Single page Print  Bringing it to the desktop: Asus' N4L-VM DH
Despite its new pin layout, the Core Duo's transition to the
desktop has been eased considerably by the success of Pentium M
desktop boards and by the inclusion of the Core Duo in a non-
mobile role as part of Intel's Viiv platform for home theater
PCs. The Viiv platform requires a dual-core Intel processor, and
obviously, Core Duo is a more attractive prospect for system
builders looking to produce a quiet PC for the living room than
the hotter, power-hungry Pentium D. A number of motherboard
makers have announced mobos for the Core Duo, many of them
designed to fit into the mini-ATX form factor and bristling with
the ports needed for driving home-theater-class audio and video
equipment.  The Asus N4L-VM DH motherboard  The Asus N4L-DM VH
was the first of these boards to make its way into our labs, and
so it captured our undivided attention. This is a micro-ATX-
sized board with little of the flair of Asus's high-end mobos,
but what's important is