Yeah, I will have to try just skipping the into video and making sure the game itself is stable. I was just focusing on it since it was the first I discovered and provided a reliable way to repeat the issue. But as it turns out, I may have multiple issues. There was an issue running most games, that might still be related to the sound card. Going to try other games one at a time.
Agreed, knowing my board is likely fine is a huge relief... I know nothing last forever, but this board (despite being hard to get, especially a dual ISA version) has a bit of sentimental value as I am the original owner. 😀
Edit: just put the Audigy back in and to my surprise it shows up in device manger with yellow bangs. Despite having uninstalled it, clearly it doesn't remove the driver files completely.