Hi, its not a stupid question at all. It can get Very confusing since Socket 'A' had a Very long lifespan.
There are 2x versions of the 3000+ XP's. One uses the 333mhz (166mhz) FSB and the other is setup to use the 400mhz(200mhz) fsb.
The 3200+ is only setup for the 400mhz(200mhz) fsb.
All 3x are Barton based cpu's. That is, they have 512KB L2 Cache.
So, you need to check the chipset, revision, and such to see what fsb his board will support.
If its a 133mhz fsb only board, he 'might' still be able run the cpu's but they will be at a lower clockspeed. (Ex: if the cpu has a 12x Multiplyer for 166mhz, it will also use the 12x Multiplyer using the 133mhz fsb, and thus, it will run at a lower clockspeed.) If his board Does support the Throughbred CPU's, he 'might' be able to use a Barton based chip. But there are no definites on that.
So really, you need to find out what his board is and do some research.
PS: If its possible his board will support Mobile XP's, he can get one of those and they should OC very nicely if he has a board that can oc and support the cpu. They also run on the 266mhz(133mhz) FSB and are Barton based (512KB L2 Cache).
Sorry if I just ended up confusing you
Jason