Alienware 17 R1 w/ 8 bit color 120Hz/5ms panel N173HHE-G32 Success!

Hi all! Little story to tell.

Back in late November I decided to make my self an experiment...to try one of those super famous 120Hz/5ms 8bit color matte panels; in our A17 R1.
Well doing some research in other forums (and google )I could find out that the popular panel it self part# is N173HHE-G32 BUT that comes with a eDP connector of only 30pins.
As we all know our laptop has (if we use the 120Hz TrueColor screen) an eDP cable with an ending on a 40pin connector, which lend me to think al these years that was never possible to install... but thanks to my old friend t456 who explained me: "You should try it out, what's important it's not the cable or the eDP revision/version it self, just if they match they should work"
Then I argued: "Nahh I don't think so, my laptop is an almost 6 years old system..."

I was wrong!!! For my surprise the panel does work!!! It's just the 'mountings' are not prepared to hold the panel as they don't match the A17 R1 frame.

Anyways with some creativity and 'inclining' the top of the laptop almost full to the back, I could rest the new panel without being properly install. Then I just turn on the laptop and well.. just have to say that the colors are incredibly amazing. I've used it for almost a week playing all my fav games and movies in such beautiful colors, contrast and a nice matte panel! my gosh still remember those reds!

Then I've contacted the manufacturer, which is Innolux Chimei, to source for information about the panel.

I've sent them an email saying something like this:
" Hi Innolux/Chi Mei team,
Recently I came across the excellent TN screen of your model N173HHE-G32Could you please explain me the differences between the 3 Revisions and their eDP connectors presentations (I know there 30 pin and 40 pin right?) I just want to give a quick update to say the N173HHE-G32 P&P CMN1747 Rev C1 "40 Pin" version, works with Alienware 17 R1 2013 Haswell model. Just the mounting frame does not work. Typing from it already. The 120Hz works and the colors and contrast are awesome, maybe the vertical viewing angles are not the best. Great panel for sure. It has excellent colors and contrast but I could find there are at least three "revisions" of this panel:
N173HHE-G32 Rev. C1
N173HHE-G32 Rev. C2
N173HHE-G32 Rev. C3

Could you explain me the differences in withing those revisions?
Looking forward to hear back from you.
Best,
One of your fans (Nomad) "

Some manager did answer back with some other people in copy, saying something to please give me the information I was asking, but then that employee never came back.

As I didn't have any response, I decided to create a poll to find out and test how is the interest of the community into communicate the manufacturer (Innolux-Chimei) or other laptop brands (e.g: Eurocom, to push this 'official' upgrade) to create a revision, of this beautiful panel, with the proper mounting and placing of the PCB circuity for our beloveds A17 R1

SO GUYS WHAT DO YOU THING OF THE BEAST OF MACHINE THAT WE ALL HAVE NOW!

You can see some pictures here:
https://imgur.com/a/EjS5K

@Ashtrix @MogRules @Mr. Fox @TheReciever @Striker1234 @loafer987 @EepoSaurus @t456

 

Wow thats really sweet. The screen is sexyness.

 

I am really interested in trying this out on my unit as well. It would make for the last item to upgrade I think for my machines future.

 

It'll bump your ranger to a D bust size for real.

 

The screens are about 120 USD the issue becomes finding stock for them in the states but if you extend to ebay you can find some suppliers in iirc the UK.

So really its not a huge expense, just comes down to if you can get it secured in the monitor shell in a clean fashion and seal it all up.

 

I'm in the UK so tempted to pick one of these up - @Nomad I couldn't really tell from your pictures, could the panel be made to fit by cutting off the additional tabs and somehow attaching the original Alienware brackets? Or is it completely different?

Javers

 

Yeah I couldnt quite tell because of the low lighting

 

Exactly! That's the idea I had in mind... just to cut the new "holders' and place the whole panel into an old original frame of a AW17 panel.

