I've an intel i5 that was running flat out and I wasn't liking the heat it was producing, and being a dell it would be hard to put a better fan in.

So I was having to throttle back CPU usage a fair bit to keep it to a temp I was happy with.

I noticed in CPU/Z that with the intel Turbo Boost on it was increasing the voltage as well as frequency .. so I researched how to switch that off, it was easy. In Windows it was as simple as in the power management, advanced settings, Processor Power Management, setting Maximum Processor State to 99% not 100%.

Hey presto! The CPU now doesn't go into processor boost at all and is at the normal ~ 100%. It runs 8'C cooler, and I can run it flat out, so I actually get MORE CPU time at a much cooler temperature, and also less voltage (which is better for processor lifetime).

If you've a good cooler and run cold this may not interest you but if you are running hot and having to throttle, have a fiddle. I'm a lot happier with this.

Boost would also be great for me I'm sure for playing a game for a couple hours or doing something else temporary on my machine like opening a big spreadsheet or whatever, but not leaving it on. In fact I've made one power plan boost on and put this on the power saving plan so I can just flip in seconds.

(Used : CPU/Z to check speed/voltage and Speedfan to see the core temperatures)