Poor performance from a high-end build?

[VeeGeeTea]

his CPU is a 3570k <--- notice the k? its sold specifically for overclocking.

3000's k series aren't enthusiasts level as the multiplier's locked, you'll need 4000's k series to be able to o/c.
Just because it has a K doesn't mean it's meant for O/C.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardwar...overclocking/1

[Zakatikus]

3000's k series aren't enthusiasts level as the multiplier's locked, you'll need 4000's k series to be able to o/c.
Just because it has a K doesn't mean it's meant for O/C.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardwar...overclocking/1

You seem to be wrong. The K indicates it's unlocked/overclockable. That article just said that "the 4000 series will also use the same K designation". You can overclock the 3570K on accident by sneezing - that's how easy it is.

[Vanidin]

3000's k series aren't enthusiasts level as the multiplier's locked, you'll need 4000's k series to be able to o/c.
Just because it has a K doesn't mean it's meant for O/C.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardwar...overclocking/1

OP, don't listen to this guy.

Have you looked at the power state of your video card while the framerate problems are happening? I have an I5 3570k and a GTX 660 on win8 and have every once in a while noticed the frame rates go from the normal 40-60 (I run 1080p with maximum) to more like 20fps occasionally. When this happens my 660 is also in 2d mode, which means the gpu is running at a minimum clock rate instead of full speed... 435mhz instead of 1120 or so. (The numbers aren't exact, just an example) Restarting my computer fixes it, it seems like the gpu got stuck in the lower power mode... I'm not sure if it's a driver issue or what. This has been an infrequent issue for me, only has happened twice that I can remember.

[donatom3]

You really don't know much about the cpus do you. 3000 is Ivy Bridge aka 3rd gen, 4000 is Haswell aka 4th gen. The K stands for unlocked multipliers. It has since the 2000 series processors.