What power supply is recommended, and what are the critical power connections needed to boot the system?

ASUS recommends using a power supply unit (PSU) that complies with ATX 12V Specification 2.0 or later and provides a minimum power of 350W for a fully configured system. It is critical that you connect the 8-pin EATX12V power plug in addition to the 24-pin EATXPWR connector — otherwise, the system will not boot. If you plan to use two or more high-end PCIe x16 cards, a PSU with 1000W or above is recommended to ensure system stability. (Page 1-19)