This time around, we're seeing every major board manufacturer, ranging from Asus to Gigabyte to MSI producing Core Duo compatible desktop motherboards. However, the first to officially hit the market is from AOpen, who have finally merged the notebook qualities of Intel's Core Duo processor lineup with a true desktop class chipset with Intel's 975X, normally featured in high-end Pentium-D dual-core systems. GamePC take a further look at what Intel's latest architecture is capable of in a true desktop environment:

When the Core Duo is used in a desktop environment (something which Intel is now marketing as a fully supported scenario), we see performance levels right about on par with the fastest AMD Athlon64 X2 processors. In the majority of cases however, AMD's top of the line FX-60 processor does take the performance cake. However, the FX-60 processor is also quite a bit more expensive compared to the top of the line Intel Core Duo T2600 ($1100 vs. $750), and also consumes about twice as much power under heavy load. While the FX-60 may be a faster performer, we would go as far as to say that the Core Duo is a more attractive processor as a whole compared to the FX-60.

However, the Core Duo's lack of 64-bit processing will be a stumbling block, and the inability to use SLI graphics card configurations with the Core Duo processor will keep ultra-high end gamers away. However, AOpen has proved that it's possible to link up a Pentium-4/D chipset with a new Core Duo processor and have superb results. Thus, there's certainly the possibility of seeing an nForce4 SLI motherboard with Core Duo support in the future. However, with Intel's "Conroe" architecture on the horizon focusing at the high-end gaming market, it looks doubtful that the Core Duo and SLI will be linked together. While it might be an interesting combo, this would have the words "extreme niche market" all over it.

AOpen's 975x based Core Duo motherboard, the i975Xa-YDG, is an impressive but costly platform. With its $300+ price tag, the board is more expensive compared to top of the line enthusiast class Athlon64 X2/FX and Pentium-D/EE platforms, while the feature sets on these platforms would be a grade or two higher compared to the AOpen platform. However, we will say that the i975xa-YDG is an extremely slick motherboard, allowing for dual PCIe graphics cards, HD audio, eSATA, and DDR2-667 memory, all of which are firsts for a Core Duo platform. The vast majority of Core Duo platforms hitting the market will be mATX platforms with somewhat neutered feature sets to compensate for their smaller board layouts. The i975Xa-YDG is a true desktop platform all the way. The platform also let us overclock our Core Duo to 2.6 GHz with zero effort, providing downright phenomenal performance while maintaining excellent performance and close to zero noise.