Official "swapping the XPS 14 L401x screen" thread

Glad it worked out for you!

 

Papatek finally replied to my email and it seems like my screen won't be here until at least Thursday. It's also carried by UPS despite the site says they ship with USPS. At least I know the tracking number now so I feel secured.

Also done reinstalling all drivers to the latest version and installing my commonly used programs. Everything works as if it just came out of the box, except better, way better. Only thing left is the screen now, can't wait to see the difference.

 

Is it just me or does anyone else notice the hard drive activity light constantly blinking even when the laptop is left idle? It seems like my hard drive never goes to a complete rest. I'm thinking about reinstalling, but I want to hear from others.
So my question is: does your hdd light stay off when you leave it idle or does it constantly blink?

 

I have never really looked into it, but I'd say mine is constantly blinking.

 

Thanks for replying. Also, posted this in the wrong thread.

Apologies

 

Hi Neubeehunhun
I'm happy your screen is on the way.
what latest drivers are you talking about ?

 

The same ones you get from Dell.com or your utility CD disk, just later version. Most drivers in the CD are really old(though works fine), not sure about dell.com

 

So after receiving the new lg screen and going through the whole process (cracked the right side of the bezel, but nothing too noticeable), it's not really mind blowing (to me). Don't get me wrong, it's better than the stock screen in which the little boxed pixels aren't visible, but it's not spectacular. Maybe I was expecting a lot more from all the hype. Either way, I'd still recommend the swap.

On another note: after the flash update, I can't seem to watch youtube on the lg screen. Anyone experiencing this?

Edit: Nevermind... clearing the browser cache worked

 

Bummer on the bezel.. Call Dell and tell them you
broke the bezel when taking it off for one reason or
another and just buy a new one.
It can't be that expensive and I believe that will make
you love the screen a wholelot more. The screen is truley
amazing compared to what came standard

 

Got the bezel off without any crack! top corners were the most confusing, couldn't get them off for a long time. Though after that everything was easy, just worked my way down and thing came off in no time.

Now just waiting to put my new screen in, hopefully it does arrive tomorrow as the tracking number shows it's in NJ already.

 

Just discovered a dead pixel. RMA is going to cost around $10 to ship it back for a replacement. I really don't want to go through the whole waiting and bezel process again, but a dead pixel is almost an indication of possible defect and future problems. I don't mind keeping it, but I'm just afraid it would cause more problems. What would you guys do: return it or keep it? (one pixel)

 

can someone tell me the pn on the LVDS/Flex cable? I bought one of these screens for my Studio 14Z but it looks like the cable is not compatible since the color is all inverted. Can someone tell me the pn on their XPS 14 cable so i can buy the right cable? Thanks

 

I would send it back so fast your head would spin.

1. The dead pixel will annoy you constanty, especialy
if its centered.
2. Getting the bezel off the 2nd tie will be far easier, besides
you cracked yours. I think you should call dell and have them
replace it either under waranty or tell them you had dirt or
something behind the bezel and it cracked when you took it off.
Even if they charge you it can't be that much, its just the bezel.

 

This is probably the wrong thread to ask this
question but i had Dell send me the cyberlink
9.5 software for watching DVD's. My L401x
was deliverd without any such program. DVD's
are viewed thru the Windows Media Player. Is this
unique to my system or are all XPS 14 delivered
without seperate DVD software.

 

@Betmen2 Thanks for the input. The crack on the bezel is something I could live with. It's not that bad and the limited warranty won't cover it.

As for dead pixel, I'm actually planning to keep it since it's not really bothersome. A single pixel is not worth the hassle and the extra $10, IMO. It's very tiny and I just discovered it by chance.

Mine came preinstalled along with 2 DVDs; I got the Win7 OEM and the drivers disk.

 

So how do you find what models that screen works for?

My Dell xps1530 screen is crap beyond belief so I might consider buying something like the one in the op.

