Thank you Steve and VBSmiles, I found the cause of the difference.
When 97c renders in Antialiased mode vs. non-Antialiased, it brightens the ambiant setting.
V97d does not do that.
In both the above pictures Settings > Lighting > Project : Global = 1, Ambient = 0.300
to get the same "clarity" in 97d Antialiased mode as in 97c Antialiased mode the setting is : Project : Global = 1, Ambient = 1
Personally, I prefer 97c as Scene mode shows the colors far closer to the final render then 97d where in Scene mode the colors are "washed out" vs. render unless you keep switching Settings > Lighting settings between work and render.