The best CPU below $100

[Dirk Broer]

Cheap alternatives

And that's cheap in the sense of operationally cheap

Platform	CPU	Cores/Threads	Tdp	Below $100 2nd hand?	Below $100 new?
AM3	Phenom II X6 1065T	6/6	95 Watt	Sure	Don't think so
FM1	A8-3820	4/4	65 Watt	Sure	Don't think so
AM1	Athlon (any)	4/4	25 Watt	Sure	Don't think so
AM3+	Opteron 3380	8/8	65 Watt	Perhaps	Don't think so
C32	Opteron 4365 EE	8/8	40 Watt	Perhaps	Don't think so
G34	Opteron 6366 HE	16/16	85 Watt	Perhaps	No
FM2	A10-6700	4/4	65 Watt	Sure	Don't think so
FM2+	A10-7860K	4/4	65 Watt	Sure	Don't think so
AM4	A12-9800E*	4/4	35 Watt	Yes	Yes
TR4	?	-/-	180 Watt min.	No	No
SP3	?	-/-	120 Watt min.	No	No

*=Would have been a Ryzen 3 2200GE, if they were sold...