Framedrops and sound getting chopped/distorted

[Bodmans]

specs
* Operating System: Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601)
* System Model: HP EliteBook 8560w
* Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2670QM CPU @ 2.20GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.2GHz
* Memory: 8192MB RAM
* Display Card name: AMD FirePro (TM) M5950 Mobility Professional Graphics
* Display Memory: 4095 MB

Since yesterday evening, my laptop is struggling.
Youtube videos on 1080p are choppy both visually and with audio. Any game I play is at very reduced framerate(for instance, 30 where I usually easily do 60), and whenever something happens that triggers more than 2 sounds, I just get a lot of distorted noise/static and my framerate takes a dive.

Any ideas?

 

[Ketchup]

Is your hard drive being taxed?

Do you know if the video card is using 4 GB of your 8 GB of RAM? That might be slowing you down as well.

 

[LTC8K6]

Running on the intel igp instead of the Firepro?

 

[Bodmans]

The problems mysteriously disappeared. I still have no idea about the cause, but I haven't changed/done anything

Is your hard drive being taxed?

I have no idea what this means, I'm quite the newbie

Do you know if the video card is using 4 GB of your 8 GB of RAM? That might be slowing you down as well.

I have nothing that indicates this, It's always run fine untill 2 days ago

Running on the intel igp instead of the Firepro?

AFAIK not

 

[bradly1101]

Symptoms like that can be caused by excessive dust/heat.

 

[Ketchup]

Symptoms like that can be caused by excessive dust/heat.

Since it started recently, that is a very probably cause.

 

[KillerBee]

or reboot your router