I'm not at all suprised at the responses i'm getting. I guess many of you are unaware of just how resource intensive bitcoin is. I will also reiterate, if bitcoin is the only thing running, it doesn't overheat as bad. it gets warm but not overheating. its when i'm doing my normal multitasking (ssh, filezilla, dev-c, npp, skype, toggl) that it happens. the same thing happens during skype calls as well.
Yes, bitcoin core is CPU intensive (at least until it has caught up with the blockchain), that's no secret.
But there are several thousand users all over the world who are able to run it on hardware ranging from top-notch speed demons to computers salvaged from scratch heaps. Somehow, overheating does not seem to be a common problem for them, maybe because the hardware and operating systems they use are able to cope with CPU intensive stuff.
If your laptop isn't able to either transport the heat away from the CPU when it's under full load, or reduce CPU speed so that it does not create so much heat, it's a problem with your laptop and the operating system it runs. Bitcoin core can't fix that problem.
I already suggested to check for temperature management software - do you have anything like that? If not, you should definitely install it.
Onkel Paul