Questions About Interchangeable LCDs (A Learning Experience)

[Bill Z]

Where I may be misunderstanding is that I think a display is a display. Like a monitor that can be used on any desktop machine, a LCD that physically fits should work in any laptop (again, my assumption).

I see on the IBM web pages that Samsung and LG make several SXGA+ LCDs with the physical dimension of 14.1 inch and have been installing them in T2Xs on up to the T40s (I stopped checking here).

Since the T2Xs are generally selling for less than the T3Xs or T4Xs, and I am going to remove the LCD anyway, why can’t I buy one of the LCDs from one of the T2Xs to use in my T30?

Also, what am I missing here? Where is the video circuit that runs the LCD? Is the video in the motherboard or can it be changed out also? I don’t see a FRU for video boards.

If I can’t change the video board then what is to gain by upgrading my LCD from XGA to SXGA+ ?

I have much to learn. Please help.

[Bill Z]

Here is what I have found out: The IBM web pages list Samsung 14.1 inch SXGA+ LCDs as having the following FRUs 11P8273 for T3X, 11P8296 for T3X & 11P8348 for T4X. I went to the Samsung web site and looked up the 14.1 SXGA+ LCD and they have only 1 part number (LTN141P4). Samsung did list the 200nit LCD but I was concentrating on the 150nit unit.

I wonder if any of these FRUs can be made to work in any of the laptops with 14.1 inch screens that are SXGA+ LCDs. Also, if this is true, regarding Samsung, the laptops with XGA LCDs could be interchanged. This is speculation.

I wonder if the only difference is the small steel frame that is glued to the side of the LCD so it can accept screws to hold it to the laptop lid.

I figure you IBM guys that do this stuff all of the time and have a bunch of parts to swap out knows this to be true (or not).

My question above restated (sort of): Are the SXGA+ 14.1 LCDs from Samsung interchangeable among the IBM laptops that use them?

Please, what is the true story here?