Since the error happens in multiple software, I would test the CPU and memory to rule out hardware problems. To test the CPU, I would use Prime95 and run each of the 3 torture tests for an hour each. To test the RAM, you can use MemTest86+ or Window's built in memory diagnostics. If either CPU or memory fails the test, contact the computer maker for warranty service.

WRT browser, I switched to Chrome beta from FireFox when Google announced that each tab runs in its process to prevent one page crashing the whole browser. That was in 2008. Microsoft implemented the same idea and released IE8 in 2009. Firefox promised and worked on multi process browser for the longest time before finally cancelling the project in 2011. That's when Firefox is done for me. I only use FireFox to verify sites will show up right, not for development.

Chrome seems more bloated and is more memory intensive due to the muti process architecture, but it is not uncommon to see one FireFox process consume hundreds of MB of RAM.

It is possible to control how much information Google collects when using Chrome: 1. Change the Google settings in Dashboard, 2. Sign out of Google account in Chrome, and 3. Use Incognito mode.