Let's take the Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 and P8600 for an example. Both have a 3MB cache and a 1066MHz FSB, but the P7350 runs at 2.0GHz, while the 8600 runs at 2.4GHz. Is there a tradeoff between heat generation and performance?
Answer
Yes! All else being equal (that's key), a processor with a higher clock speed will use more energy and therefore also produce more waste heat.
Sometimes manufacturers can redesign a processor in a more-efficient way, or move to a different manufacturing process, or other factors can influence how much waste heat is generated such that faster processor could even use less energy. But, given the critical "all else equal" condition, a faster processor runs hotter and there is a tradeoff between speed and heat/energy use.
In fact, there's a growing market out there for processors that are intentionally underpowered to serve as cpus in computers that don't need great performance.
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