Could my problems running NFSC be a hardware problem?

[Aaron123321123]

I bought a new dual core i7 8 gigs ram geforce 740M laptop and I'm having a couple problems. Sometimes the cursor freezes for 5-10 seconds when browsing the internet, sometimes when listening to music on youtube the music "freezes" and repeats the same tone for 5+ seconds.

Also some days I can run Need For Speed Carbon on high graphics settings and it runs well other days I can't even run it on low graphics settings. I get extremely low framerates on those days like 1-3 frames per second. I made sure there were no processes running in the background.

How can I test if this is a hardware problem so I can get warranty replacement or repair if necessary? I'm running windows 8 and the game is compatible with windows 8 http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/CompatCenter/ProductDetailsViewer?Name=Need for Speed: Carbon&vendor=EA&Type=Software&tempOsid=Windows+8

What could the problem be?

Also I re-installed the graphics driver twice. Product name: HP Pavilion 15 Notebook PC product number f0G97UA#ABA

 

[BrightCandle]

It seems unlikely the game is the issue.

There are few things to look into that could explain the cause:
1) Power saving settings, are you on balanced/high performance.
2) CPU and GPU clock speeds are they remaining consistent? CPU-Z and GPU-Z will tell you.
3) Is the machine even using your 740m? The embedded Intel graphics could be getting used and causing some problems.

 

[Aaron123321123]

How do I make sure my 740M is being used? Will GPU-Z tell me?

I installed GPU-Z and it looks like my computer is using the graphics card and the integrated graphics. Is that possible?