BIOS error?

[Play]

I've been recently playing some games that have biiig machine requirements (HL2, Sim2, Flatout...etc). My comp meets the minimum requirement stated in the readmes, but the games are stuttering, freezing, locking up after 2 mins of play, craching to desktop with no error messages, or not even start. My conf:

AMD Athlon XP 1700+
ECS Elitegroup K7VTA3 (3.1a) with VIA KT333 chipset
GeForce4 MX440 64MB +TVout
256 DDR
CMI 8738 4 channel sound (integrated AC97 disabled )
40GB Maxtor HDD
Win XP pro with SP1 and more updates installed (no SP2, it sux )

For "earlier" games (Sims1, GTA VC, Hitman x) there was no problem, or not recognisable, but newer games has some huge problems to run. I tired everything. I have the latest drivers for video/sound, defraged HDD...etc. But games, and some programs still refuses to run correctly. Sims 2 and others run smooth on my friends machine that is similar to mine, he only has Intel proc and MSI board.
I downloaded some monitoring apps, but the proc and the case is in the normal temperature scale, the fans working perfectly, voltages normal.
I got some memory apps, but the memory is not even 70% used normally...
Enlarged the swap file to 500MB.
My problem still stands. What on earth can be the problem????


Please help!

[Luciel]

man your system is rlly tight for those games, when they say min requirements it means that theyll run, doesnt mean theyll be playable, if ur tight on cash, the best buy u can do is an upgrade on graphics card (no point going for something above 128mb as u wont notice the diff with that system). Maybe update to 512ram too

[Big Country]

There's a minimum requirement and a recommended for a reason. Luciel is right. With minimum the game will run but don't count on actually playing it. I bought Doom 3 and My computer was a little over the minimum but it wouldn't play for more than 5 minutes before the game just closed down with no explanation. Had to build a new computer in order to play it. I would recommend the 6600GT video.

[Play]

OK, but the HL2 the Sims2 and others run just fine(no stuttering, freezing, graphics bugs) on my friends comp, the only diff is that he has Intell proc and MSI board. It is not that better. So I dont know, it must be something with my machine, but dont know what....

[Luciel]

some games are made to run better on some processors and some graphs cards, in any case, i dont think ull ever be able to play it decently on that machine : /

[Play]

Can be, but I'm not giving up just yet ! There must ba problem with my comp (maybe the BIOS, I'm getting certain), and I'm gonna make tha games run for good.
You have no ideas whats wrong, apart form that "you have a ****** machine" dialoge?