Unlikely to bring any dramatic improvement--notice the 5429 seems to hold its own under "Test Results" here compared to other cards: https://dependency-injection.com/vlb-vga-group-test/

In that list, the Diamond Speedstar Pro SE is a 5430 but for some reason the Diamond cards have extra wait states or untuned timings or such. Maybe mkarcher's utility also works on the 5430? Tool to adjust the memory clock on Cirrus Logic CL-GD542x graphics cards

Even if you put in some high-end VLB card, it's going to be held back in any comparisons to other 486 systems by your 25 MHz bus. Better to save your VLB aspirations for some later time when you build a VLB system around an Am5x86 running at 160 MHz or such.

I have one of these machines, mine has the DX2/66 in at present. It is backburnered for attention at the moment. I am intending to stick with onboard graphics, even if I upgrade to a DX4/100 ... unless a PCI riser falls in my lap, then it might get a Virge or something for giggles. I will look at maxing the video RAM I think though.

I had a feeling an external VLB card wouldn't help much since the onboard video is probably already directly connected to the CPU bus.

My machine has the original 486DX2-50 and no external cache. I was thinking of going straight to the top with a DX4-100. That would probably give me a bigger boost in performance than any external video card.

You didn’t say if you were looking for DOS or windows performance? In windows that chipset is quite good. DOS has better options though. IMO I’d say your prob fine at the end of the day tho either way, not talking massive swings.

Oh, I didn't think about that!

I think the platform mix would be 60/40, tilted toward DOS. Typical games like Doom, and typical applications like Excel for Windows.

If I don't add a VLB video card then I have to think of what else I can put in that slot. I can't have an empty slot! 😀 😀

I'm probably ignoring the fact that it's VLB, got the original soundblaster in one ISA, gonna need a network card in another, so that leaves the VLB one forrrrrrr.... an ISA MPEG decoder probably. Got a choice of two looking for gainful employment and they're pointless below 20mhz or over 200, so 486es are in "the zone" for like 3 or 4 games you can actually get hold of and half a dozen multimedia titles ditto. Though you can make your own Video CDs I guess.

My VLB system also has onboard video so filled the slot with a VLB network card.
Someone here tested and really wasn't much benefit going VLB instead of ISA for networking, but that's not really the point with VLB is it?