Does replacing your current screen with a new one with a different resolution cause any problems?

http://www.hootoo.com/154-inches-dell-xps-1530-lcd-screen-panel-1440x900-glossy-led-p-30515.html

*Edit*

Actually that was the only thing I could find for the xps1530, and it doesn't even say who manufactures it, so it could be another crap samsung for all I know.

 

New screen got! Quality is great with no dead pixel, installation was easy except the screws drive me nut, but over all well worth the effort and money!

 

Yes, it came with cyberlink preinstalled.

 

Thanks, I had dell send me Cyberlink and the agent didn't know
which one to send. I guess theres two 8.6 and 9.5, so I told
her to send me 9.5. Whats interesting is that they sent me 3 other disks.

1. Windows 7 disk (which is an option)
2. Another driver disk
3. Roxio Premier 10.3 disk( option that i never ordered)
4. Cyberlink 9.5 disk

The point of all this tak1234, is if you call them they
will probably send you a bezel for free. Its funny I want you
to get a new bezel much more than you do.
Everyone here has been so helpful and friendly that I want to share
my stradegies.

 

lol. The bezel is not completely broken. It has a little crack that's almost unnoticeable and it's something that I could live with. I'll try to post a pic when I get the chance. Thanks for the concern.

Plus, I already got a tv tuner and a usb expansion from them so I think it's enough.

 

Just watched Spartacus on my laptop with the LG screen, haven't had a chance since I replaced the screen to watch a netflix movie. This LG screen is really good, I am having a difficult time believing that the 1600x900 screen in the envy 14 could be much better. I would be interested in seeing an Envy, and comparing. I am totally happy with this laptop now.

 

finally switched mine, not sure i like how small all the icons are now but viewing angles are amazing

 

I think the icons and the font size in 1600*900 are great, not big but not too small

 

You can adjust the size anyways, though I like the smaller and cleaner look.

 

Just changed the screen on mine, now I'm happy. Like everyone else has said, this is a must. It's great.

 

remove this post on backlight bleed due to (0) response

 

Swapped mine out! Much better and super simple to do. I used a butter knife to remove the bezel and it was easy. No broken or cracked parts.

Much much better. I just wished my screen would open up farther is my only complaint about the PC.

Life is good,
Greg

 

I tried the screen swap on my 14r (n4010) and haven't had good results so far. The screen displays everything with a red hue and you can see the vertical lines in all resolutions. I tried updating the driver to my video card but that didn't help. So I disassembled the computer, unplugged and reconnected the connectors and fired it up. Still had the same issue.

I plugged the old display back in and it looks as it should. So my thoughts are either my graphics card can't handle the new display or the pinouts for the connector on the new display are not the same as the old.

My graphics card is the ati mobility hd 550v.

If anyone has thoughts or suggestions they would be appreciated.

 

Wrong forum buddy, but if it doesn't work then the pinouts aren't the same between old panel and new panel. That's why you do the proper research before trying this on a different laptop.

 

Did the screen swap (glossy version), booted machine, noticed that after OS loaded, there was nothing on the screen. Even though I saw bios boot screen earlier, I ended up remote desktop in, and go to device manager, and delete the Generic PNP monitor, and rebooted the system. After that booted fine after that.

FYI when removing the bezel, the last two hard tabs above the hinges, I found that using your fingernails between the LCD and plastic (above the hinges,) and pulling out that I could pop them off.

 

How does the screen compare to Macbook Pro, or the Envy 14 Radiance...can anyone comment?

 

I'm curious about this too, how does this LG 1600*900 screen compare to the Envy 14 Radiance. Guess only people who have both of them could answer this, or maybe you can find some clues in reviews.

 

Radiance is pretty rare, so it'll be harder to find someone with both. I would be happy if someone could comment in detail how it compares to any of the macbook pro/air screens. Brightness, black level, contrast, colors.

 

Just registered to say Thank You to everyone here for the information on the screen swap. The difference is night and day compared to the standard screen. Most notably the viewing angles are 1000x better, which are so bad on the stock screen that it almost made me sell the laptop to find something else. Thank You All Again!

 

Congrats! Welcome to the club. The extra real estate is a plus. I like how my Outlook doesn't look cluttered anymore.

