re: Looking to upgrade processor - advice sought

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I don't think my video card (GeForce GTS 250 w/2GM VRAM) is the culprit as I don't notice the issue outside of online games (movies, browsing)

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There are some things wrong with these words up here. Browsers use much more CPU than GPU. And depending on your browser/decoder/player, your movie-watching may be more CPU-dependent than you think. Basically, had you said browsing and movies were exhibiting similar problems, I'd be more inclined to look at CPU/motherboard/RAM issues. But since movies and browsing aren't particularly tough on your hardware to begin with, it's more inconclusive. Also, it's hard not to cringe at the GTS 250, a card that was underpowered even when it was released. But if it gets the job done, no problem. Your game settings may be pushing it or your CPU too far.

You need to watch your CPU usage while gaming and see its highs and lows and whether or not they have any correlation with the frame drops. Monitor your GPU usage at the same time. And your frame rate. Adjust graphics settings and see how it affects all three.

That i3 well exceeds the minimum requirements for both games, and exceeds recommended requirements. For Marvel Heroes, your GPU barely passes muster for the minimum requirements (vram is not the issue or the determining factor in this case). Your CPU could still be the culprit, but you need to do the proper detective work or you might throw money at the wrong thing.