If this only happens with Civ IV, it doesn't mean that your computer is bad. There are so many apologists, who are unwilling to accept the fact that this game is poorly coded. It has incompatibility issues with certain setups, memory leaks, graphic issues, stuttering. You can't play the game, unless you surpass the recommended settings on the box. This game is poison. When it works, its fun; the rest of the time, its irritating trash.