The BeBox Circa 2001

Want to build the ultimate BeOS Dream Machine?

By Oliver Thylmann, BeNews

Wednesday March 14th 2001, 12:39pm

Original article by Stanislav Kelman of TechOpinion.org and GeekBuilder.com
Edited by Eugenia Loli-Queru and Oliver Thylmann of BeNews

Special thanks to Jean-Baptiste M. Queru of Be, Inc. and Kurt von Finck of Gobe, Inc. for their technical insight and invaluable suggestions. (Editors Comment: JBQ is married to a BeNews Editor and Kurt is a BeNews editor too :))

Believe it or not but it?s been more than four years since Be, Inc. has discontinued production of their fabulous multi-processor BeBox. In its own time, it was not only a true marvel of technology, but also a distinctive work of geek art. The BeBox will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most daring designs of the decade past.

However, time didn?t stand still and nowadays it?s hard to impress anybody with a computer featuring 133MHz processors and an array of antiquated ISA slots. Not only that, but it is highly unlikely that Be will even support the original BeBox in the next release of BeOS, as they have pledged to do so only till the end of 1999. In fact, there is a chance that they might drop PowerPC platform development all together.

So, even those who are still holding on to their precious BeBoxen are probably looking for a replacement, assuming they don?t have one already. For them, as well as for all the other readers of BeNews, we are pleased to bring an up-to-the-minute Guide to building the best BeOS-compatible machine. And we mean the kind that could (hopefully) make even Joe Palmer, the mastermind behind the original BeBox, proud.

A couple of months ago, when we started working on this Guide, we set a rather simple goal for ourselves. Basically, we tried our best to compile a list of premium components that would together amount to the finest BeOS-compatible computer that US$2K can buy. And, thanks to the nice folks over at StreetPrices.com, we were able to find the very best deals available.

Naturally, we have our own preferences and what works for us might or might not be the best choice for somebody else. In particular, if you are planning to use your computer with multiple operating systems, make sure that every component is supported by all of them. In other words, we encourage you to make adjustments, whenever necessary, so that your computer would become a truly personal one - unlike all those bland Windows machines that are now collecting dust on the shelves of your local CompUSA.

Mr. Palmer would not approve if we suggested anything less than a multi-processor design. BeOS is known for its SMP abilities, so it would be an unforgivable oversight not to take advantage of them. Besides, switching CPU?s on and off on the fly - now that?s the ultimate geek experience! So, we will go ahead and recommend a dual-Intel Pentium III configuration. Why Pentium III, you might ask? Well, we are going to answer that question in the next paragraph, but if you are growing impatient, feel free to skip it.

Anyway, let?s look at all the other CPU options. First of all there are no PowerPC G4-compliant motherboards that are available in retail, so obviously we are stuck with the x86 platform. Secondly, while processors made by AMD generally offer better price/performance ratios than those from Intel, it is still impossible to build a dual-Athlon machine. Hopefully, that will change later this year and perhaps BeOS will start supporting AMD-specific 3DNow! instructions as well. Thirdly, as far as Celerons go, there is currently no easy way to utilize them in a dual-CPU configuration. Due to the fact that the acclaimed Abit BP6 motherboard is no longer produced, you will have to mess around with Slot-1 to Socket-370 ?slocket? adapters, but it takes a brave soul to embark upon such an adventure. Lastly, the new Pentium 4 is not only priced sky high, but also does not even support SMP quite yet. All in all, Pentium III is pretty much the only game in town.

Now, there are plenty of motherboard chipset choices that can accommodate two Pentium III?s. Options include Intel 820/840, Intel 440BX/GX, ServerWorks ServerSet III LE/HE, and Via Apollo Pro133A. However, of all of these, only the last one is geared for the desktop PC market, provides modern functionality, and works with mainstream (meaning: inexpensive) memory types. We could talk about the issues associated with selecting a motherboard for hours, but that would probably bore you to death. However, if you would like to educate yourself on all the available choices, feel free to click here.

But we are not done yet! There are two distinct kinds of Pentium III CPUs that are being offered. The more ?traditional? cartridge packaging for high-end Intel processors is Slot-1, but the chip giant is supposedly doing away with it. Instead, the less expensive Socket-370 configuration is gradually taking over the market, so we are recommending it instead. Luckily, the first Socket-370 dual-processor motherboards based on the Via chipset started to appear on the market a few months ago.

