In need of an AM2 CPU for old computer re-build (<£100, idiot within)

[Bubbus]

Hi FP, Earlier this year my old computer died and you were all kind enough to help me with a new system. (ps i love you)
Now I need help again.

[url=http://dl.dropbox.com/u/902553/Pictures/Other/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.PNG]The old computer's CPU died[/url], but I reason that the other components should have a year or two left in them. Thus, if I get a new CPU which complements the parts I have, I can get my little sister a decent rig for her birthday. Here's the specs:

[release]
[b]RAM[/b]
[url=http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1251gb-corsair-xms2-ddr2-pc2-6400-%28800%29-240-pins-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-5-5-5-18]4x 1GB DDR2 Corsair CM2X1024-6400[/url]

[b]Motherboard[/b]
[url=http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM2/M2N32SLI_DeluxeWireless_Edition/]ASUSTeK M2N32-SLI DELUXE (Socket AM2)[/url]

[b]Graphics[/b]
[url=http://xfxforce.com/en-us/products/graphiccards/9series/9600gt.aspx]512MB XFX GeForce 9600 GT[/url]

[b]Power Supply[/b]
[url=http://thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1172&ID=1899]500W Thermaltake TR2-500[/url]

[b]Hard Drives[/b]
2x 250GB Seagate ST3250310AS (SATA 3GB/s)
Couldn't find a good link for this, sorry.

[b]Dust[/b]
A millimeter thick, cozy layer upon most surfaces. Slightly off-colour grey. Fashionable winter wear for hardware everywhere
[/release]

The CPU was an [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athlon_64_X2]AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ (Windsor)[/url], and the computer itself was built in 2008. I've been looking for a socket AM2 compatible processor which isn't overkill (or the opposite) for the parts listed, for under £100. Problem is, I just don't know enough about the processor market to make an informed decision. So, can anyone help me?

[sunny946]

[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-athlon-64-3400plus-socket754-newcastle-core-24ghz-512kb-cache-oem[/url]
Is the only AM2 I could find on scan
And Ebuyer.
[url]http://www.ebuyer.com/171694-amd-athlon-64-x2-7550-2-5-ghz-socket-am2-2mb-cache-oem-ad7550wcj2bgh[/url]

[billyjohn86]

[QUOTE=sunny946;34002826][url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-athlon-64-3400plus-socket754-newcastle-core-24ghz-512kb-cache-oem[/url]
Is the only AM2 I could find on scan
And Ebuyer.
[url]http://www.ebuyer.com/171694-amd-athlon-64-x2-7550-2-5-ghz-socket-am2-2mb-cache-oem-ad7550wcj2bgh[/url][/QUOTE]

Not all AM2 motherboards support AM2+, most manufactures such as ASUS have released BIOS updates solving this issue though.

[Reapaninja]

there's a BIOS update for that mobo that should allow you to use AM3 CPUs, in which case an Athlon II 640 is probably the best choice
but depending on what this will be used for that might be a bit much to spend if it's just going to be facebook facebook facebook

[url]http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpu_support_right_detail_mkt.aspx?SLanguage=en&p=1&m=M2N32-SLI%20Deluxe&cpu=Athlon%20IIX4%20640%28ADX640WFK42GM%29,3.0GHz,512KB,rev.C3,95W,SocketAM3&pcb=ALL&sincebios=5002&memo=beta[/url]

[Bubbus]

Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it!

I didn't know about that BIOS update, that's a great help! I found the [url=http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-athlon-ii-x4-640-propus-quad-core-s-am3-3ghz-2mb-total-cache-ht-2000mhz-95w-retail]Athlon II 640[/url] at Scan, and I agree that it might be overkill for her. She does play some 3D games though. The reason I'm doing this is that I saw her playing New Vegas on her old Dell office box at less than 10fps and a manly tear rolled down my cheek. :(

Two minutes later I came across the [url=http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-athlon-ii-x2-265-regor-dual-core-s-am3-33ghz-2mb-cache-ht-4000mhz-65w-retail]Athlon II 265[/url] which I [i]think[/i] will still outmatch the old processor (after some benchmark googling). Is this right?

[Juggernog]

If you can afford the Athlon II 640, I'd go with that. The Athlon II 265 doesn't seem to have much in the way of benchmarks though, so I don't know how well it'll perform.

But yeah, I imagine that the Athlon II of any description will outclass the Athlon 64 X2.

Also if you got the Athlon II x2 you could get it a new GPU - not saying the 9600GT is bad, but I heard it's not the greatest.

[Bubbus]

Alright, that's fantastic news. I'll go for the 265, and a large can of air to remove the 'clothing' from all the parts in the case. :v:
The only problem I have now is updating the mobo before I install the new AM3 processor. Let's see if I can get the flaky Athlon 64 to crunch a few final instructions...