I purchased an Asus P5L-VM 1394 from Newegg with an Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz LGA 775 processor and 2GB of Corsair RAM. I cannot get the computer to show anything on the screen (not even the BIOS). When I power the machine on, there is no "beep" and nothing happens. I swapped RAM modules with other known, good working modules, and I also tried different RAM configurations. I removed everything from the motherboard except for the processor and RAM and I still couldn't get it to boot. I swapped the processor with a different Intel Core 2 Duo E6300, 1.86GHz 775, and it booted up fine! I was able to get to the BIOS screen, etc. I sent the Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 CPU back to Newegg and I received a brand new one back. However, when I put it in my Asus P5L-VM 1394 motherboard, still nothing happens. The specs for this motherboard state that it supports Intel Core 2 Duo CPU's. What am I doing wrong here?

The E6550 is a 1333MHz FSB CPU & isn't supported by your motherboard. In the future, always check the support list before buying a CPU. http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/...

Wow! Thanks! That would explain it. I was starting to suspect something like that. I guess I need to find a good motherboard with a firewire interface and a x16 graphics interface. Any recommendations in the $80-100 range?

My processor is a DuoCore 2 6600, similar to your's. When I built there were few motherboards released for that processor. I chose the MSI 975X Platinum Power-Up Edition and had few problems. My second choice was the Intel 975X. I'm sure there are many more motherboards on the market now to choose from; I haven't kept up with it. You can use the shopping tools at NewEgg to find boards compatible with your processor and that have the capabilities you need. http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCate...

Thanks! I ordered the MSI G31M-F LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard ($69.99) (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813130124) and requested an RMA Refund from Newegg ($12 restocking fee).