Sorry for the low light pics but were taken in early December in north of EU (at 4pm was already dark )

 

100% sure ONE revision is the 3ms panel.
Does the GT73VR version use the 30 pin or 40 pin connector for this panel?

 

In Eurocom ( http://www.eurocom.com/ec/upgrade(2,263,0)Alienware_17) there is a 3K option for our Alienware...
I'm not sure of it...

@Eurocom Support could you please confirm if this display works for us? is 3K @120Hz?

 

May someone try this one?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17-3-3D-LE...ware-M17-R4-QHD-120hz-P-N-JYWWF-/372017154836

 

Probably have a faster response out of woodz

 

I've doubt will work. The key here is to try N173HHE-G32 WITH 40pin connector version NOT the 30pin one.

 

3k 120hz panel doesn't exist.
Unless you mean 2560x1440 @120hz.

What is "3k" anyway?

 

2880x1620 iirc

Either way, not really desired for me personally.

 

3K is known by the resolution 2880 x 1620, some brands sell their laptops this way:

 

I have the GTX 1070 on my AW, I would like to have it, Full HD 120Hz is good, but "3K" @120Hz could be better IMHO.

 

Nah, thats a pass for me.

Would rather have 1080@120hz. if I were to assume the 1070 as the last upgrade I would rather keep the resolution at 1080 to maintain highest possible producible FPS for the panel installed on the laptop.

 

@Nomad

What is your revision?
Is that a G-Sync panel?

 

I chat with him a bunch on steam and if I recall correctly he said it was C2

 

Does it support G-Sync?

I'm wondering about it since I can flash my 1070 with a G-Sync VBIOS, only need an screen to test.
Thanks!

 

As far as me and him discussed they are all GSync, but whether or not you can get it working is another matter. Its uncharted territory.

When he used it on his, with a 980m, there was no Gsync option available. I believe the vanilla 980m doesnt support Gsync though?

The whole scenario hasnt been tested with any pascal card yet so if you try it, let us know! lol

Its like 65 bucks on ebay for just the panel so its not too hard an investment compared to the other mods we have seen here but with appreciate-able qualities...

 

Did you succeed in replacing the panel? Do you need to unlock the BIOS or just replace the screen with the appropriate connector? Need to modify the EDID panel model in the BIOS? Can you tell us your email

 

use the new 40pin connector? the 3D panel 's connector?

 

Sorry for the super late reply. I didn't replaced it yet. I've returned my unit and postpone the upgrade as it need some frame modding=time that till late summer I don't have...
The only condition would be to have the 40pin connector nothing else! But please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Hi brother Striker! There are plenty of vendors in the Americas that can ship you the correct panel with the 40 pin connector. Here in the EU there also some but more difficult to find.

 

Did you manage to get the light strip underneath the panel to still function with the PCB in the way?

 

At the time of our chats he had only tested to see if it worked. Not sure if he modded to install it in his own unit.

I also had to remove the light strip, but it's a light sacrifice for a better panel lol

I still need to finish my mod but working 2 jobs at the moment just don't have the time to do it.

 

Another user named @Werss from another thread took some photos of his installation of the N173HHE-G32
https://imageshack.com/a/UBel/1
I'll post it here so that anyone interested in this screen can see it

 

Does anyone know the thickness difference between the original display (say, the LTN173HT02-D01) and the ChiMei Innolux display? I have the Innolux panel and the cable, I just need a dremel and something to act as a spacer between the bracket and the panel similar to that posted in the link above. I'm thinking its between 7-9mm in difference

 

I've just tried to test the Innolux panel and it looks great! But when I was installing the modded NVIDIA driver for my 1060 (431.36) the backlight for the panel just shut off completely, I can see the pixels when I shine a light through the screen, as soon as I run a DDU and the driver is gone, the backlight comes back... anyone ran into this issue? I read up somewhere that its to do with EDIDs or something but I was unsure of how to go about this as I would need to install Linux onto a USB and hotswap the panel while configuring the INF file or something like that but I wondered if there was another way to go around this before I commit to such a feat?

