Yes that is a problem. Triple check everything is right from the beginning and if it's still not touching contact support. Also check that you have the right block for your specific card make and model. Last thing I can think of is that the pads are the wrong thickness (there's multiple thicknesses available) so I'd go to support about that.
Marketing. Z87 boards from MSI/Asus/Gigabyte don't use junk on networking. The only real difference is the sound. If you are audiophile with like 1000 dollar headphones, it might be worth it. If you are using a few hundred dollar speaker setup or 100 dollar headphones? Good luck telling the difference.
Asus auto overclocking isn't bad on a dual rad water cooler either. Manual OC is always better, but if you don't feel like messing with it? Top end Asus boards can be nice I guess. OC'ing manually? All z87 are great. Even the cheapest ones.
You are mostly paying for looks past a GD-45. If they are important to you? Go for it. No one is going to judge you. Important thing is that YOU are happy.
