ok, small update:

apparently, there is a newer non-speedstep kernel by Netkas that i never knew about. i'm trying it out right now with some torrents and i'll let everyone know how it works after some hours of monitoring. i checked the idle temperatures on it, and it's waaaay lower than my previous kernel with "idlehalt=0". it's a difference of about 12 degrees. so that voids my theory that idlehalt is the same thing as speedstep when it comes to temperatures. definitely not :P so we'll see what happens.