IMHO, what you're doing is far from cheating. The first step in any invention is analytical - figuring out what the user needs, and that's what you're doing.
The PC I use every day is a laptop, so I might have some valuable input for you if you're intrested. One of the greatest problems I have with mine (a Compaq nx6325) is heat. I'm not referencing the core temperature (roughly 40°C when idling and near 75°C when under heavy use, so it is a problem nonetheless), what I mean is the heat of the box itself as a whole.
Let's say, I'm multitasking, and encoding live TV for later viewing while I'm also typing an e-mail. Since the CPU has a rather large load, the case heats up. Most of the heat is vented out the left side via a rather noisy fan, though a still-considerable amount can start to get annoying where I'd usually put my hands (
here, if a reference picture would help). To say the least, on a hot day it can get a bit annoying.
I've looked in advance into my currently-existing options. Underclocking the CPU, though it would reduce the temperature, isn't practical: if I were to do that, I might as well have purchased my laptop for $250 less given the smallest possible decrement. There are cooling 'mats' that can be placed underneath the laptop, though these seem like they would only be effective internally rather than at the surface. I'd rather not have to wear insulated gloves as a solution, either.
Hope this helps...
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Laptop: HP Compaq nx6325 - Turion 64 X2 @ 2GHz, 2GB DDR2, 100GB HD, ATI Radeon X300, 15" LCD, Seven Pro
Handheld: Palm Treo 650 - Intel PXA270 @ 312MHz, 10MB RAM, 32MB flash, 2.7" LCD, Palm OS 5.4