No you are right, its probably not your hardware or your software..
Since a recent patch many people are complaining of consistant and predictable CTD, Ive never had ONE until recently, now I get them all the time.
There is an excelent thread on silky venmon for 8800 users.. if you have an 8800! - but has general good tips on solving the problem through ini settings.
For me though, the only solid solution was DONT USE THE TORCH! sounds silly but it works
