Upgrading: fastest cpu for AM2 Asus M2N SLI Deluxe

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Row1

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Hi - I built an AM2-based comp a yr ago. MB is Asus M2n sli deluxe. Processor has been AM2 5200.

Now that processors have advanced and prices have dropped, what is the fastest processor I can drop into this mb for at or under $100?

I can't figure out how to compare speed between AM2 and AM2+, plartly b/c it seems the hypertransport speed of an AM2+ chip will be limited b/c it is sitting in an AM2 MB.

I believe that if I upgrade to an AM2+, I will have to upgrade BIOS. Have people had problems migrating this Asus MB to AM2+, including the BIOS upgrade? THANKS!
 
9600 ordered. bios info?

hi - thanks. we have ordered the 9600. where did you get the bios info?
i always get frustrated by the asus website. was it there?
 
Yes, right off the Asus site. I have to agree about their website and so many other electronic manufacturer's websites, especially those in the motherboard industry. Not sure what the hell they're thinking during development but, it can truly be a frustrating experience to navigate their site.

Anyway, to find that info I went to the Asus support site (http://support.asus.com/default.aspx?SLanguage=en-us) and if you hover over the "Support" tab up top the first option in the drop down menu is "CPU Support". When that page loads, select "Motherboard" instead of "CPU" in the drop down box presented. This ought to give you a new set of options, allowing you to filter your CPU socket and motherboard model.

When your motherboard's page loads, you'll be presented with a list of supported CPUs and the PCB/BIOS versions they're compatible with.
 
all done. thanks!

we ordered the 9600. I had trouble upgrading bios. I searched the web, and figured out that the more "advanced" bios updaters just don't work, at least the Asus ones. So, did this the old fashioned way with awdflash.exe.

Because I failed at BIOS flash, one idea was that it might have been b/c the most recent was not stable. So, I spent time reading the tech info for eahc bios update until I found the one where the 9600 was covered: it was bios 1504.

Now, this comp has gone from am2 5200 to Phenom 9600. Sisoft Sandra shhows that we have doubled the gigaflops per second that can be calculated, and doubled pixels of multimedia data processed in those sandra benchmarks! A good upgrade for $100.
 
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