I've got a Thinkpad T41 with an Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1600MHz and an ATI Technologies Inc Radeon Mobility M7 LW [Radeon Mobility 7500] (all of 32MB!) and 1024MB RAM.

Anyway, on KDE3 temps weren't bad:
Without any 3d stuff I'd hover around the upper thirties °C while idle. When working with firefox and openoffice open I might hit the low forties °C (in fahrenheit °98 idle to °110 working).

With KDE4 before 4.4 they went up a little:
Always had effects, mid forties °C (~ °F 113)

With KDE4.4:
Without effects and idle I get an unbelievable low 32 °C (°F 90) and with 3D and stuff open and busy between 36°C and 40°C (97°F to 104°F)

Seriously cool

Awesome. Did you happen to have Akonadi or Nepomuk enabled and to what extent? ( ie. Strigi enabled / KAddressBook open )

No akonadi/nepomuk at any stage. When I fire akonadi up temps shoot up to around 42° - 44°C (~ °F 112)

Under full whack, however, temps can reach 80°C (~ °F 176). But how often do you burn a dvd while playing a heavy duty game?

40 C on my system w/Akonadi and Strigi indexing (at full CPU usage, when I do analyses, it's around 55 C).

Hahahaha - I _idle_ at the UPPER forties. Not to mention I have a cooling pad right underneath my laptop. When compiling (Gentoo, yo) it can go up to 90 degrees but I'm careful to watch it.

Yep, but then again I have an Acer. Terrible, terrible airflow. Almost nonexistent.

My desktop idles around the low thirties, but I have seen it hit 40 or even 42 at peak times

Compiling gentoo? Surprised your machine doesn't go into a hyerthermal meltdown

Solder is a fusible metal alloy with a melting point or melting range of 90 to 450 °C...

That's why I keep a very close eye. Scale the CPU frequency if I suspect it's hitting the 90s.

Agree. KDE is for advanced computer hobbyists and Newbies that want the best.