1. These days Getting a working 8 bit VGA that doesn’t have compatibility issues is key, many Oak cards in my experience are more EGA compatible than true VGA, in fact my friends packard bell 486sx25 had oak VGA onboard and couldn’t run Monkey Island in VGA mode.

2. Speed is less important than compatibility, if your particular VGA card works in an XT with the games you want it’s the right card for you
A) Yes in general a VGA card does affect the games speed (slightly), and it may not color cycle CGA games properly but I’ve never had it break anything
B) On an XT additional video memory won’t much matter in DOS
3. No idea, of those I have only specifically used the Trident card and it was perfectly fine for the slow DOS systems I used it in, on a DX33 you may want something faster for say Doom, but it shouldn’t make a huge difference
4. No idea
5. No the utility is to match CGA colors better some cards match out of the box.
6. Bleh, I will leave that to someone else
7. An XT With adequate Ram can run all Windows Versions 1.0-3.0
Without ems 2.x is best
There is a beta version of 3.1 that will start in real mode but it’s a pretty useless release hence why Microsoft removed that mode.

rmay635703 wrote on 2021-09-01, 13:11:

1. These days Getting a working 8 bit VGA that doesn’t have compatibility issues is key, many Oak cards in my experience are mor […]
Show full quote

1. These days Getting a working 8 bit VGA that doesn’t have compatibility issues is key, many Oak cards in my experience are more EGA compatible than true VGA, in fact my friends packard bell 486sx25 had oak VGA onboard and couldn’t run Monkey Island in VGA mode.

2. Speed is less important than compatibility, if your particular VGA card works in an XT with the games you want it’s the right card for you
A) Yes in general a VGA card does affect the games speed (slightly), and it may not color cycle CGA games properly but I’ve never had it break anything
B) On an XT additional video memory won’t much matter in DOS
3. No idea, of those I have only specifically used the Trident card and it was perfectly fine for the slow DOS systems I used it in, on a DX33 you may want something faster for say Doom, but it shouldn’t make a huge difference
4. No idea
5. No the utility is to match CGA colors better some cards match out of the box.
6. Bleh, I will leave that to someone else
7. An XT With adequate Ram can run all Windows Versions 1.0-3.0
Without ems 2.x is best
There is a beta version of 3.1 that will start in real mode but it’s a pretty useless release hence why Microsoft removed that mode.

Thanks a lot for answer. Its really appreciated.

If someone else can answer the questions no answered yet or add some more details in some of my questions, it would be very appreciate 😀
I hesitate to buy the Oak oti037c or Oak oti067 from a person in city that have both cards. I want to buy only one at 40$CA. You can tell me which one is better for the xt 8088. I only know that Oak oti067 is more than two times faster than oti037c and that oti067 has 512kb vs 256k for the oti037c, but i'm not sure its advantage for a xt 8088. Until now, all dos games i played with my oti087 works great in dos with my 386 dx33.

renejr902, you PMmed me with flattering words about my knowledge - but when it comes to XTs it's pretty limited. Still I'll do my best to answer the questions.

1. what vga card do you recommend for my 8088 xt build ? ( i will use 16 bit vga isa card that work in 8bit) […]
Show full quote

1. what vga card do you recommend for my 8088 xt build ?
( i will use 16 bit vga isa card that work in 8bit)

2. Is it better the slowest one possible like a oak 0ti037c 256kb or a faster one like a oak oti067 512kb for my 8088 xt build when running dos games at 4.77mhz for the exact speed and timing of the games ? Would it do any difference for the timing and about the exact speed. ( like for Moon Patrol, Moonit..) I will buy one of these 2 video cards, i love picture quality of Oak video card on my LCD monitor and TV. ( i have a Oak oti087 and i love it)
( i think both play cga games in the same way if i understand it well, that what i read on vogons forum )

3. I have or i will have these cards soon, which one are better in order for my 8088 xt build and for my 386 sx16 and 386 dx33 system too ? and you can give me some explanations, thanks. Trident 8900C or a Cirrus Logic 5401 AVGA1 or Oak oti037c or Oak oti067

Not at all convinced about these Oak chips. The 037C is glacially slow, and compatibility isn't anything great. I'd personally look more closely at a Trident TVGA9000i. They are known compatible with 8b bus, faster than Oak (despite only average performance otherwise) and generally unremarkably compatible.

