Hey guys, thanks for the quick feedback!
Fasauceome, I just enabled XMP and got a slight improvement, but still 'way below expectations'... I'm considering formatting again, but I'm not sure if it would matter.
Quick note here: After I formatted, I realized that I didn't need to update the drivers, and the last time I formatted a computer (maybe seven years ago...) I remember I had to.
And yeah, the i7 was unfortunately way more expensive over here. I plan to upgrade my vga by the end of the year, but I think I'll be good with the i5.
Thanks again.