Never upgraded my CPU before; need help/advice

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Blorli2

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So I'm thinking of upgrading my CPU since I've just recently upgraded my GPU. But, I've never upgraded my CPU before and I've run into a lot of different variables when it comes to upgrading and it's a little overwhelming. I've been thinking of buying either the Intel Pentium G3258 or the Intel Pentium G3250. I was thinking of going with an AMD, but I read online that my Intel motherboard won't support an AMD CPU.

Here are my specs:

Make/Model: Dell OptiPlex 755 64 bit
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6550
Motherboard: Intel 0GM819
Chipset: Intel Q35 Rev A2
Southbridge: Intel 82801IO (ICH9DO) Rev 02
GPU: ASUS R7 250X Series

Basically my question is whether the CPU I'm thinking of buying will work or not with my motherboard(if it's compatible). This is for a gaming PC. Also, I would like to know if I should be upgrading my GPU instead for better performance, or if my CPU is what's lacking.

Also also, I'm not sure if this matters, but I'm a little confused about integrated video cards. Do they matter? I mean, can I still use my current GPU and not worry about the integrated video card at all? Do I have to replace my current GPU? Sorry, I'm sure it's obvious that I'm new to this.

Thank you all for your time and please let me know if you need more information! Thanks again!
 
Solution
Geekwad
You will need to start from scratch (for the most part), with the exception of your GPU. It will still be better than almost all integrated graphics on CPUs you'd choose, so at least you can continue to game as your invest in your system.

What kind of budget do you think you'd be working with? If you can make it around $500, then something like this could give you a good base system to work from:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.99...
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BadActor

BadActor

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Totally different socket and the RAM will have to be changed as well. You could go to an older quad core for a little performance bump, especially if you want tun a bigger graphics card, but really, that money would be better spent on a new build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $256.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-29 21:06 EST-0500
 
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Blorli2

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By build do you mean the WHOLE of my computer? Or just motherboard, CPU, and GPU?
 
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Zerk2012

Zerk2012

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Your PC is just old it's time for a new build really everything. You could reuse your video card but for gaming it's not really up to todays standards. You could buy a upgrade for the processor on Ebay or something but not really worth the price. If you have your original hard drive it's even at the end of it's days.
 
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Blorli2

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I'm sort of on a budget...upgrading my whole computer isn't really an option for me. All I want is just a little bit more performance. Is there a different route I can take besides upgrading my whole computer?
 
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Zerk2012

Zerk2012

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I figure you have a Dell PC or something so any upgrades would be limited by your hardware and what BIOS updates could be made.
 
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Blorli2

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So do you recommend I buy a whole new computer or upgrade what I have?
 
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Zerk2012

Zerk2012

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The best advice I can give you is be careful who you listen to on the net for advice.
Upgrading your processor is like putting a band aid on your jugular. A processor upgrade would help some but you would still have very dated hardware at todays gaming standards.
If you have a store bought PC you would need to list the exact make and model number to even get a possible CPU upgrade anybody that tells you this will work is stupid!
You need exact information to make a suggestion.
 
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BadActor

BadActor

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If you upgrade only the CPU, you probably won't see a whole lot of difference unless you are a heavy multitasker or in to editing/rendering. For gaming with your GPU, you won't see huge FPS gains. For the price of a 775 socket CPU you could get a newer generation quad, which perform better and give you the option of going to a bigger video card later.
 
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Blorli2

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Which quadcore do you recommend? Does it have to be Intel?
 
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Blorli2

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The guy at the store we bought it from said he "custom-made it" specifically for gaming...it was a very small store.
 
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Blorli2

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If verifying it is using CPU-Z, then yes.
 
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Blorli2

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Thanks a lot! Btw, if I were to upgrade my whole PC, around how much do you think it would cost?
 
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Blorli2

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Well, like zerk said, I guess my computer is super old. In order to get it to today's standards, I guess I would have to upgrade the motherboard first right? And then from there the CPU and GPU? Or is there more to it than that? Exactly what part of my computer makes it old?
 
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