Lags and crashes, HELP

I recently got tf2, but I haven’t been able to play for more than five minutes at a time due to insanely horrible lagging. The sound files in the background loops, and the game lags in short 0.5 - 3 second intervals at seemingly random times. Eventually the lagging gets so horrible the half the map disappears, the entire game freezes, and I have to get out of it with the task manager. I've tried inputting "-dxlevel 80 +mat_antialias 0" into the launch options, and reducing all the graphics settings to the lowest. There are no other programs running while I play, and my firewall is not the problem (it’s off).

My specs seem just good enough to play the game on regular settings, but here they are anyway:

Windows XP SP3
MD Phenom(tm) 9600 Quad-Core
DirectX 9.0c
2.31 GHz, 3.25 GB of RAM

I have no idea what to do anymore.. Any know a fix?

Flame said:

#1. this is tf2maps.net not the steam forums
#2. you didnt post your video card information
#3. your dxlevel has nothing to do with music looping in the background
#4. OH HI WELCOME TO TF2MAPS.NET

Click to expand...

1
K, sorry, it looked like a general tf2 forum. Ill check with steam.

2
It's a ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics.

3
I never implied that, but thanks anyway?

4
Thanks.

The high fps configuration worked perfectly, thanks.