New build, no signal to monitor & optical problem

Hi, my name is Dustin. I'm 16 years old, taking a networking class, and am new to the world of computers. I just got a computer build for Christmas, and put it together myself for the first time. I'll list the specs below, but the problem I'm having is that the computer will start, but I can't get the BIOS to show up on my monitor.

Specs:
AMD FX-6200 Six Core, 3.8GHz/4.1 turbo w/ stock fan & heatsink
Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 mobo
WD Blue 1TB Hard Drive
Crucial Ballistix 2x4 8GB Ram, DDR3 1333
XFX GeForce 620 Core Edition w/ 2GB video card
Aztec 620W PSU
Lite-On Blu-Ray optical drive
Cooler Master Elite 311 Case
Samsung 20" monitor

I plug in the HDMI to the graphics card, which is working because the fan is spinning, and the monitor will blink red at the bottom power button or switch from analog to HDMI, basically getting no signal. I've tried booting with just one stick of RAM in the proper slot, unplugging everything except the CPU, CPU fan, case fan and hard drive w/ no RAM stick and it won't work. All the LEDs on the front work, except one when the SATA/Serial ATA cord is unplugged from the optical drive. Also, the optical drive will open once you press the button, then shoot right back in very fast. When I unplug the Sata/Serial ATA cord, which causes the left blue LED on the front of the case to disappear, the optical drive will work fine and won't close by itself. Those are my only two main concerns. I've tried putting in my Ubuntu OS disc into the optical drive to see if anything would show up on the monitor then, but still nothing. I just want to have my desktop up and running ASAP. Please help, and thank you very much for your time.