Thank you for the entertaining update, Captain. And congratulations on the arrival of a healthy happy son.

I did not have great luck with my Rampage Extreme Boards, either (2 down, now awaiting RMA). And, I wasted A LOT of $$ on the DDR3 ram, because it was 4x the cost when I got it. Almost gave up as well, so I can empathize with your tribulations. BUT, you prevailed, and glad you have a beautiful working system now!

BTW, have you considered getting an extension cable for your 8-pin connector? They work fine, and will allow you to route it behind the mobo.