Intel Core i7-10750H vs Intel Core i7-1250U Comparison

The Intel Core i7-1250U and Intel Core i7-10750H represent two distinct design philosophies within Intel’s mobile lineup. The 1250U is a low-power Alder Lake part built for efficiency, while the 10750H is a high-performance Comet Lake-H chip for gaming and workstation laptops. Benchmark data reveals a fragmented picture: the 1250U wins 12 of 19 head-to-head tests, but the 10750H secures decisive victories in sustained multi-core and memory-intensive workloads. Their average benchmark scores are nearly identical, with the 1250U at 13351 and the 10750H at 13024, placing both at the 68th percentile of all CPUs. The choice between them hinges entirely on workload priorities, as each chip dominates in different domains.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher single-core benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-1250U leads in single-core performance across most tests. It scores 226 in Cinebench R15 single-core versus 138 for the 10750H, a 63.8% advantage. In Geekbench single-core, the 1250U scores 1661 against 1417, a 17.2% lead. The 1250U also wins Cinebench R23 single-core with 1574 versus 1372, a 14.7% edge.

Q: How do the two chips compare in multi-threaded Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i7-10750H is substantially faster in Cinebench R23 multi-core, scoring 9718 versus 7069 for the 1250U. This represents a 27.3% deficit for the 1250U, making the 10750H the clear winner for prolonged all-core rendering workloads.

Q: What is the difference in data compression performance?

A: The 10750H dominates data compression, scoring 167213 in the PassMark test compared to 119280 for the 1250U. The 10750H leads by 28.7% in this specific workload, indicating a significant advantage in tasks that rely heavily on memory bandwidth and sustained multi-core throughput.

Q: Which CPU is more efficient in encryption tasks?

A: The Intel Core i7-1250U is vastly superior in data encryption. It scores 7642 in PassMark data encryption versus 3930 for the 10750H, a massive 94.5% advantage. This suggests the 1250U’s architecture handles cryptographic instructions with far greater efficiency.

Q: Do both processors share the same socket?

A: No, they use different sockets. The Intel Core i7-1250U uses Intel BGA 1781, while the Intel Core i7-10750H uses Intel BGA 1440. This means they are not interchangeable in the same motherboard.

Q: What is the thermal design power difference?

A: The 1250U has a TDP of 9 watts, while the 10750H has a TDP of 45 watts. This fivefold difference in power envelope explains the 10750H’s sustained performance advantages, even though the 1250U achieves higher scores in many short-burst tests.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split: pick the Intel Core i7-1250U for single-threaded responsiveness, encryption-heavy tasks, and efficiency-sensitive workloads. It wins Cinebench R15 multi-core by 19.8%, R15 single-core by 63.8%, and R23 single-core by 14.7%. Its leadership in PassMark encryption (94.5% ahead) and physics (25.9% ahead) further cements its role as the better choice for latency-sensitive and cryptographic applications. The 1250U also edges out the 10750H in Geekbench multi-core (5777 vs 5574, a 3.6% lead) and floating-point math (26625 vs 25070, a 6.2% lead).

The Intel Core i7-10750H is the pick for sustained multi-core rendering, data compression, and memory-heavy workflows. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 9718 crushes the 1250U’s 7069, a 27.3% gap. It also wins PassMark data compression by 28.7%, extended instructions by 37.9%, and random string sorting by 36.5%. The 10750H’s 45-watt TDP and higher 5.00 GHz boost clock give it the thermal headroom to sustain these workloads, making it the superior engine for video editing, 3D rendering, and compression pipelines.

For users who value portability and battery life, the 1250U’s 9-watt TDP is decisive. For those who need raw sustained compute, the 10750H is the only option. The 1250U wins 12 of 19 head-to-head benchmarks, but the 10750H wins the largest-margin tests, making the “better” chip entirely dependent on whether the workload is bursty or sustained.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single-core victory for the 1250U comes in Cinebench R15 single-core, where it scores 226 versus 138, a 63.8% lead. This is a stunning margin that highlights the architectural leap from Comet Lake to Alder Lake. The 1250U extends this dominance in Geekbench single-core with 1661 versus 1417, a 17.2% advantage, and in Cinebench R23 single-core with 1574 versus 1372, a 14.7% edge.