6. I have a few questions about 256kb vs 512kb of video card ram. […]
Show full quote

6. I have a few questions about 256kb vs 512kb of video card ram.

Is it any advantage to have a 512kb vs a 256kb video card ram memory in a 8088 xt ?

Same question about 386. Is it any advantage to have a 512kb vs a 256kb video card ram memory in a 386sx16 or dx33 for playing dos games ? ( except for windows resolution, i know about that ) I know with 512kb you can run game at 640x480x256 colors, but do you know any games that run acceptable at that resolution and 256 colors on a 386 ? even on my dx33 ?

I know i could use the oti067 with 512kb in my 386 and have some good result too. oti037c seems slow even for a 386. My oti087 work great in my 386dx33 i have more fps in doom than with the trident 8900c 256kb. But i cant see any advantage of the 512kb ? I dont know any dos game that require 512kb vram as a minimum. i tried duke nukem 3d with a patched .exe on my 386 dx33 it runs at 640x480x256 but its awful LoL! Its awful at 320x200 too LoL!

For games: no. VGA in its original 256kB version came right at the end of the XT era, games that used more than 256kB (i.e. 6480x480@256 colours) didn't arrive until 486-era and would be unplayable on XT, if they even ran (expect >=386 memory requirements)

If you think i will have a problem about anything i just said, let me know thanks, but i read for several hours on forums.

Probably not, but to get an authoritative answer you'd need to give exact brand+model names of the card and the XT (motherboard).

1. Have a look here - this list is not exhaustive, but should give you an idea what to look for: http://minuszerodegrees.net/5160/vga/5160_vga.htm & http://minuszerodegrees.net/5150/vga/5150_vga.htm
2. I don't think it will make that much of a difference (for the two cards in question), since you are limited by the speed of the 8-bit bus anyway.
3. You will have to see which of the 16-bit cards will actually work in your XT. Some 16-bit cards had an 8-bit BIOS mode which could be enabled via a jumper (and some had an auto detect), but be aware that some of these were actually meant to be installed in the 8-bit slot of an AT computer (not an XT).
   I think the faster your PC, the faster the graphics card you want to install to ensure that you are not bottlenecked by that in your system (unless you want it to cause a bottleneck for some reason). I think the Trident 8900C or Oak OTI067 (based on the list you provided) would probably be the two best options for a 386DX-33, but I suggest you benchmark the various cards - try Phil's Benchmark pack and compare the results with utilities like PC Player Benchmark, Doom & 3D Bench (for your 386 setup).
4. Refer previous point - it depends on the BIOS on the card and what support the manufacturer offered with it.
5. No - most VGA graphics cards should support CGA mode out of the box.
6. No, the more video RAM is basically to enable you to display more colours at a higher resolution. Since most CGA based XT software won't support resolutions higher than 320x200 (in 4 colour mode) or 640x200 (in 2 colour mode), there is no need to have that much video RAM. Composite mode (with artifacting) is not relevant here.
   The same applies to a 386DX based system. Even on a fast 486 with VESA Local Bus, trying to run a DOS based game like Duke Nukem 3D at 640x480 resolution is just a slide show. If you want to run a DOS based game at 640x480 resolution, then you're best off looking at a very fast Pentium PC.
7. Already answered by user rmay635703.

renejr902 wrote on 2021-09-01, 06:06:

5. Do i really have to use a utility for playing game in CGA mode like the one included with a trident 8900c or the oti037c, or the videocard will switch to the correct cga mode by himself ? ( some games let you choose which mode before starting the game) ( and what about ega mode in game, same thing than cga ?)

It depends, I think. If you're fine with VGA's superficial CGA compatibility, then you don't need a mode utility.
If you wish for enhanced CGA compatibility at the register level, you need the mode utility.
The utility will then configure the chip for CGA.
The other CGA colour palettes will now work in most games, as well.
(Games tend to talk to CGA directly at the register level, rather than at the BIOS level.)
EGA and VGA modes will then be disabled and programs/games will see a plain CGA card.
Provided, that they don't dig all too deep. The VGA BIOS string might be still in memory. EGA/VGA's video memory in A segment, too.

