hardware incompatibility or damage?

i have been having the biggest headache with this computer since the day i got it. it came with windows 7 installed and it was newly built. but the first thing i noticed was i'd get at minimum 1 BSOD per day. my first thought was that windows 7 was the problem. i "upgraded" to XP and sure enough, the blue screens stopped... or so i thought. they still happened, just not as frequent.
anyway, i've downloaded several updates via automatic updates and it seems the more updates i get, the buggier the system is. i'm greeted with countless crashes (though the BSOD is rare enough) sometimes it's web browsers that crash. any 3d games i play will work fin for a while, then the graphics get horrible so that you can't tell what anything is. sometimes a a random program will crash, and even system programs such as lsass. pretty much anything is prone and there seems to be no real way to effectively replicate a crash as what crashes one minute will work fine the next.

i've reformatted 3 or 4 times, tried different operating systems (currently back with XP) and always have the same result. as an added bonus, once i did this last reformat, i reinstalled windows, and soon as my internet drivers were installed i attempted to get an antivirus. i've tried about 10 different ones and either they won't finish downloading, won't install once downloaded, won't update once installed, and my personal favorite, the one that does update, loses it's updates within minutes.

i can see no possible way for this to happen unless the problem lies in the hardware as any installed programs/updates/operating systems seem to have the same problem regardless. not even updating my drivers seem to have any effect.

here's the hardware i'm using that may or may not be involved:
hard drive: WDC WD25 00AAJS-00L7A SCSI Disk Device
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 7850 Dual-Core 2.81 GHz
Ram 2x 1GB Gskill ram sticks
Motherboard: M2N68-AM PLUS
on board NVIDIA Geforce 7025/nForce 630a Chipset

if any more information is needed, ask and ye shall receive.

i will greatly appreciate any helpfull suggestions

 

I'm sorry but if you had BSOD problems starting the day you got this computer, your first thought should have been to take it back! Note that BSODs are typically caused by hardware problems or HW driver problems. A new box with Win7 installed should have the proper drivers installed so that pretty much leaves hardware problems. Contact the maker and get warranty support.

 

yes, i know, i know. unfourtunately, i've always been the "I can fix this. It's not beating me!" type... nine times out of ten, i am able to fix my issues on my own. and now it's too late.

@PeteC
Have already checked plug in cards for proper installation though i'm unsure on compatability. i have swapped ram chips around, and tried different combos of each (run only on one chip in slot 1, remove it, run chip 2 in slot 2, etc...)
i know not to touch the CPU/Processor+Heatsync
already checked fans. my sensors show that temperatures are in safe ranges.

however i had not known about the links you gave.
i'll try the ram configurator, disk diagnostic software, and the memory diagnostic.

in any case, i have been willing to bet all along that it's likely the motherboard. all i need is confirmation before i drop money on another one.
how reliable is the equipment at newegg.com?
specifically, the hardware found here

 

If you get problems on a new build, the troubleshooting I know is to take the motherboard out of the case, put it onto a sheet of cardboard or the antistatic bag it came in and connect it up to run there.

If you still have problems, you can rule out how the hardware was "built" (that is...how the computer was put together), but then you need to consider if the basic hardware is compatible. Asus have a CPU compatibility list, but I think they have only recently added a RAM compatibility list.

If your CPU is in the list, it might need an upgraded version of the BIOS, but the system is unstable so you should not run a BIOS upgrade (it needs to be run with a compatible CPU...or take your chances). Catch22, if you know that term. Anyway, you appear happy to change out the motherboard if needs be. Try to find the source of the problem yourself if you can, it will improve your experience level. I always enjoy a battle myself, rather than being told "this is the solution... ", I learn a lot more along the way.

Matt