A lot of modern laptops with Sandy Bridge CPUs like the i7-2630QM have core temperatures up over 90C while gaming. I think laptop manufacturers should spend a few more dollars on better cooling solutions but most consumers seem to prefer light, quiet and cheap.
Intel rates their CPUs to run reliably up to the throttling point at 100C. The thermal shutdown temperature Intel sets is 130C so I guess they are comfortable with high core temperatures even if users are not.
A laptop cooler is a good idea. A lot of enthusiasts also like to remove the heatsink and fan and redo the thermal paste which sometimes helps if it was poorly installed originally. Doing this can void your warranty so it might not be worth it.
The other program I wrote is called ThrottleStop which the W1zzard has just added to TechPowerUp.
ThrottleStop 4.00
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/2090/ThrottleStop_4.00.html
It can be used to run your CPU a little slower to help keep the heat in check. For many games, a slower CPU is barely noticed. This can sometimes give you more temperature head room so you can overclock the GPU and run faster overall. With ThrottleStop you can also use it and set up two separate profiles. You can run your CPU at full speed up to say 90C and then slow your CPU down as much as you like when the core temperature goes over 90C by setting an Alarm temperature and having it automatically switch to a second slower profile to keep your CPU from reaching the thermal throttling point. Send me a PM if you need to know more about setting it up.
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