If you like, you can try out CheckIt! and the CGA Compatibility tester. 😎
They both have the ability to test video modes.

http://www.oldskool.org/pc/cgacomp

dionb wrote on 2021-09-01, 21:40:

renejr902, you PMmed me with flattering words about my knowledge - but when it comes to XTs it's pretty limited. Still I'll do m […]
Show full quote

renejr902, you PMmed me with flattering words about my knowledge - but when it comes to XTs it's pretty limited. Still I'll do my best to answer the questions.

1. what vga card do you recommend for my 8088 xt build ? ( i will use 16 bit vga isa card that work in 8bit) […]
Show full quote

1. what vga card do you recommend for my 8088 xt build ?
( i will use 16 bit vga isa card that work in 8bit)

2. Is it better the slowest one possible like a oak 0ti037c 256kb or a faster one like a oak oti067 512kb for my 8088 xt build when running dos games at 4.77mhz for the exact speed and timing of the games ? Would it do any difference for the timing and about the exact speed. ( like for Moon Patrol, Moonit..) I will buy one of these 2 video cards, i love picture quality of Oak video card on my LCD monitor and TV. ( i have a Oak oti087 and i love it)
( i think both play cga games in the same way if i understand it well, that what i read on vogons forum )

3. I have or i will have these cards soon, which one are better in order for my 8088 xt build and for my 386 sx16 and 386 dx33 system too ? and you can give me some explanations, thanks. Trident 8900C or a Cirrus Logic 5401 AVGA1 or Oak oti037c or Oak oti067

Not at all convinced about these Oak chips. The 037C is glacially slow, and compatibility isn't anything great. I'd personally look more closely at a Trident TVGA9000i. They are known compatible with 8b bus, faster than Oak (despite only average performance otherwise) and generally unremarkably compatible.

6. I have a few questions about 256kb vs 512kb of video card ram. […]
Show full quote

6. I have a few questions about 256kb vs 512kb of video card ram.

Is it any advantage to have a 512kb vs a 256kb video card ram memory in a 8088 xt ?

Same question about 386. Is it any advantage to have a 512kb vs a 256kb video card ram memory in a 386sx16 or dx33 for playing dos games ? ( except for windows resolution, i know about that ) I know with 512kb you can run game at 640x480x256 colors, but do you know any games that run acceptable at that resolution and 256 colors on a 386 ? even on my dx33 ?

I know i could use the oti067 with 512kb in my 386 and have some good result too. oti037c seems slow even for a 386. My oti087 work great in my 386dx33 i have more fps in doom than with the trident 8900c 256kb. But i cant see any advantage of the 512kb ? I dont know any dos game that require 512kb vram as a minimum. i tried duke nukem 3d with a patched .exe on my 386 dx33 it runs at 640x480x256 but its awful LoL! Its awful at 320x200 too LoL!

For games: no. VGA in its original 256kB version came right at the end of the XT era, games that used more than 256kB (i.e. 6480x480@256 colours) didn't arrive until 486-era and would be unplayable on XT, if they even ran (expect >=386 memory requirements)

If you think i will have a problem about anything i just said, let me know thanks, but i read for several hours on forums.

Probably not, but to get an authoritative answer you'd need to give exact brand+model names of the card and the XT (motherboard).

jesolo wrote on 2021-09-01, 22:04:

