Cirrus Logic CL-GD5426-80QC-B VLB Video Card 1MB Upgradable 2MB VGA 15-Pin

Cirrus Logic CL-GD5426-80QC-B VLB Video Card 1MB Upgradable 2MB VGA 15-Pin

The Cirrus Logic CL-GD5426-80QC-B is a VESA Local Bus (VLB) video card built around the Cirrus Logic GD5426 graphics controller. It provides SVGA/VGA output through a standard DB-15 connector and ships with 1MB of DRAM onboard, with two unpopulated expansion sockets that allow an upgrade to 2MB. The GD5426 was a widely used chipset in the early-to-mid 1990s, supporting resolutions up to 1024×768 and hardware acceleration for 486-class systems.

Specifications & What's Included

• GPU / Chipset: Cirrus Logic CL-GD5426-80QC-B (QFP package, date code 9348 — Week 48, 1993)
• Bus Interface: VLB (VESA Local Bus)
• Video Memory Installed: 1MB DRAM
• Video Memory Maximum: 2MB (two DRAM expansion sockets onboard, currently empty)
• Display Output: DB-15 VGA (15-pin analog)
• Form Factor: Full-length VLB expansion card
• Oscillator: Vigor 14.31518 MHz crystal (visible on PCB)
• Country of Manufacture: Korea (marked on chip package)
• Included: Card only — no drivers, cables, or accessories

Applications

The VESA Local Bus standard was introduced in the early 1990s as a high-bandwidth alternative to ISA for connecting video cards directly to the 486 CPU's local bus, significantly improving graphics performance on 486-class PCs. The Cirrus Logic GD5426 was one of the most common VLB graphics chipsets of the era, widely used in OEM desktop systems from major manufacturers as well as in add-in cards. It supported SVGA resolutions and was compatible with DOS, Windows 3.x, and early Windows 95 environments. Today these cards are sought by retrocomputing enthusiasts restoring or building period-correct 486 systems, and by collectors of early-1990s PC hardware. The VLB form factor is found only in 486-era motherboards — it was superseded by PCI starting around 1993–1994 and is not compatible with PCI or AGP slots.