Game freezes in both single/multi player

Hi, I have been at this for 2 days, and have tried the recommended steps and still no success. The game loads to main menu, but when I start a game, within 5-30 seconds freezes to the point where audio starts skipping and I am unable to Alt-tab or ctrl-alt-del.

I have updated graphics drivers, and reinstalled all MNC components. PLEASE HELP!

Here are my specs:

AMD phenom II x4 965 Black edition (Quad Core)
4GB of ram
ATI HD 5700. 1024mb Graphics card

Direct X appears to be up to date. What do I do?


P.S. I can play TF2 on full settings with 100-200FPS if that helps any. I doubt it's my hardware.

*bump*