(SWTOR) Does this mean I need a better CPU?

[MiRai]

Hardware questions go in the hardware forum.

I thought these were dual core only.. Why do I see (4)?

Hyper-Threading

Game play is difficult in some spots. Will pushing an i7 cut the usage? and is it predictable enough to tell me by how much?

Assuming you have the Core i3 2100... that CPU is on par with the old Q9550 from four years ago. A 2500 or better
will of course give you better results assuming the rest of your system can handle it.