Replacing the screen with a different model

I do a lot of photo editing and recently bought a Lenovo Thinkpad T400. I was very disappointed with the screen (washed out colours, significant colour inaccuracy that calibration couldn't fix) even though I got the "good" LG screen. I didn't know that Thinkpads were known for their bad screens until after I got one.

I would like to replace the LCD with a better one (like the ones on Fujitsu, Sony.. etc) or with a screen that is used on mainstream laptops (like Dell Inspiron's or Studio's) since mainstream laptops' screens are usually better than business laptops' screens when it comes to photo editing.

I have a list of screen panels that I'm considering, but my problem is.. how do I know which ones, if any, will fit?

I have wasted a good amount of money trying to fix the bad screen problem I encountered from pricey monitor calibration tools to even a new Macbook Pro that I have to sell due to the headaches its screen gave me. So I can't afford a new laptop now and my only option is to replace the screen. You guys are my last hope.


PS. An external monitor is not an option as my primary display or I would have gone with that in the first place.

 

Hi BlueRose

I can appreciate that laptop screens can vary from good to bad and that some, compared to each other are very different, but if a screen is causing physical problems for you then you would have to look further than the screen itself and maybe to your own physical health.

You may be suffering sensitivity caused by eye problems, for instance, glaucoma.
It's worth checking this out, especially as the MacBook screens are to most people very "easy" on the eyes.

Sometimes it's not the machines, it's us.

Cheers

Malai5

 

I don't have eye problems except mild sensitivity to light. I believe it's the LED backlight in the MBP that gave me headaches as I've always been sensitive to LED lights, but I never thought about that before purchasing the MBP. Thanks for your reply.

 

You've said you've done a lot of thing but not the most obvious - updating your BIOS and video drivers. Check this URL for T400 display problems.

If you haven't already gone the Warranty route or checked more of the online support area / forums for your system to see if there's any bulletins and warranty support for it, then you should do that first. Don't spend money and time if there's already a solution in place - it doesn't money to find out, just a bit of time. Looking through the IBM Support Forums for your system, there have been more than one who have had their display replaced by IBM for the same reason you mention, under basic warranty conditions. It's an automatic NO if you don't ask.

As far as business laptop screens not being as good as mainstream for photo editing, whoever told you that is full of it. A good screen is a good screen, it doesn't matter what system it's in.

You may be looking in the wrong area anyway - just because your display doesn't look that great doesn't mean the monitor is the problem. Remember that anything shown on the display is being driven by a GPU - if there's a problem with it, or if it's not set right, or can't be set right, then trying to deal with your monitor is just an exercise in futility.

If there's no solution warranty-wise, replacing it with a different screen isn't as easy as you might think. Systems are engineered with components already known ahead of time, so the tolerances are already tight enough, not to mention the power connections - notebook monitors don't just plug into anything. Some plug into a specific cable, others into a connection board, etc. Each vendor has their own method of connecting a monitor, so while you may find one that'll fit, getting it to connect and work properly may be a whole other ball game itself.

You should check through these posts at this URL also: T400 Forums

 

CyberVision, Both my BIOS and video drivers are up to date, so there is no problem there.

Sadly, this screen is not defective; I have compared it with other T400 screens of the same type and they had the same skewed hues and saturation problem. The ones who had their T400 screen replaced by Lenovo/IBM received the Samsung panel. I have the LG which is the better one, it may be good for an average user but it's not acceptable for a photographer who needs to edit her photos on the road.

As for mainstream laptops having better screens than business ones, I noticed that business laptops had worse screens in terms of colour accuracy when compared at the stores using my photos in a flash drive. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I noticed.

I have already posted a thread in the Lenovo/IBM forum. But since this is hardware related I thought might get better answers in this forum.

I understand replacing a screen panel is not an easy task, which is why I'd let a professional do it or someone who at least has done it before. But I want to know if it's possible to know if the screen would fit without seeing it in person first as I would be ordering online.