Admittedly that's with a CPU with a 55W TDP (I'm targeting CPU a 35W TDP)
Don't take comfort from that!
TDP ratings aren't to be used like that. I don't think the actual heat outpit of those CPUs would be all that different. Hopefully the T part packs a more efficient GPU and operates at lower voltages but typically within the same generation the faster CPU heats up more. The 4130T is only barely faster so that's not a real concern but if you want lower temperatures, I must insist: do get a slower and cheaper CPU!
ok so let me get this right. Are you saying that a slower CPU such as a Pentium G2010
uses less power in practice?
Or when you say slower
do you literally mean lower clockspeed? Because the one I listed is already near the low-end of the spectrum that Intel offers. Incidentally, the even lower clocked Pentium models carry the same TDP or lower, so there seems to be a strong correlation between the indicated TDP and the clockspeed, which is basically what you're saying?
Personally I get the impression that the TDP figures for the different processor products in the Intel ARK database are representing the different processor 'bins'. If a CPU doesn't meet requirements of a certain TDP bin, it gets placed in the TDP bin one above. This does not mean that all CPUs with the same TDP use the same power, as it depends on the individual CPU's characteristics. However, it should indicate the maximum power draw you can expect from a CPU (in case you get unlucky and get a CPU at the upper TDP limit inside its bin). And maybe later into a production ramp, production of CPUs that end up in a low TDP bin might outstrip demand for them (as they are more expensive), which may let Intel sell them as a higher TDP bin part. This is all just a hypothesis and wildly speculative, mind you...
it'd be interesting to read a good analysis of the real meaning of TDP on Intel parts. If my hypothesis is right, the indicated TDP might not exclude that you can get a cheaper chip with a higher TDP rating using equal or less power than a low TDP rated part, but it definitely does not guarantee it! The Euler case review, where the G2120 with 55W TDP uses only 23W, but a i5-2500K with 95W rated consumes 61W (without stressing he CPU), show a power draw at different percentage of the rated TDP.