Looking to upgrade AMD Dual Core CPU to Quad Core

Lunessence

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Sep 30, 2015
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Firstly, I'm trying to start getting into streaming on Twitch.tv and it's been suggested that it is not recommended to stream games with dual core AMD; at least a minimum of a quad core. I'm currently having a hard time getting a stream to actually work properly. This might be the main issue.

Secondarily, I want to try to be able to play Fallout 4 when it comes out on PC in November. If not, then no big deal, I'll see about investing in an Xbox One or PS4. Yes. Just to be able to play that game.

The current PC I have is a refurbished DELL Optiplex 740, slimline case. It was a cheap emergency computer purchase a couple years ago when my laptop completely died on me. I've upgraded the graphics card, RAM and operating system (to 64-bit).

My issue is, I have no idea where to find information about what kind of CPU or Motherboard I need to upgrade to. And, that: Do I need to update the entire Motherboard or just the CPU? How do I know if my current Motherboard can handle a CPU upgrade, and if so, what kind?

So far, I've been able to determine that I need CPUs like the following in order to be able to stream:

Intel:

Dual core Intel i3 23XX or higher: ultrafast/superfast
Quad core Intel i5 25XX or higher: Veryfast/Faster
8-core Intel i7 26XX or higher: Fast/Medium
12-core Intel i7 3930k or higher: slow
AMD:

Due to the low speed/IPC(Instructions per clock) of AMD CPU’s, it is generally not recommended to stream with a dual core or lower.

AMD FX series:
AMD FX 4100 or higher: Ultrafast/Veryfast
AMD FX 6100 or higher: Veryfast/Faster
AMD FX 8320 or higher: Fast/Medium

(source: https://twitchtips.com/elgato-game-capture-hd-obs/)

If it's possible to find a Quad Core CPU that allows DDR2 RAM, that would be wonderful. If I need to switch from AMD to Intel, I think I'm okay with that. AMD just tends to be a little less expensive. I would like to stay within the $200 - $300 (or less) range and it doesn't have to be the newest CPU out there. And if I have to do a complete system reinstall because of a new Motherboard, that's okay, too.

I currently have an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4600+ (2 CPUs), ~2.4GHz for my processor. I've been seeing info that I should possibly be looking into a Phenom II X4 capable motherboard. Will my current motherboard handle a Phenom II X4 ### CPU upgrade? Is that the right kind of CPU I need to be looking into? Is it possible that a Phenom II X4 is compatible for both DDR2 and DDR3 memory types? Does that mean I can use DDR2 memory with it?

Sorry for a barrage of questions, but I don't know where to find the right information!

Any help and info is appreciated, and thank you! These are my current specs (I grabbed info from both Dxdiag and Speccy):


Dxdiag:

Time of this report: 9/30/2015, 10:11:01

Operating System:
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1

System Manufacturer:
Dell Inc

System Model:
OptiPlex 740

BIOS:
)Phoenix - Award WorkstationBIOS v6.00PG

Processor:
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4600+ (2 CPUs), ~2.4GHz

Memory:
8192MB RAM


Speccy:

Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1

CPU
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ 48 °C
Windsor 90nm Technology

RAM
8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 400MHz (5-5-5-18)

Motherboard
Dell Inc 0PY127 (Socket M2 )

Graphics
Elgato (1920x1080@60Hz) (<---that's my external game capture device)
1024MB ATI AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (Sapphire/PCPartner) 45 °C

Storage
698GB Seagate ST375064 0NS SCSI Disk Device (SATA) 46 °C

Optical Drives
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GSA-H73N SCSI CdRom Device
DTSOFT Virtual CdRom Device

Audio
AMD High Definition Audio Device


EDIT: Taking a look at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285, that's well within my price range. I guess I just thought that anything above a quad core was going to be outside my price range. I'd be fine upgrading to any kind of core, as long as I can get it to work with my current motherboard, or know what other kind of motherboard I need to look into getting.
 
This would be your best bet. It gives you an intel core i5, motherboard, and switches you to DDR3 RAM, so you don't have to worry about old RAM not working.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($170.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $282.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-30 13:44 EDT-0400
 
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2WwGZL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2WwGZL/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $283.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-01 12:29 EDT-0400
Keeps with AMD as you asked for an AMD processor, 8 cores which will help with streaming (4 cores can be fully utilized by the game while the others handle your streaming etc), especially when overclocked (should be able to get at least 4Ghz)
Only uses 1 RAM slot so you can upgrade without having to switch kits and instead grabbing just one more stick
 
Cheap & cheerful options (I've assumed you want to use your current Dell case which means you'll need an matx board)


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($68.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus A68HM-Plus Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $168.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-01 12:42 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK Pallas Black 56.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock 970M PRO3 Micro ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($44.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $222.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-01 12:47 EDT-0400
 

How do you know the dell needs M-ATX? Genuine curiosity