HotHardware.com published their evaluation of a new Asus motherboard design to bring Intel's Core Duo processors to a micro-ATX Desktop platform.

The appeal of the Asus N4L-VM DH motherboard will differ greatly depending on which market perspective you're looking at the board from. If you're looking at the platform as a high-end gamer or workstation user, we would recommend that there are better options for you at this time, in comparison to this Asus motherboard. However, for those looking for an ultra-low noise, ultra-low power system configuration, which can still perform on par with hotter, noisier dual-core desktops, the N4L-VM DH fits nicely.

The perfect place for this motherboard will be in a Home Theater PC configuration. The Core Duo can finally keep up with other dual-core processors in terms of video playback and encoding, and the chip simply sips power rather than gulping it. Combined with the 7.1 Dolby Digital audio abilities of the N4L-VM DH, instant power on/off, Gigabit LAN, eSATA, and micro-ATX board layout, this board is a perfect match for a modern HTPC configuration. The only downside, we wish the motherboard supported DVI video output, as this is a much higher quality and flexible format for HTPC users. However, one can simply throw in a cheap PCI Express graphics card if DVI is really needed, not to mention, that option would definitely upgrade your gaming performance as well.