4 4 x 3.8 GHz Intel Gracemont E-Core | ||||||||||||||||
| Power Consumption (TDP = Thermal Design Power) | 6 Watt | ||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturing Technology | 10 nm | ||||||||||||||||
| Socket | BGA1264 | ||||||||||||||||
| Features | DDR4-3200/DDR5-4800/LPDDR5-4800 RAM (sin. chan.), PCIe 3, GNA, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, VMX, SMEP, SMAP, EIST, TM1, TM2, Turbo, SST, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA | ||||||||||||||||
| GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 32EUs (Alder Lake) (1250 MHz) | ||||||||||||||||
| 64 Bit | 64 Bit support | ||||||||||||||||
| Architecture | x86 | ||||||||||||||||
| Announcement Date | 01/06/2025 | ||||||||||||||||
| Product Link (external) | www.intel.com | ||||||||||||||||
Benchmarks
- Average benchmark values* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
No reviews found for this CPU (yet).
