Is this a heat issue?

Pretty randomly, my computer has wierd hang-ups. Most of the time while playing guild wars.

Now, I know what "bad framerate" is and thats not what i'm getting.  Even the sound hangs up and produces some of the most annoying noises i've heard.

I will state my system specs when asked.

Could be a heat issue depending upon your config.  I have a Toshiba A75-S206 laptop that the manufacturer decided didn't need a Prescott-quality heatsink.  It gave me heat-based shutdowns all the time when running at full 2.8ghz. 

It could also be static discharging, because my Toshiba did that too... what sort of cooling system do you have on your system, what material is your case, and what material is it sitting on?  Carpet/hardwood/etc.?

ah. thanks for the reply.

Lets see... 1.7 Ghz processor with a rather bulky heatsink/fan... a metal case, looks like steel... (I removed the side panels to see if anything got better... it didnt.) Theres...1 case fan and the power supply fan.  It's sitting in a hardwood cabinet supposedly designed for a PC tower.