Got a replacement Alienware 17, different panel types?

Hello,

Due to mostly cosmetic but also the well known GTX 880m issue, I had my Alienware 17 replaced (with another one, exact same specs).

But I did receive the replacement before sending in the old one, which gave me a chance to compare the two.

First off - GPU is still broken. Not quite as bad though (going only as low as 928mhz, where the other one would go all the way down to sub-800 mhz). I don't really know how I should approach this, I'm probably gonna RMA it again.

Anyways, something else however has changed as well, and this is where it gets weird. I did not expect this.

The picture the panel is showing is clearly different. It is a lot more blue-ish and slightly more dim (I think, i'll have to check up on that when it gets darker). I don't know if this is software related. I looked for it and didn't find it, and otherwise set the settings on the two machines identically. Only difference is that one of them has an SSD, but obviously that has nothing to do with that.

Are the known to be different display manufacturers for the Alienware 17? I know about the 3 options, the 720p, 1080p 60hz and 1080p 120hz 3D.

It's 1080p and doesn't run above 60hz, so that seems to match the model I ordered.

Is there any way to check which panel is in the machine without tearing it apart?

 

You can use HWINFO64 or you can use device manager and see if the hardware/Device ID's match

 

Hi, ATM if you RMA again the best you can expect is your money back. Hopefully dell will step up IF the 980m's are good and use that as a replacement - now that would show goodwill .

 

....................

 

Thanks a lot for the help!

I installed HWINFO, and sure enough it is two different panels. The one i originally had is an AU Optronics AUO219D, and the new one is an LG Philips LP173WF1.

The thing is, I don't really know much about monitors in general, and it was rather difficult to find some relevant information (let alone comparisons) between the two models. I'll just call old one for AUO and the new one for LP.

I think I'm kinda biased towards the old AUO as I have gotten used to it, but as I said the picture is deffinitely 'cooler' on the new one, and have a blue-ish tint to it which im not really too thrilled about (again, probably just because i've been watching the old one - I dont know how it's supposed to look).
But after some examination im not quite sure anymore. The original AUO is more grainy, and text seems sharper on the LP too. Also the screen is clearly brighter on the AUO, but on the other hand it doesnt get as dim as the other one, which is something I actually disliked about the old AUO, it was too bright when i was sitting in a totally dark room. Also, i've noticed that the antiglare coating is not the same. Again im not expert but it seems better on the LP, it diffuses the light more and when i hold up a flashlight to the screen, I can't even pinpoint the actual light source in the reflection, where as on the AUO i can clearly see the bulb. The LP actually behaves a lot like an old Latitude e6400 i had for work, that thing was a boss in the sun.

Anyways, does anyone know which screen (objectively) is the better one?

 

Going only by what you described I would go with LG Philips for better anti-glare coating. You can always adjust the colour of the screen to your liking via settings or even download calibration settings for your panel. That being said I find it interesting the panel part number matches the screen in my R4 since mine is not anti-glare.

 

I asked a 120hz AW user for his screen model and it was the same as my R4 - yet the AW17 120hz advertises TrueLife anti-glare. Weird!

 

Maybe they are re-using the same panels, just putting anti-glare coating on top. It would be interesting to hear an official answer by AW...

 

That's where the plot thickens (beyond my understanding!).

Read this : Dell TrueLife™ LCD Screens - What is it?

I think an updated 'polariser' may have been added but would have expected a different P/N