One particular board that just came out is Abit VP6. It has been getting really glowing reviews lately and is being often regarded as the hottest motherboard around. According to StreetPrices, one of these beauties can be had for as little as $152. Alternatively, you could save yourself about $30 if you buy a Micro-Star 694D Pro. The latter is another outstanding offering that foregoes RAID capability, which is not supported by BeOS anyway.

If for whatever reason you still favor Slot-1 processors, cannot live without ISA slots, or strongly prefer to use a motherboard that is officially supported, consider a similarly priced Tyan Tiger 100 (a.k.a. S1832DL). However, you must keep in mind that this board is based on an older Intel 440BX chipset and therefore only supports 100MHz system and memory buses.

As for the processor speeds, they now go up to 1.1GHz, but the price/performance ?sweet spot? is still somewhere below the coveted Gigahertz mark. Right now, it is being occupied by Pentium III FCPGA 800MHz, which go for about $168 a piece. However, make sure that you are getting the kind that supports the faster 133MHz front side bus, or else you could be seriously missing out on raw speed. That is of course unless you go for a BX-based motherboard, in which case you should probably pick up a pair of 800MHz SECC2 chips with 100MHz FSB, which sell for about $184 each.

While we are on the subject of performance, let?s talk about memory. We suggest a minimum of 256MB PC133 SDRAM. Please note that this memory is supposedly backwards compatible with older motherboards, such as the above mentioned Tiger 100, although it would only perform as if it were clocked at just 100MHz. However, if you really insist on sticking with proper system design guidelines, you must match BX-based motherboards with PC100 RAM.

With memory prices as low as they are, a module of Kingston memory will set you back only about $85 for PC133 or $93 for PC100, so you might as well go for a brand name. Incidentally, the original BeBox could only take up to 256MB, which at that time was considered an insane amount of memory and could easily cost as much as our whole system does these days.

In order to experience the full power of modern video acceleration, you should not skimp on your video adapter. However, 3D video support under BeOS is rather limited, so you should choose your card with extreme caution.

There has always been a heated discussion on whether to go for 3dfx Voodoo4/5 series or ATI Radeon DDR. However, with the sad demise of the former, there is a significant danger that your investment in it might not be supported in the long run, so nowadays Radeon is poised to win by default. Plus, the recent tests conducted here at BeNews have demonstrated that, while using beta drivers under BeOS, Radeon is capable of some truly impressive performance. Unfortunately, Radeon drivers have not been publicly released, but should be available in the near future. Therefore, this is what we must refer to as a ?forward looking? recommendation.

For those who are not in the know, we must also mention that even though 2D drivers are currently available for nVidia GeForce2 cards, the chances of getting OpenGL acceleration for them are extremely slim. Read the latest developments on this matter right here. Finally, we did consider Matrox G400 and G450, but these guys are already a whole generation behind the leaders of the pack.

All things considered, ATI Radeon DDR with 64MB of RAM has emerged as our most likely recommendation. It appears to be a good value and, once 3D support under BeOS is finally updated, you could be easily getting your $185 worth of performance. In the meantime, a Voodoo5 5500 AGP card can serve you well and we?ve seen these boards selling for as low as $141.

As far as sound goes, we suggest buying what is arguably the best deal in audio boards to date, the one and only Creative Sound Blaster Live! card. If you are interested in a good gaming bundle (for Windows, naturally), consider the X-Gamer version, which retails for about $69. On the other hand, if your system is being built for use under BeOS alone, you will be better off with the Value edition, which can be had for as little as $46.

Alternatively, if you want to make sure that your sound card performs flawlessly right out of the box, consider buying a $59 Sound Blaster PCI 512. This board is based on the same chip as SB Live! and has been known to require virtually no tweaking under BeOS.

Magnetic storage is so cheap nowadays that even if you don?t think you could ever use it up, you might as well get tons of hard disk space without breaking the bank. However, this only applies to IDE drives, which are just about given away, while SCSI units of equivalent size still cost quite a bit. Not to worry, though, as modern ATA/100 drives perform almost on par with their SCSI counterparts, particularly as far as regular desktop applications go.

