[ndesaulniers]

> I remember that a browser dev increased the Nexus 5's benchmark score drastically by placing it on a bag of ice.

If the browser was stressing the system to the limits of the thermal envelope, then by being able to dissapate heat faster, you can schedule more work to be done delaying any kind of frequency governing.

[funkedelic_bob]

That's crazy. I wonder if I can increase my output from my laptop working in front of an open freezer :P

[kalleboo]

You can use Intel's power gadget to see the status of your CPU's temperature, power usage and clock frequency (i.e. if it's boosting, or if it's being throttled) https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/intel-power-gadget...

e.g., if I start an h264 encode, first my CPU boosts, reaching 3.3 GHz (it's a 2.7 GHz i7), but after a minute, it's dropped to 2.4 GHz due to the thermals. Wouldn't surprise me if I stuck it in a freezer it would stay at a higher frequency.

[randomdestructn]

Depending on laptop, quite possibly.

If it's thermal throttling, then cooling is going to help.

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/06/if-you-water-cool-the-new...

[on_and_off]

During the heat wave last summer, my mac book pro became very noticeably slower.

Heat dissipation is a real issue for many devices.

[barrkel]

When we switched to laptops from desktops at work, a full build including tests took quite a bit longer and a lot more variable in time; thermal limiting appeared to be the reason for the variance.

[simonh]

You can get laptop trays that are supposed to improve heat dissipation.