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The best method I've found for straightening bent CPU pins is to use a mechanical pencil with the lead removed. Just insert the tip of the bent pin into the pencil and use it to straighten/align it. When removing a heatsink after unlatching the retention mechanism, wiggle/rotate it somewhat before attempting to lift it from the processor. Most thermal pastes have a tendency to set up a bit once they have been in use. That should prevent your damaging any more pins in the future.
Nothing wrong with your choice of CPU. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. On the mobo, I use a DFI LanParty board. The LanParty line is for their high end boards with tons of options in the BIOS for tweaking and overclocking (if that is your thing). The CPU/mobo/GPU/RAM all appear to be compatible.
If I understood your post correctly you are saying that this is the second board that has fried/died on you? If that is the case, I would be more concerned with that than anything else. Your PSU is an excellent brand so I would not think that is the source of your issues (although you can get a bad one with any brand). It is possible you got two bad boards in a row (although that too is unlikely). In your position, I would check all the component connections to ensure that something is not connected incorrectly. Generally (not always) if a board is going to die it will do it immediately or way down the road. Do you have a UPS/surge suppressor on your system?
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