TyCom Systems BeOS Ready List

PowerPC Systems Capable of Running BeOS

Looking for a PowerPC-based system that is BeOS capable? Or wondering if your current system can run BeOS? Look no further, the following list contains all current PowerPC-based models (that we are aware of) which are BeOS Ready. This information is updated at regular intervals to include new models and any status change on existing models.

For compatibility information regarding BeOS for Intel release, see our Intel Architecture BeOS Ready Systems list and the FrizBe Hardware Matrix.

This list is current for the BeOS 5 for PowerPC, as of March 01, 2002. This list is not significantly changed from the prior BeOS Ready List for PowerPC.
Minimum Hardware Requirements

A BeOS Ready PowerPC System. See below for a complete list.

32 megabytes of RAM minimum, more recommended.

150 megabyte hard disk or hard disk partition (SCSI or IDE).

Running on a 100 meg partition, e.g., on a Zip drive is possible but not recommended.

CD-ROM drive (SCSI or IDE).

Keyboard and mouse compatible with your hardware.

ADB mouse and keyboard for Macintosh compatible systems, serial or PS/2 mouse and standard PC-style keyboard for BeBox systems. A two (or more) button mouse is recommended. An extended keyboard is recommended.

Built-in or bundled graphics circuitry or card.

BeOS supports the built-in graphics circuitry of all BeOS Ready Macs, as well as the most commonly bundled graphics cards for Macintosh systems without built-in graphics systems.

Multisync monitor strongly recommended.

While fixed sync monitors are supported by BeOS, performance may be affected, since fixed sync support disables all graphics hardware acceleration.

Network connection via Ethernet or PPP (modem, serial ISDN, etc.) recommended.

BeOS supports the built-in Ethernet interface of most BeOS Ready Macs, and also supports PCI Ethernet cards based on the DEC 21040/21041 chipset (most of Farallon's 10-Mbps cards use this, as do cards from Kingston; check your favorite hardware vendor for specific part numbers).

Only external modems and ISDN interfaces are supported for PPP under BeOS (though check with your hardware vendor to see if they have a BeOS driver for their internal cards).

BeOS Ready Systems

BeOS Ready Systems have been tested by Be for compatibility with the BeOS, and are fully supported by Be. That means if you have a problem running BeOS on your system, we'll do everything we reasonably can to try to help you out.

Many available systems are not currently on the BeOS Ready Systems list. To appear on the list, the system must be tested by Be, in Be's compatibility labs. Because we are a small startup company, it takes time to test all systems. As soon as we do know if a machine is compatible, we'll add it to the list. Really.

Important: This is absolutely the most current information available on BeOS for PowerPC compatibility. We keep this list completely up-to-date with the latest BeOS compatibility status on every Power Mac model. Unfortunately, we do not have any further information on BeOS for Power Mac compatibility. If a Power Macintosh or compatible clone is not mentioned on this list, we have not tested it for compatibility.

Be, Incorporated

BeOS is, of course, supported by all BeBox dual processor computers (Rev 6 or greater). The BeBox is no longer sold. For more information on these systems, see the BeBox Zone.

Power Computing

System Name
BeOS
Ready
Processor
Bus

PowerTower Pro MP Yes 604 PCI

PowerTower Pro Yes 604 PCI

PowerTower "e" Yes 604 PCI

PowerTower Yes 604 PCI

PowerCenter Pro Yes [1] 604 PCI

PowerCenter Yes 604 PCI

PowerBase Yes 603 PCI

PowerWave Yes 604 PCI

PowerCurve No 601 ???

Power 100/120 No [2] 601 NuBus

[1] To be accessible by BeOS, SCSI devices must be plugged into the on-board SCSI bus, not the bundled Adaptec PCI card.

[2] Support for NuBus-based systems will not be available.

Apple Computer

System Name BeOS
Ready Processor Bus

Power Mac G4 (all) No [7] G4 PCI

Power Mac G3 (all) No [7] G3 PCI

Power Mac 9600/300 (or faster) No [5] 604 PCI

Power Mac 9600/250 (or slower) Yes/No [6] 604 PCI

Power Macintosh 9600 MP Yes Dual 604 PCI

Power Macintosh 9500 Yes 604 PCI

Power Macintosh 9500 MP Yes Dual 604 PCI

Power Mac 8600/300 (or faster) No [5] 604 PCI

Power Mac 8600/250 (or slower) Yes/No [6] 604 PCI

Power Macintosh 8500 Yes 604 PCI

Power Macintosh 7600 Yes 604 PCI

Power Macintosh 7500 No [1] 601 PCI

Power Macintosh 7300 Yes 604 PCI

Power Macintosh 7200 No [3] 601 PCI

Power Macintosh 4400 Yes 603 PCI

Performa 6500 No, UbC 603 PCI

Performa 6400 Yes 603 PCI

Performa 6360 Yes [4] 603 PCI

Power Macintosh 8200 No [2] 601 NuBus

Power Macintosh 8100 No [2] 601 NuBus

Power Macintosh 7100 No [2] 601 NuBus

Performa 6300-series
(except 6360) No [4] 603 NuBus

Performa 6200-series No [2] 603 NuBus

PowerMacintosh 6100 [2] No [2] 601 NuBus

Performa 5500-series No, UbC 603 PCI

Performa 5400-series No, UbC 603 PCI

Performa 5200-series No [2] 603 NuBus

PowerBooks (all) No Many Custom

Apple Network Servers (all) No 604 ??

