Noob in help

[Shinrael]

Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Intel(R)
Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.06GHz
3.08GHz, 2.50GB RAM
Radeon X1300X/X1550 Series
ATI Radeon Graphics Processor(0x7146)
128 MB

1280 x 1024

This is all the info about my computer that I managed to find.
As the title says I am a total noob when it comes to this sort of stuff.

What I need to know:
-How many cores have I got? ( I'm assuming it's one cus my comp feels pretty weak but that 4 infront of "CPU" is suspicious xD)
-Is it better that I've got 3.06 GHz? ( Some of my friends have 2.0 GHz but run better quality games. I'm assuming it's about cores but need to be sure )
-I want to run games like Skyrim/Tera on average graphics ( Atleast ) and without lag. I can play WoW with View Distance, Particle Density, Ground Clutter, Object Draw Distance, Textures on ultra and water on fair without lagging as long as there aren't some heavy effects or too many players. I want to be able to run WoW on ultra graphics without lag. Also Trine 2 and Magicka.
-Do I need any more RAM memory? What is the cheapest video/graphics card I can get that can fulfill my wish?

I live in Bulgaria, poor country, even poorer family. I have some miserable savings of 30 euro left. Will get around 40 euro in the beginning of the summer. ( after having paid lots for private exams and other stuff )

Thank you!

EDIT: Damn...I meant "Noob in need" for the title xD

[stalkerzzzz]

-it has 1 core
-the performance of a component can't be judged just by it's frequency. You have to take into account the architecture/cores and, usually, newer components have a better architecture which allows them to perform better, even at lower frequencies.
-I would advise against upgrading the current computer. If you were to upgrade something that component will be bottlenecked by the rest of the system.
-the weakest GPU I would upgrade to would be an AMD 7770, but, as I said, that CPU is way too weak to consider a GPU upgrade by itself.

[Towstie]

Well as you're on a pretty strict budget, it's going to be rough.

- Your CPU is a single core and severely outdated, seems it was made around 2002.
- It is a little better you have 3.06 GHz, when comparing to other generation CPUs, but any CPU made within the last 4 years will trump your CPU.
- You're going to want a dedicated GPU and one that has been made within 5 or so years. Maybe even a NVIDIA GeForce 8000 series or 9000 series.
- More RAM wont necessarily hurt, 2.5 GB is a little lacking, if you can, but some used RAM from online or local deals.


Also as stated above, I wouldn't bother upgrading your current computer. Try to find a used but little newer computer. Your system is way too outdated.

[Shinrael]

New comp aint really an option :/ Thanks a lot for the info guys. It's appreciated! I'll see what I'm gonna do...perhaps if I win the lottery ^^

[Deleted]

Buying a new computer with modern AMD processor isn't going to be expensive, but is fine for WoW for example. And you can slam a dedicated graphics card to it when you have money.

[Shinrael]

As I said buying new comp isnt an option for me. I guess I'll just wait 2-3 more years hehe. I might get a friend to give me his old video card but I dont know how to put it in and whether that is safe or not.