I'd thought of them but it still did not compute, Saab.
After all, the very same drivers are in use under battery power.
I still thinking it's a hardware/cooling issue. After all, in safe mode you have far less gubbins installed, etc, so a lower power demand (if there's a problem with a power component, for example, then it is less likely to go "Dunk" due to the lower power requirements of safe mode.)
If you can follow what I mean because I damn near confused meself there....