[…]
Show full quote

1. Have a look here - this list is not exhaustive, but should give you an idea what to look for: http://minuszerodegrees.net/5160/vga/5160_vga.htm & http://minuszerodegrees.net/5150/vga/5150_vga.htm
2. I don't think it will make that much of a difference (for the two cards in question), since you are limited by the speed of the 8-bit bus anyway.
3. You will have to see which of the 16-bit cards will actually work in your XT. Some 16-bit cards had an 8-bit BIOS mode which could be enabled via a jumper (and some had an auto detect), but be aware that some of these were actually meant to be installed in the 8-bit slot of an AT computer (not an XT).
   I think the faster your PC, the faster the graphics card you want to install to ensure that you are not bottlenecked by that in your system (unless you want it to cause a bottleneck for some reason). I think the Trident 8900C or Oak OTI067 (based on the list you provided) would probably be the two best options for a 386DX-33, but I suggest you benchmark the various cards - try Phil's Benchmark pack and compare the results with utilities like PC Player Benchmark, Doom & 3D Bench (for your 386 setup).
4. Refer previous point - it depends on the BIOS on the card and what support the manufacturer offered with it.
5. No - most VGA graphics cards should support CGA mode out of the box.
6. No, the more video RAM is basically to enable you to display more colours at a higher resolution. Since most CGA based XT software won't support resolutions higher than 320x200 (in 4 colour mode) or 640x200 (in 2 colour mode), there is no need to have that much video RAM. Composite mode (with artifacting) is not relevant here.
   The same applies to a 386DX based system. Even on a fast 486 with VESA Local Bus, trying to run a DOS based game like Duke Nukem 3D at 640x480 resolution is just a slide show. If you want to run a DOS based game at 640x480 resolution, then you're best off looking at a very fast Pentium PC.
7. Already answered by user rmay635703.

Jo22 wrote on 2021-09-02, 18:45:

It depends, I think. If you're fine with VGA's superficial CGA compatibility, then you don't need a mode utility. If you wish fo […]
Show full quote

renejr902 wrote on 2021-09-01, 06:06:

5. Do i really have to use a utility for playing game in CGA mode like the one included with a trident 8900c or the oti037c, or the videocard will switch to the correct cga mode by himself ? ( some games let you choose which mode before starting the game) ( and what about ega mode in game, same thing than cga ?)

It depends, I think. If you're fine with VGA's superficial CGA compatibility, then you don't need a mode utility.
If you wish for enhanced CGA compatibility at the register level, you need the mode utility.
The utility will then configure the chip for CGA.
The other CGA colour palettes will now work in most games, as well.
(Games tend to talk to CGA directly at the register level, rather than at the BIOS level.)
EGA and VGA modes will then be disabled and programs/games will see a plain CGA card.
Provided, that they don't dig all too deep. The VGA BIOS string might be still in memory. EGA/VGA's video memory in A segment, too.

If you like, you can try out CheckIt! and the CGA Compatibility tester. 😎
They both have the ability to test video modes.

http://www.oldskool.org/pc/cgacomp

Thanks a to you 3 guys. All your answers help me a lot. I appreciate it so much ! You have learned me a lot of knowledge. I will comment more about all of this in few days when i received the motherboard and cpu. I will post some pictures.

I didnt know the oak oti037c was so slow, you are not the only one that know that, i just found a old forum post that talked about it. I'm not sure if it could affect a XT negatively though. At least with the oak oti067 i can still use it in one of my 386. The other 386 has a oak oti087.

Maybe i will use the Trident 8900C in my XT or buy a 9000i. But the problem is with this 8900c ( and Trident 9400 pci too ) i get strange vertical stripes in most dos games in my lcd 32" monitor samsung tv. So i have to use my old 14" crt monitor, but i prefer the 32" Samsung. Its the reason why i didnt buy other trident card yet. Oak oti087 dont do this in my Samsung 32". I didnt receive the cirrus logic 5401 yet, i dont know ( but someone on vogons forum has the same problem with a cirrus logic card and his lcd monitor ). I hope all Oak card wont do vertical stripe like oti087 but i cant be sure until i buy them and try them. The cirrus logic was 20$ CA included shipping so i took a chance. I suppose i will have to buy a few cards at good price and make some tests. ( S3 cards dont do vertical stripe on my LCD Samsung 32" monitor tv, but it does not exist with isa port )

I will use the cga utility, because i want the real deal, see the real thing, when i was very young i had a real cga monitor 30 years ago 😀

I will dont take the 256kb vs 512kb in consideration, i understand its not important for a XT and not really important too for a 386, except 486 and better.

Edit: When i talked about Oak oti037c vs oti067, i asked this question because i fear that some games like Moon Patrol runs too fast with the oti067 but runs correct with the oti037c. But if i understand correctly your answer, you dont seem to think that it will do a speed difference in dos games on my XT at 4.77mhz. Right?
( In game and graphics benchmark oti67 is 2 to 3 times faster than oti037c )

Thanks again guys !