Very odd it doesn't work; I had a C1 Q9550 in a BlackOps board & it worked well, not as well as the ASUS board it replaced but it worked.
As Rich37 said it could possibly be the RAM you're using. I was using Crucial Ballistix at the time.
If you're familiar with disabling services you can always trim down the non-essential ones. Black Viper's website is a great resource for definitions on services and which ones he deems suitable to be disabled. Always make a note of what you're disabling and what the original state was and do...