 

Hi nazbadat, I had the exact same issues. Only later I realize that the seller instead of the innolux N173HHE-G32 had sent me an Innolux compatible panel (N173HCE-G32 rev C1). Later I had to buy a new panel, asking to the seller to guarantee that the new panel was the N173HHE and now everything works correctly with the GTX1070 and the modded nvidia driver 431.36
My opinion is that first of all make a check if the panel is right.
Rgds

 

Hi Angelo, Did you manage to affix the panel into the display assembly? If so how did you do that? I recently purchase a Dremel 8220 on prime day so I'm ready to do some modifications! I just don't know the best way to secure the panel using the existing side brackets that came with the stock panel

 

Ciao nazbadat,
for the panel just a good double-sided tape and a thickness (I put some pressed cardboard) of a couple of centimeters. For the work to do with the dremel, I suggest you look here
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...the-alienware-17r1-1070-upgrade.828113/page-6
P.s. with a little patience you can also turn on the Alienware writing on the lcd bezel

 

What's the difference between the different revisions? I've taken order of a N173HHE-G32 Rev. C3 and was not sure what the incremental changes are?

 

No one really seems to be sure on that one iirc

 

Well so long as the HHE model works correctly then I'm game!

 

So guys I’ve been doing some experimenting with Velcro and it seems to work pretty well! I got some cut-to-size adhesive Velcro which I used to stick the panel to the brackets.

I completed my Dremel work, and will add photos soon, the file size is too big to upload here.

Initially I tried to stick the sides of the panel to the brackets, but this caused the total size to be too wide to fit within the enclosure, hence I stuck the tabs to the back of the panel with the lip that wraps around the back of the screen.

This allowed for enough space for the panel to fit, plus the thickness that the Velcro gives allows it to fit flush with the bezel when you close the assembly completely.

For those of you that are slightly worried about the security of using adhesive Velcro, it’s pretty legit. As there is no real possibility once everything is assembled for the Velcro tabs to undergo any tension, they won’t detach from their position.

Furthermore, the adhesive is more suited to withstand shear forces (i.e. side to side) but seeing as there will be little room to manoeuvre as the bezel will keep it from falling out and it can’t really move in any other position, it’s quite secure.

Hope this keeps things slightly simpler if anyone else attempts to do the same thing!

Here are images of the velcro, I placed them in line with the screws that would have been attached to the old screen so that the positioning would be correct

 

Here are the photos for the dremel work, I got the panel to fit just right

 

Finally...

 

guys, i already have a 120hz display in my m17x r4 , whats the gain of this innolux screen? the colors because its an ips?

 

It's not ips and it's not tested in the r4

 

but probably would work as its an edp connection?

so compared to the r4s 120hz screen id doesnt provide any gains

 

whats the main difference between this and
LTN173HT02-D02?
8 bit - 6 bit colours?
It's matte?
And one has to fiddle fitting it into the bezzel, loosing AW lights on the lid?
Is that worth it?

 

It wont work with your signatures current setup regardless, unless you plan to change that?

 

As the signature says: UPGRADE EVERYTHING EMINENT=)=)

 

You lose some lights for the short route but I believe there is a method of preserving the lights. I don't personally care about the lights myself but that is my position.

Otherwise it's absolutely a better panel, as glossy panels on laptops make little sense to me from a functionality standpoint.

If you go with the stock upgrade it's by no means terrible or anything, I am currently using mine since I got lazy and broke my g32 panel.

It's more like there is something better now is all.

 

Why you say that exactly?

iirc it was said it works with amd r9, or its something else?
dont recall reading about anything else

 

Nope that is false, it should work with the WX 7100 but R9? Nope, almost no AMD GPU supports eDP until the recent iterations.

 

U sure?
I could sware Ive red about it, must recheck...
Damn, that screws with my upgrade path=(