My home PC is an AMD quad-core Phenom, & I've had zero BSODs or issues with it.

As for my previous PC (also AMD-based), the only reason I ended up having to replace RAM & multiple hard drives in it was due to heat: insufficient space in the mini-tower for fans, & insufficient ventilation in the case -- in fact, near the end of its useful life I was at the point of leaving the side panel off & directing a small fan directly into the case onto the hard drives just to keep everything from overheating (which, of course, wasn't good for keeping dust out).

If the chip was having issues, you probably could have turned it in under warranty & replaced it. Would have saved you some time & effort.