Overclocking the i5-3570K and Asus GTX 670 DCII

Hi everyone!

Just received the following components for my new rig:

CPU - Intel i5 3570K
Mobo - ASRock Z77 Extreme 4
PSU - Corsair TX 750 V2
RAM - G-Skill 2x 4GB Ripjaws (1600MHz)
Cooler - Corsair H100
Case - Corsair Obsidian 650D
SSD - Corsair Force Series GT (120GB)
GPU - ASUS GTX 670 DCII

I would like some perspectives on overclocking this particular Ivy Bridge CPU from members who've had prior experience with it.

The same regarding the ASUS GTX 670 DCII (Non Top edition). Which software do you recommend for OCing the GPU?

Ivy Bridge overclocking doesn't really differ from Sandy Bridge oc'ing. The base Vcore and maximum multiplier are different, but apart from that you're dealing with the same beast.
I'd suggest this OCN Ivy Bridge overclocking guide for ASRock motherboards -since it deals with precisely the same setup as yours ( no vendor specific UEFI layout/naming convention problems to translate). As for all overclocking endeavours, your achievable results are going to depend on the ASIC quality- and in the case of a CPU, board stability.

Either Asus' bundled OC utility ( TweakIT, GPU Tweak), or MSI's Afterburner (the latter includes MSI's Kombuster -similar to Furmark - for test stability testing)

Afterburner gets my vote, the interface is simple but effective, you can also create custom fan profiles (might not even need it for your DCII) and it receives frequent updates.

Thanks guys. Another question. In the Obsidian 650D the fan configuration is as follows:

1. Front intake (200mm)
2. Rear exhaust (120m)
3. Top exhaust (200mm)

I'm replacing the top fan by the H100. How should the fans be configured now?

One on top of the other in the bottom of a rubbish bin?

Semi-seriously, I presume you mean whether they should be push or pull. It doesn't really matter- either configuration is fine, although if pushed I'd say use a push configuration since it gives you easier access to cleaning the fans and becomes less of a chore when/if you have to replace them.
Seriously. I would consider a better quality fan. The Corsair units are sleeve bearing and tend to wear fairly quickly in a horizontal placement. Keep an eye out for oil leakage, though the noise levels should increase before that becomes apparent.

DBZ, I've been reading in some places that the single 200mm front intake might not provide sufficient airflow. So a lot of people use the rear 120mm as intake. Also, is it better to pull warm air through the radiator (fans above the radiator) or push warm air through it (fans below it)?

You can use the rear as an intake. It shouldn't represent any problem at all, excepting the need to source a fan filter ( I'd suggest a DemciFlex filter- flexible magnetic frame makes them a breeze to clean)

Performance wise there is no difference. Ease of maintenance might favour push config ( fans below the rad).

The back of my case will be quite close to the wall. Is it still a good idea to use the rear fan as intake? Do you have an approximate idea of how much the temps will differ in intake vs exhaust config for the rear 120mm?

Having a wall in close proximity to the fan isn't ideal in either push or pull. In a usual exhaust orientation, air hitting the wall could produce a slight amount of back pressure to lessen the fans effectiveness, although ~100mm of space between the chassis and the wall would be fine for either orientation.

Wouldn't have a clue about temps tbh. The particular chassis, heat coming off the back of the graphics card pcb, and CPU/VRM voltage are going to make your setup somewhat unique. I doubt there would be much difference between either orientation. Corsair specified intake for the rear fan/rad setup for H80's (and the like) if they were mounted at the rear fan position to help cool motherboard VRM and socket area - that's not an issue with top mounted radiators.