I've speed read the entire thread and I still think the problem is not entirely solved... So I'm going to ask a stupid question... Are you running single channel memory or dual channel? Before you get your pitchforks and torches I saw someone solving the same problem on a similarly build laptop from another manufactor simply by adding another stick of RAM... Not sure why it solved the problem, not even the guy who did it undertood I guess, but the stutters and thermal throtteling went away.