 

Completed my screen swap last week. Great view angles now, but viewing 720p video on this new screen causes the image to look too pixelated/blocky.

 

It might be the video driver. I installed the latest Nvidia driver from their website, but now I see an updated Nvidia from Dell (2 days old) and was wondering if it would make any difference. I'm not sure, but it IS made specifically for the xps 14. I'll probably hold off and see what others have to say

 

After my screen swap my xps 14 will loose its brightness setting
on the power plan. The plugged in setting for brightness will revert to the lower battery setting intermittantantly. This occurrs usally after going from battery play to plugged in play even though the battery is still above 60%

Anyone else with that and does anyone have any ideas.

 

Mine auto adjusts brightness according to my power supply. If I set it to 50% on both battery and plugged, it will not change when I plug/unplug it. If I have battery set to 20%, and I'm currently plugged, it will change to 20% if I unplug, and change back to 50% when I plug.

Nothing happens during low battery either since I set everything to performance instead of power saver

 

Ive just received my xps 14 from Student PC Offer
So good to have a laptop.
But I have to agree, the screen quality, especially coming from a LG desktop LCD and Samsung LCD TV, is disgusting. Looking to do the swap asap.

Im in Australia. Has anyone else ordered a screen / done a swap from down under? Is there shipping / warranty issues for us over here?

 

I am entertaining an offer to buy a 2 month old one of these for $500 will probably do the screen swap. The guy claims he paid $1500 for it and it is still under warranty. I get his service code this afternoon to check out the specs. It will be my first time trying to change a screen if I buy it, I have wanted to change screens before, every see one of those 18.4 Acer 1080p screens? You can't even view it head on, top will be negative black and bottom will be good or vice versa. I think a PC maker that adds good screens could do well in the market place. Hopefully this LG screen will be a good fix and make this a nifty 14 inch computer for a reasonable price.

 

Have done the swapped screen for a week. Man, loves it! 10,000 better than the original one. This is A must change!

 

I just ordered an XPS 14 and a screen swap. I hope the swap goes well.

 

Just a quick Thank You for this thread. Have just installed the new LG screen ordered from HooToo, looks freakin good!!!

Took it nice and easy with the Bezel, corners are tricky to take off, and patience helps too.

Absolutely stoked, cheers.

 

I just order my replacement screen.
I'm looking forward to get the replacement done.
I'm sorry for the ignorance, but can you kindly tell me which side you have to lift first?? Screen side or top of the laptop to lift the bezel.

Thank you..

 

I did mine from the top of the screen.

 

I know this is the wrong forum.
Answering just for reference.

For the little research i did on online, 14r seems to ship with a samsung panel LTN140AT07.
Which definitely has a different pinout than the LG panel (LP140WD1) being discussed in this thread.

 

Hi, I have been through all the posts as I had the same problem with my screen of XPS L401X since I buy it. Just wanted to make sure from all of you who have already changed the panel that this is the particular model New LG LP140WD1-TLA1 and it is 100% compatible? Can you please confirm that it does not have the same grainy (pixel) issue and is of much better quality as most of you have suggested.

Edit:The stock screen: Terrible strain to eyes due to graininess (don't know how to say it exactly), very poor viewing angles.

It is really unfortunate that Dell QC pass this LCD for a high end laptop like this. I have already ordered the Lg LCD that most of you suggested, the dell service here in Thailand, was friendly and I discussed the issue with him. There is only 1 part available as replacement that is the stock one. He suggested that I might buy the LG LCD and give them a call complaining of any issue, not real necessarily, and they will send technician with a part and he will do the LCD swap for me, free of charge. This is because they can not send just for service without a part replacement.

I will wait for the LG LCD to arrive and once done I will feedback. For now if anyone can feedback who have already done the swap, how much better you feel the LG LP140WD1-TLA1 is in terms of graininess.

Thank You.

 

Just did a screen swap with the LP140WD1-TLA1 and the LCD is amazing. Colors are much better, no grainy look and best of all, higher resolution.

My bezel cracked however, so looks like I am going to order a new bezel.