# Hercules Graphics Card

> IBM PC graphic adapter and display standard

**Wikidata**: [Q731861](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q731861)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_Graphics_Card)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/hercules-graphics-card

## Summary
The Hercules Graphics Card (HGC) is a computer display standard and graphics adapter designed for IBM PC compatibles. It was developed by Hercules Computer Technology and became widely used in the early 1980s for high-resolution monochrome text and graphics display.

## Key Facts
- Manufacturer: Hercules Computer Technology
- Instance of: Computer display standard
- Function: Graphic adapter and display standard for IBM PC
- Image reference: [KL_Hercules_HGC.png](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/KL_Hercules_HGC.png)
- Wikidata ID: Q15241312 (reference publication date: 2013-10-28)
- Freebase ID: /m/012h_n
- Wikipedia title: Hercules Graphics Card
- Commons category: HGC
- Available Wikipedia languages: Catalan, Czech, German, English, Spanish, Finnish, French, Croatian, Italian
- Sitelink count: 20

## FAQs
### Q: What is the Hercules Graphics Card used for?
A: The Hercules Graphics Card is a monochrome display adapter used with IBM PCs to provide high-resolution text and graphics capabilities. It was especially popular in business environments due to its sharp text rendering and compatibility with early CAD software.

### Q: Who made the Hercules Graphics Card?
A: The Hercules Graphics Card was manufactured by Hercules Computer Technology, a company known for producing expansion cards and peripherals for personal computers during the 1980s.

### Q: Is the Hercules Graphics Card still in use today?
A: No, the Hercules Graphics Card is obsolete and has been replaced by modern color graphics standards such as VGA and later technologies. However, it remains historically significant in the evolution of PC graphics hardware.

## Why It Matters
The Hercules Graphics Card played a pivotal role in the development of personal computing by offering users an affordable way to achieve higher resolution than many competing standards of the time. Its introduction enabled clearer text displays and precise line drawings, making it particularly valuable for applications like word processing and early computer-aided design (CAD). As one of the earliest successful third-party graphics solutions for IBM PCs, it helped establish the market for specialized video adapters and influenced future developments in display technology.

## Notable For
- First widely adopted high-resolution monochrome graphics card for IBM PC
- Sharp 720×348 pixel resolution ideal for business and drafting applications
- Became a de facto industry standard among monochrome display adapters
- Supported both text and graphics modes effectively
- Paved the way for more advanced third-party video hardware

## Body
### Overview
The Hercules Graphics Card (HGC) was introduced in 1982 as a monochrome display adapter compatible with IBM PC systems. Designed specifically for high-resolution output, it targeted professional users who required crisp text and accurate vector graphics.

### Technical Specifications
- Resolution: 720 × 348 pixels in graphics mode
- Text Mode: 80 × 25 characters
- Display Type: Monochrome only (typically green or amber phosphor on black)
- Memory: Used system memory rather than dedicated video RAM
- Compatibility: Worked with MDA-compatible monitors but offered enhanced graphical capability

### Market Impact
Upon release, the HGC quickly gained popularity in business and engineering sectors where clarity and precision were essential. It filled a gap between basic text-only displays and emerging color graphics solutions, which often sacrificed quality for versatility.

### Legacy
Though superseded by newer technologies like EGA and VGA, the Hercules Graphics Card left a lasting legacy in defining what consumers expected from third-party graphics hardware. Many subsequent adapters referenced or emulated HGC functionality for backward compatibility.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013