Quadram Quadcolor

Lore & Background

The Quadram Quadcolor was introduced in 1983 as a graphics card for IBM PC computers, offering a superset of the CGA standard. It doubled the standard CGA memory to 32k, enabling a 640×200 mode with two freely definable colors. When used with the Quadcolor II enhancement board, the additional memory could double the color depth in graphics modes, providing two additional modes: 320×200 resolution with 136 colors (obtained from a mix of two 16-color palettes) and 640×200 resolution with 16 colors (from a 4-bit RGBI hardware palette).

The card was supported by software including Dr. Halo II and Turbo Pascal Graphix Toolbox. Two models existed: the Quadram Quadcolor I and the Quadram Quadcolor II. The Quadcolor I offered standard CGA modes, while the Quadcolor II enhancement board unlocked the higher color-depth modes.

Reader's Guide

The Quadram Quadcolor holds significance as an early enhanced graphics adapter for the IBM PC, predating and paralleling other superset CGA cards such as the Tandy Graphics Adapter, Plantronics Colorplus, Hercules InColor Card, and Orchid Graphics Adapter. By doubling the standard CGA memory to 32k and offering an optional enhancement board, it provided a path to higher color depths—136 colors at 320×200 or 16 colors at 640×200—without requiring a different monitor standard. Its support by software like Dr. Halo II and Turbo Pascal Graphix Toolbox indicates it found use in graphics and programming applications. The card's legacy lies in demonstrating how additional memory could extend the capabilities of the CGA standard, a pattern seen in other contemporary adapters.

Did You Know?

• The Quadram Quadcolor has twice the memory of a standard CGA board: 32k compared to 16k.
• With the Quadcolor II enhancement board, it can display 136 colors at 320×200 resolution.
• It uses the same monitor standard as CGA: a 4-bit digital TTL RGBI monitor or NTSC composite video.
• The card is supported by Dr. Halo II and Turbo Pascal Graphix Toolbox.