it either wasn't the board or I got 2 defective ones in a row because it still wont work. I'm really at my wit's end.

have u checked to make sure u do not have the board shorted some where? also check u're power connections, and that the power button is plugged in right.

The board isn't even screwed in. I have it running on a cardboard box/it's anti-static bag. I don't see where it could be shorting. It wouldn't power on if the power button wasn't plugged in right, but I'm sure it is anyway. The power is in right. I am going to send it for repairs and hope that they fix it up to work in my system. Because I got 2 with the same problem I'm sure it's either an incompatibility with my CPU, my CPU is dead or my power supply is bad. I'm thinking incompatible, since it was tested by someone else with multiple CPUs just to make sure. For all intents and purposes it should be booting with enough tries, but it just isn't.

On one of my builds I had a bad ASUS MOBO and a bad Antec PSU. I was pulling my hair out. It would not post and it also was shutting down and restarting. I purchased a new PSU (sunday)also because I was affraid the PSU might zap the new MOBO.I had the PSU tested and it was bad also. So who knows if one fried the other. Who would have thought that both were bad. It fired right up and has been reliable ever since.

The moral to the story is, buy your components from a computer store near you if you can. The added cost is worth being able to take it right back instead of shipping back and forth and waiting. And, just because they may be well known brands, they can be just as bad/unreliable as the cheaper brands.

It helps me to add the components one at a time if I am troubleshooting a problem.

Good luck.

Asus boards seem to be very vulnerable to damage to the CPU connections - inspect them with a magnifying glass and if you see the slightest difference in any of them that is probably the problem,
Asus can be really unhelpful about sorting this - they sent a board back to me with "user induced damage" or similar on the box and now refuse to discuss it. As I buy 20/30 boards a month sometimes they are the ones hurting. Arrogance is stupid!

If I could start all over I would have gotten my components locally, hands down. Live and learn. If they send it back to me saying "user induced damage" I'll cram [Insert futile threatening unpleasantness here]. I looked at it before sending it out and it didn't have any signs of damage at all. And I wrapped it up so well in bubble wrap even UPS cant screw it up (no offense to UPS workers).

Anyway, I'll update again once something changes.