Hi Jim,
Your m/b appears to be a Socket 939 and this link has some very usefully info in it. http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1617

On top of what Al has said, just be careful when flashing the BIOS, make sure there no power outages when doing it.

Most Motherboards these days have a recovery process if the BIOS flashing process goes south, but some can be tedious.

Also be very aware of static when handling the components. i.e. keep grounding yourself back to the same ground that the component is on or use a wrist strap.

Maybe getting the Tech to do it would be wise, you don't realize the significance of static until you screw your first expensive component.

>With AMD's recent big price cuts and dual processors being all the rage, I'm thinking of getting one.
>
>My motherboard (a misnomer if I ever saw one) - ASUS A8V Deluxe - apparently supports the AMD X2s, needing a BIOS upgrade to do so.
>
>I've replaced just about everything in a PC box over the years, but never a processor with a heat sink.
>
>Is there a specific sequence of events that have to be done?
>- I *guess* I can update the BIOS before even buying the CPU. Correct?
>
>Can I do it in-situ, or do I have to dis-assemble the box to do it?
>
>Is there some trick to be aware of to pull the old one?
>
>Any hints/cautions/etc are welcomed.
>Thanks