Originally Posted by Freebase Dali

Most likely your computer is overheating.
Go to Google and search for a free CPU temperature monitoring program. Run it while you're putting a lot of load on your computer and it should warn you if it's getting too hot.

When your processor reaches a certain borderline temperature, there's a mechanism in place to shut your computer down so that your shit doesn't get fried. Ensure your computer is adequately ventilated and all fans are in proper working order. If you're using a laptop, do NOT place it on your bed as the vents under your laptop will be obstructed.
If necessary, you can buy (for very little money) a fan-stand for your laptop that circulates hot air away from the under-side of your laptop.

If none of that works, you may need to add more thermal compound between your processor and the heatsink above it, and/or replace the fan on your motherboard. This is hard to do for a laptop, so weigh your options in terms of price and effort, especially considering the age of your computer. Parts do just eventually begin to fail.

This is all general information, as I'm not aware of your specific system and whether it's a desktop or not. Laptops are notorious for overheating and hard to repair. Desktops are a lot less likely to overheat and the problem may be indicative of hardware malfunction, which happens to be easier to replace than with laptops.


As far as your computer running newer games, you'll probably find yourself getting a better video card and more RAM. That's easy (for a desktop) and less costly than buying a new processor, which may not be necessary. Giving us the specs of your computer would help recommendations.