[1] You can upgrade your 7500 with a 604-based CPU card, for as little as $60 (that's not a typo), and get both a major performance boost and a system which is most likely BeOS-compatible.

[2] Support for NuBus-based systems will not be available.

[3] Support for PowerPC 601-based designs will not be available.

[4] The Performa 6360 motherboard is very similar to the Performa 6400, so BeOS will run on 6360 models. It will not run on any other Performa 6300 Series computers due to significant differences in the other motherboards in that series.
[5] These systems are based on a revised logic board design that may not be supported by BeOS. Support for these systems is undetermined. It might work, but it probably won't.

[6] Some 8600/250 and 9600/250 are incompatible with BeOS. It seems there are two versions of the logic board for these particular systems, one that works, one that doesn't.

[7] BeOS is incompatible with Apple's new "G3" and "G4" systems, including the iMac and iBook.

UbC See the Unsupported but Compatible systems list at the end of this document.
Each Apple model is based on a different hardware design. Be would like to support future Apple models in general, but support for each specific model will need to be determined at time of introduction of the new hardware, and is completely dependent on cooperation from Apple.

Motorola

System Name BeOS
Ready Processor Bus

StarMax 3000 Yes 603 PCI

StarMax 4000 Yes 604 PCI

StarMax 5000 Yes 603 PCI

All PowerStack Designs* No Varies ??

* PowerStack, and other PowerPC-based workstation designs, are different from Power Macintosh systems in fundamental ways, and are unsupported by BeOS.

SuperMac/UMAX

System Name BeOS
Ready Processor Bus

S900 Yes 604 PCI

J700 Yes 604 PCI

C600 Yes 603 PCI

C500-series Yes 603 PCI

DayStar

DayStar Digital has gone out of business, but new DayStar systems, including multiprocessor systems, can still be purchased from MacWorks.

System Name BeOS
Ready Processor Bus

Genesis MP Yes/No [1] Quad 604 PCI

Genesis MP Yes Dual 604 PCI

nPower Dual Processor Card Yes [2] Dual 604 N/A

[1] Some DayStar quad-CPU systems have revised logic boards, and because DayStar no longer exists, we can't get technical information about these revisions. Therefore BeOS does not run on later quad-CPU systems.

[2] Supported when this card is used within another BeOS Ready system listed on this page.

APS Technologies

System Name BeOS
Ready Processor Bus

M-Power 604e200 No 604 PCI

M-Power 603e200 No 603 PCI

PowerTools

System Name BeOS
Ready Processor Bus

Infiniti 3xxx No 603 PCI

Infiniti 4200 No 604 PCI

Notes

Important: This list is provided for informational puposes only. Support for any particular hardware platform may change without notice. Be cannot be held responsible for the use of this information, or the appropriateness of any purchase decisions based on this information.

Definitions

BeOS Ready: This system is capable of running BeOS Release 4.5. Note that at this time, Be provides support only for BeOS Release 4 and Release 4.5.

Processor: Processor upon which this machine is based. Note that "603" refers to 603-family processors, e.g., 603, 603e, 603ev. Likewise, "604" refers to both the 604 and 604e processors.

Bus: Bus architecture upon which this machine is based. Note that even machines without expansion slots are based on a bus architecture.

Intel Hardware Compatibility

For information regarding BeOS for Intel release, see our Intel Architecture BeOS Ready Systems list and the FrizBe Hardware Matrix.

PowerPC 750 Support

BeOS Release 4.5 (and BeOS R3 and R4) should run on otherwise BeOS Ready Systems which have been upgraded with a PowerPC 750 processor card -- this configuration works for many customers -- but this configuration is unsupported.

BeOS Preview Release (1 or 2) will not run on systems with a PowerPC 750 processor, whether this processor is built-in or added on a processor card to an otherwise BeOS Ready System.

Unsupported But Compatible Systems

As a convenience for our customers, we are now maintaining a list of systems which, while not fully supported by Be for running BeOS, nonetheless are reported to work with BeOS. These "Unsupported But Compatible" systems generally support BeOS as fully as any BeOS Ready System, but because we don't have one in our lab, we cannot commit to fully supporting those systems at this time.

Appearance in this list is not an endorsement by Be, nor a commitment to test or support these systems now or in the future. It is strictly a way for customers to find out more about using BeOS on their systems. Be cannot be held responsible for the use of this information, or the appropriateness of any purchase decisions based on this information.

To install BeOS onto these systems, don't run the "Prepare Mac for the BeOS" installer script as described in Step 3 of the installation instructions (the document "Installing the BeOS"). Instead, manually copy the "BeOS Mac Tools" folder to your hard drive. Open it, and drag the "OS Chooser" application to your System Folder, and allow the Mac OS to put it into your Extensions folder. Then continue with Step 4 of the installation instructions.

Apple Computer

System Name
Processor
Bus

20th Anniversary Macintosh 603 PCI

Power Macintosh 6500 603 PCI

Power Macintosh 5500-series 603 PCI

Power Macintosh 5400-series 603 PCI

Processor Upgrade Cards

NewerTech 604 PCI

NewerTech 750 ("G3") PCI

Bottom Line Railgun 750 ("G3") PCI