well i hope all works out for ya redneck...i am building a system for the first time myself in a month or so and those are good tips u gave there starkers...THANX!
There's not a lot to building a rig these days... with all the snap together components you hardly even need a screwdriver. Well to open the case you do, but the rest is a breeze if you follow the basic rules and common sense.
One of the basic rules is to wash your hands thoroughly prior to handling the components, then 'ground' yourself, which can be done by wearing a wetsuit and flippers, with a conductive wire attached to the weight belt and the other end attached to a spike which you hammer into the floor. Snorkel and googles are optional.
Oh, if you don't have flippers and a wetsuit, gum boots and some of that kinky rubber gear will do. 
The other thing to remember when inserting the CPU is not to go.....
about it like a mad bull (mad cow disease) in a china shop and screw up all THOSE effing pins....
Nah, seriously! It's not that hard. I usually install the PSU and drives in the case first, then the CPU/cooler and RAM on the mobo while it's still outside the case (remembering to ensure the CPU is properly seated before locking it down), then install the mobo and connect the PSU and front panel leads, etc, prior to adding the graphics and sound cards. Works for me.
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Oh, and Jafo, the only mad bull in a china shop, when installing my CPU, was running up and down my cervical spine, thus causing pins and needles and my hand to cramp up from pinched nerves. Bit hard holding on to a CPU like that... so I dropped it.
What surprised me, however, was the ease with which the pins bent (didn't fall far or with any force), and how easily one broke off during the techie's attempt to straighten them. Manufacturing and quality control seems sadly to have suffered with AMD sending much of its operation offshore (from the US). What we also discovered (probably due to harder economic times, the worldwide financial crisis, etc) is that AMD were/are accepting/approving very few returns... hence the desperate attempt to get mine up and running. Thankfully it fired up.
Starkers, I bought it online, thanks tho.
Oh, ok! Thing is, given AMD isn't accepting too many returns these days, and mine works famously without a pin, it might be worth your while seeing if somebody technically inclined can get it up and running for you. In my case, even though the new CPU would technically have worked, the old CPU had to be reinserted so the BIOS could be flashed/updated to enable the recognition of the new one. This can happen with some older mobos and newer CPU's that were designed with newer boards in mind, so it is worth a try.... it could very well work.
Here's hoping for ya. 
