what the best chip for embedded

Perhaps this is too general, but...

I am planning an embedded board and would like to know what is the best of 
the low-cost 10/100 Ethernet chips.

Important for consideration:

- power usage
       (this will use POE and it allows about 13 watts plus a little)
- good linux drivers (of course)
- board realestate
       (the size of the chip and how much area it requires on the board)
- minimum load on CPU, as the CPU will not be so fast
       (this is a low cost embedded board)
- cost

Sincerely,

John Tully