I built my computer a year or two ago and spent a decent amount. Lately my games have been really choppy after I play them for a while. I'm guessing it's because the video card is getting hot or old? Is there any way to remedy this without buying a new card?

computer specs?
what game?
hows the temp of CPU/GPU when gaming?

Download afterburner and set a custom fan profile, see how hot your card gets. Or just tell everyone what you're running.