It sounds like the Samsung drive is dying on you. It will get progressively worse in the coming months, so I wuld suggest you exchange it as soon as possible.
You may have a bad memory stick. It is best to run a system check or memory verification. Do you, by any chance, overclock your processor or graphics card? Also, is your system running hot?
There were some recent reports on the wire that EA is comtemplating a change in their Live position. We may see some Live-enabled games from EA by the end of this year.
How far away is your game console situated from your TV? If the component cables are less than a couple of feet, most cables (except for the el cheapo ones on Radio Shack) are sufficient. If you have to run the cables more than 10feet,...
I have an XP1900+ running on a Shuttle MN31N nForce2 mb with 1GB memory o/c to 320MHz. I used the onboard graphics and 6 channel audio out and I did not experience any frame drop out on any of the 720p...
My setup is pretty similar to yours. I have a panny L300u that is connected via VGA to my HTPC and component video throught a switcher to my XBOX, HD receiver and VCR. I am using the Audio Authority A/V switcher...