SIlkroad intermittently locks up (Not a common problem)

[Downgraded]

Silkroad will intermittently lock up on me. I can play for over 6 hours sometimes without a problem, other times it will lock up after about and hour, other times, within 5 seconds...
What I've tried so far (that I can remember, in order as well as I can remember)
reinstalled silkroad
re-download silkroad, and reinstalled with the new download
tried different chipset drivers
uninstalled my printer drivers
killing punkbuster through tasmanager, thinking punkbuster and GG were dicking around with me
reformatted (wrote zeros and everything)
took out my sound card and used my onboard sound

still locks up.
My system specs:
AMD Athlon64 x2 5200+
2x1GB DDR2 800
DFI LanParty UT 590 SLI M2R/G
Nvidia 8600GTS 256mb
Corsair vx450w
250GB Western Digital Caviar drive and 250GB Maxtor drive, both serial 3.0
SONY DVDRW 16x (IDE)
Windows XP Home (tried both SP3 and SP2)

I am using the latest drivers, and I do have it set to use only one core in the task manager. I'm running Silkroad in 1280x1024 (monitor's native resolution) and on "middle" graphic settings, with both visual ranges set to 5. It locked up on Large Scale Battle settings too. This is the ONLY thing I have problems with. I have another thread on it at a forum called techpowerup, they were unable to help, but I figured maybe you guys can.

[BlackFox898]

Is it just for silkroad that it locks up? Has it always been doing this since you've obtained your computer and/or tried out this game?

[Downgraded]

Yeah, silkroad is the only thing that I ever have problems with on this machine. It's always done this on this rig.

A couple years ago I played Silkroad and had no problems with it but that was with a totally different rig. I was using a socket 478 motherboard and a pentium 4 2.8, it had 2x512mb DDR400 and a GeForce 5200 Ultra

I thought it might have been my chipset (nforce 590 sli) until I saw this one dude's xfire... he had over 400 hours put into Silkroad, and he has a rig with a 590 chipset.

[BlackFox898]

well im not no expert but i guess it wouldn't hurt to jimmy some things around on your rig
first try changing hardware acceleration, right click on your desktop<properties<settings<advanced<troubleshooting. now when you get there you should see a slider bar, and i'm presuming that yours is at the 6th notch, put it too the 4th and try. btw i have also posted your problem on techguyforums(another techy forum) gl

[Downgraded]

I have it posted at techpowerup, but they think it's a video card problem. It can't be cause everything else works fine.

I'll try the acceleration thing next

[BlackFox898]

i've heard of people just having problems with certain drivers before too, maybe uninstall your new latest one if you have the old one or the CD that came with your card and try that? idk

[Downgraded]

It locked up twice yesterday. It didn't do it for a couple days and started up again.

[Downgraded]

arg still locking up.
oh well, I've pretty much decided to drop this game anyway. not only does it relentlessly piss me off, but it would take a good amount of time to get to a high level. I really don't see any fun in this past level 10 or so, it becomes pretty dull.