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I've got a Windows 8.1 work tablet (Wacom Cintiq Companion 2) that often runs pretty hot. Its fan(s) kick in sporadically at different speeds and their highest speeds are alarmingly loud - some reviewers describe it as like a jet plane taking off.

I've done some research on ways to reduce heating, but almost everything I can find is either quite old and/or assumes I'm on a tower PC I can take apart and tinker with.

While I do quite often need all the power this machine has, 90% of the time I'm using it for regular tasks that don't require full speed, and so 90% of the time I'd prefer have it run at lower than full power if that could mean less heat and less fan noise (and presumably, as a bonus, lower power consumption), but it seems somewhat random when it kicks in (e.g. Chrome seems to cause a lot of heat, even on relatively simple pages).

I've heard of "CoolBook" for Mac, which appears to allow an option to turn down the power of heat-causing system elements.

Is there anything a bit like this (e.g. 3rd party software, settings combinations) for Windows 8.1 which would allow me to switch between a mode that might be a little slower than usual but doesn't generate so much heat, and full power mode? Using the in-built switch between "Balanced" and "Power saver" power plans doesn't seem to help.

I've tried the physical steps listed in How to keep a Processor Cool, without adding a new cooling device. One of the fan vents faces the table and putting small feet under the corners seems to help air flow a little, but periodically I'll do some task and the jet engine still roars into life. The "Undervolting" mentioned in the second answer there sounds like what I have in mind but I'd need a software way of doing it since I can't tinker with the tablet's motherboard. I'm also not sure how much of the heat is specifically from the processor.

Something that occurred to me while researching this is that I'm not clear on exactly which areas relate to heat. I gather that the processor (and graphics cards? or is this only for gaming?) are particularly important for heat and cooling, I'm not at all clear if things like wireless adapter power settings would be relevant to heating. I couldn't find any comprehensive guide but while trying I did find this useful article: http://blog.laptopmag.com/5-simple-ways-to-cool-a-hot-notebook

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  • If the mystery downvoter could explain what their problem is, that would be constructive. I think I've clearly explained the problem, what I'm looking for, what I've tried, what I found in my research, and why what I tried and what I found in my research doesn't solve the problem.
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Commented Jul 23, 2015 at 18:10
  • Have you checked the power options in Windows? E.g. Power Options - Add or Remove "Min/Max processor state"
    – Andrew Morton
    Commented Jul 23, 2015 at 18:21
  • Interesting, not tried that yet, so presumably this means setting a "Maximum processor state" lower than 100% might limit how much heat is generated?
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Commented Jul 23, 2015 at 18:29
  • Yes, but I was thinking more along the lines of making sure that the processor is allowed to run at a lower frequency when it can.
    – Andrew Morton
    Commented Jul 23, 2015 at 18:35
  • Do you mean by setting a lower "Minimum processor state"? (also, while exploring in there, changing the "system cooling policy" looks like it will do some of what I want)
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Commented Jul 23, 2015 at 18:40

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