In any event, one particular bargain is IBM Deskstar 75GXP, a 45GB drive. With performance near the top of the pack and prices near the bottom, this unit seems to be the one to get at the moment. If you plan on installing multiple operating systems, or doing a lot of graphics work, then $147 that you would pay for one is money well spent. To tell the truth, however, we are not partial to IBM. Hard drives are becoming more and more of a commodity, so if you can find a good deal on a high capacity unit from Quantum, Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor, Fujitsu, or Samsung, there is no reason to take IBM over any of them. Just make sure you are getting one that?s rated at 7200rpm and you should be in a good shape.

One more thing. If you choose a BX-based motherboard, you will probably need to buy an extra ATA/66 controller for your hard drive. The most popular one around is Promise Ultra66 PCI, which can be had for as little as $19.
A brand-agnostic philosophy can be also applied to CD-ROM drives, which are, for the most part, highly indistinguishable. Still, there is one that clearly stands out, and that is Kenwood TrueX 72x. Not only does this reader provide superior performance which is consistent across all the areas of a disk being played, it is also one of the quietest units on the market. In order to achieve such impressive results, the engineers at Kenwood are employing a groundbreaking split-beam technology which allows their drives to read 7 tracks at the same time.

On the other hand, if $89 sounds like a whole lot of money to pay for top-notch CD-ROM performance, then there are plenty of other less costly brands, such as Creative Labs, Acer, Delta, and Hi-Val.

Of course, a lot of BeNews readers would not be satisfied with just a plain CD player and are more than willing to pay a little extra to get CD-RW capabilities. However, none of the burners listed on Be?s support site are any longer produced, so we must rely on user feedback to know which ones actually work.

It appears that most of the newer Plextor and Toshiba drives are indeed compatible. Our current recommendation is PlexWriter 12/10/32A, which will set you back about $202. You could obviously go for a 16x unit, but at this kind of speed you might have some problems with real-time audio decoding.

What about DVD-ROM, you might ask? Well, for that we?ll have to wait until Be resolves the licensing issues. In the meantime, the slot-loading 16x drives from Pioneer seem to be all the rage.

Last but not least, just in case you need to boot from an old-fashioned floppy, make sure to install a 3.5? floppy drive, which shouldn?t cost you more than $11. In our labs we usually use Teac brand units, but those from either NEC or Mitsumi could serve just fine as well.

The original BeBox had a stunning industrial design, so it would not be appropriate for us to settle for a simple beige case. Some might argue that all that matters is on the inside but we dare to differ. Clearly, solid construction and generous expendability are also important, but we still think that a 21st century computer case should be easy on the eyes as well.

Although there are plenty of options out there, we decided to recommend the great-looking Aqua Blue from ColorCase.com. This case can be fitted with either steel or aluminum chassis and is explicitly certified for use with dual processor systems. ColorCase also offers a choice of noise-reducing power supplies, of which the mid-level 330W unit offers the best value. And, for about $130, the whole thing is only slightly more expensive than any comparable bland box.

However, if the very thought of a case that is anything but utilitarian seems like a waste of your valuable resources, check out the all-time geek favorite - Enlight. While we recently got one of those with a power supply that was dead on arrival, these cases have a well deserved reputation for being among the best. Other alternatives include Antec, A-Top, In-Win, SuperMicro, and Yeong Yang, just to name a few.

Naturally, no computer would be complete without a large monitor and Trinitron FD flat screen tubes are hard to beat. You could certainly get one directly from Sony, but you would be just paying a hefty premium for the brand name. Instead, we suggest you save yourself some cash and order a 19? KDS AV-195TF, which features a 0.24mm aperture grille pitch and a maximum resolution of 1600x1200x85Hz (excellent performance/features). We?ve seen them sold for as little as $379.

Obviously, there are many other choices, but few contenders have managed to stay on top for a long time. Among them ViewSonic and Samsung are best known for their good values while NEC and Mitsubishi rule much of the high end.

As for the flat-panel technology, it needs to come down in price before we could recommend a ?space-saving? monitor. When faced with a choice of a cute-but-tiny 15? flat TFT panel or a giant 21? CRT for about the same price, we somehow tend to prefer the later. Oddly enough, we don?t have much passion for electric cars either. We can only hope that Mother Nature can forgive us for not being environmentally conscious?