In multi-core tests, the picture reverses. The 10750H wins Cinebench R23 multi-core with 9718 versus 7069, a 27.3% margin that represents the single largest multi-core gap in the comparison. The 10750H also wins Cinebench R20 multi-core by a slim 2.4% (4081 vs 3983) and PassMark multithread by 2.5% (11616 vs 11329).

The 1250U’s most dramatic win is in PassMark data encryption, where it scores 7642 versus 3930, a 94.5% advantage. This is the largest percentage difference in either direction across all tests. The 1250U also excels in PassMark find prime numbers, scoring 58 versus 39, a 48.7% lead, and PassMark physics, with 881 versus 700, a 25.9% advantage.

The 10750H counters with strong wins in memory-bound tasks. It scores 167213 in data compression versus 119280, a 28.7% lead, and 21416 in random string sorting versus 13593, a 36.5% advantage. The 10750H also wins extended instructions by a wide 37.9% margin, scoring 10470 versus 6497.

In mixed tests, the 1250U wins floating-point math (26625 vs 25070, a 6.2% lead) and integer math (40328 vs 39730, a 1.5% edge). The 1250U also takes PassMark single-thread with 2703 versus 2625, a 3% lead. The overall score tally stands at 12 wins for the 1250U and 7 for the 10750H, but the magnitude of the 10750H’s wins in Cinebench R23 and data compression gives it a strong claim in sustained workloads.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ fundamentally in core configuration. The Intel Core i7-1250U has 10 cores and 12 threads, while the Intel Core i7-10750H has 6 cores and 12 threads. The 1250U’s base clock is 1100 MHz and boost clock is 4.70 GHz; the 10750H has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz.

The TDP difference is stark: 9 watts for the 1250U versus 45 watts for the 10750H. This directly impacts sustained performance, as the 10750H has far more thermal budget to maintain high clocks. The 1250U uses socket Intel BGA 1781, while the 10750H uses Intel BGA 1440.

Memory support differs as well. The 1250U supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, while the 10750H only supports DDR4. Both use dual-channel memory buses, but the 10750H has a specified memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s, a figure not listed for the 1250U.

PCIe support also differs: the 1250U has PCIe Gen 4, while the 10750H has PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only). Integrated graphics differ, with the 1250U featuring Iris Xe 96EU and the 10750H featuring UHD Graphics.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Core i7-1250U is built on Intel’s Alder Lake architecture, specifically the Alder Lake-U codename, on a 10 nm process node. The Intel Core i7-10750H uses the older Comet Lake architecture, codename Comet Lake-H, on a 14 nm process node. This node difference is a primary driver of the 1250U’s efficiency and single-core performance advantages.

Cache structures differ significantly. The 1250U has 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, while the 10750H has 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core. Both share 12 MB of L3 cache. The 1250U’s larger per-core L2 cache likely contributes to its superior single-threaded scores.

The release dates reflect the generational gap: the 1250U launched on 2022-02-22, while the 10750H launched earlier on 2020-04-01. The 1250U’s generation is listed as “Core i7 (Alder Lake-U)” while the 10750H is “Core i7 (Comet Lake-H)”. Both have unlocked multipliers set to false.

The 1250U’s TDP of 9 watts versus the 10750H’s 45 watts is not just a specification difference but an architectural one. Alder Lake’s hybrid design and 10 nm process allow for dramatically lower power consumption while still delivering competitive burst performance. Comet Lake’s 14 nm process requires more power to reach its 5.00 GHz boost clock, which explains its dominance in sustained multi-core workloads where it can use the extra power budget.