Okay, so I reformated again, and reloaded with the show album art option OFF. Once it was all loaded, I flipped it on, and it seems to be working fine now. The menus are a tiny bit sluggish at random times but at least everything plays without skipping.

Anyone looking for the fastest way to get album art on a PC, iArt is pretty much as good as I could find. Interface isn't beautiful but one you get it, it's fast and functional.