Then there is the small matter of input devices. We think that you would indeed be doing your own hands a huge favor if you get a good keyboard. A high-quality pointing device, whichever type you fancy most, is also essential. Although some folks like those exotic ?ergonomic? shapes, we tend to favor more conventional ones. But either way, if you are ready to go to the next level, make sure that you set yourself free from wires. In fact, we couldn?t be happier with the fabulous Logitech Freedom Cordless Desktop, which can be had for mere $55 and includes both a keyboard and a mouse.

Whoever still thinks that a $10 keyboard is ?good enough?, has never typed a research paper overnight. A poor soul who said that a $5 mouse ?would suffice?, will be forever left wondering why he cannot get to the next level in his favorite game. And, he who has not experienced the freedom of not having those damn wires cluttering his desktop, will never know how badly his comfort is being compromised. Enough said.

Another often overlooked peripheral is the speaker system. Even if you already have a good standalone A/V setup, you might still want to listen to music while working on your PC, particularly if you have a collection of MP3 files. Besides, BeOS is a ?MediaOS?, so it?s only appropriate to give it a chance to shine at what it does best.

Our current favorite is Monsoon MM-700 flat panel speaker set from Sonigistix which has earned a number of ?Editor Choice? awards. Not only do these speakers sound great but they also look fantastic. And, at just $114 you would be hard pressed to find a better value on a 3-piece powered multimedia system.

But then again, everybody and their dog are marketing PC multimedia speakers. Makers range from Altec Lansing, who caters almost exclusively to the computer speaker industry, to Bose, a company that made a big name in high-end home entertainment. Trying to pinpoint a good deal among all the offerings from Cambridge SoundWorks, JBL, Yamaha, Philips, Labtec, MidiLand, and others is truly an intimidating task. Worse yet, you have to actually make a trip to a neighborhood computer store to find the one set that sounds best to your ear. Or else, you could just take our advice? :)

If you are lucky to have a fast network connection, you need a well-supported 10/100BaseT PCI card. 3Com is a well respected brand in this department, and their latest Fast EtherLink XL does not disappoint. Although this is obviously not the cheapest card on the market, $39 will truly buy you some peace of mind here.

However, if you have a different preference, there is only a limited number of other 10/100Mbps network cards that are supported under BeOS, so choose wisely. For now, you should probably go with either Intel EtherExpress or one of the Digital 21xxx-based cards from Kingston, Linksys, NetGear, or SMC.

On the other hand, if you are still stuck with old-fashioned dial-up, the best thing to get is an external modem. One particular maker that has been our long time favorite is US Robotics, which offers serial modems starting at $78. However, we think that some other manufacturers offer better values. For instance, Elsa DataLink 56k Internet sells for only $55. Other respectable brands to consider are Creative Labs, Zoom, and Best Data. But, in essence, any serial (but not USB) modem will do the trick, so it pays to shop around.

If you feel adventurous, consider an internal modem, such as ActionTec Desklink. Or you could even try one of those Lucent-based SoftModems. And, if you get any of them to actually work reliably, please let us know?

Below you will find two tables. The first one is an ?enthusiast? machine with certain components that are not officially supported quite yet. Those willing to take a calculated risk of running into certain compatibility issues in exchange for extra performance are welcome to build a machine similar to the one listed in this table.

The second configuration only includes the things that are certified to work right out of the box. While you might be getting some older parts, you shouldn?t have any problems getting any of the to work with BeOS. Also please note that although this machine appears to be slightly cheaper, it does not include a CD burner.

Anyway, here are the final lists of all the various pieces of the BeBox puzzle:

(Disclaimer: Some of the parts in the above system are not officially supported by Be or Gobe. If you are not sure what you are doing and want to have the option to call Gobe's customer support, then don't use this system. Just making sure you know :))

As you can see above, we went to great lengths to make sure that we kept our spending just under the self-imposed $2,000 budget cap. However, you must realize that neither shipping nor taxes are included. Also, we even had to forgo a few ?extras? such as a video capture card, which is considered a necessity by some. However, we encourage you to support Be and get a full legal copy of BeOS Pro, complete with Gobe Productive. In fact, right now you can buy this awesome bundle for a promotional price of $60. We?re absolutely positive that you won?t regret it.

Anyway, whether you choose to follow our advice or decide to take a different route, we wish you the best of luck building your very own kick-a** BeOS-compatible machine. Let the sprit of the BeBox live on!

 Questions? Comments? Contact Andrew Lampert (webmaster at bebox dot nu).

© 1998-2009 Andrew Lampert