Wasn't sure where to put this but I figured this thread would be a good place for a post on the topic of the impact of CPU operating temperature and the minimum Vcc needed to maintain stability, contrasted with the resultant power-consumption of the CPU.
These tests were conducted with a 2600K and an NH-D14 (both lapped) using NT-H1 thermal paste.
What the graph shows us is nothing more than what many of us already know, but it does confirm our expectations with data.
Depending on my fan configuration, and the ambient temps, I can run the 2600K at 4.5GHz with as little as 1.294V (measured w/multimeter) while being LinX stable for at least >= 5 passes (roughly 1.5hrs) provided the temps stay below 69°C.
The power consumption for the CPU while loaded w/LinX is 128W at these settings.
If the CPU max temps go above 69°C then I have to bump up the Vcc one notch to 1.298V and the power usage takes a minor jump to 131W.
As the operating temperature continues to rise the power consumption also continues to rise (for deeper explanation for why this occurs
see this thread), and eventually we get to an operating temperature for which even the 1.298V is no longer enough to ensure LinX stability (around 93°C for this setup).
At that point the CPU require yet another voltage bump, to 1.304V, and now the power consumption is around 146-147W. Nearly 14% higher power usage than the same chip operating at the same clockspeed but with a lower voltage and lower temperature when the cooling is superior (30°C cooler, 63°C vs 93°C).
Keeping your CPU cooler will enable you to attain the same clockspeed with less voltage, a double benefit to lowering power consumption which itself feeds back into the equation to help keep those temps lower.