Thinkpads Forum

I have bought 4 Thinkpads for a small business: T60, T61 and T500 with various LCDs. Regardless of model, resolution and year of purchase they all shared the same common trait: they were pieces of shiet. As much as I like Thinkpad toughness, I can't stand the absolutely worst quality LCD displays they put into these things. Let's review the models I have previously bought:

• 2007, T60p 1680x1050 15.4" LCD: So-so brightness, low contrast, washed out colors, no true reds, so-so viewing angles.
  
  2007, T60 1440x900 14" LCD: Terrible brightness (worst I've ever seen), washed out colors, magenta tint, terrible viewing angles.
  
  2008, T61 1680x1050 15.4" LCD: Same model as in 2007. Barely usable, but viewing angles are a bit better than 14" model
  
  2008, T500 1280x800 15.4" LED LCD: Great brightness, horrendous light bleed - no true blacks, viewing angles are worse in the history of mankind: from any angle 60% of the area displays distorted colors. I couldn't believe they actually found a supplier who makes it. This junk is so bad, it could have been B/W display - colors are *that* useless on it.

All those displays were (are you surprised?) TN 6-bit types, capable of displaying only apprpox 260,000 colors, as opposed to normal LCDs that produce 8-bit, 16M color output.

Mind you, I owned an awesome Thinkpad with exceptional 1440x1050 screen 3 years ago, and since then it's been downhill deterioration.

The question is: has anyone attempted to install a non-Lenovo LCD into a Thinkpad? This kind of thing is very hard to find an answer for in Google. I like how Thinkpads are made and I am willing to invest (and install on my own) an extra $500 for a usable LCD, but can it be done?

I know, nobody makes 8-bit laptop LCDs anymore, but there are still some decent TN panels that at least try to preserve some color accuracy, decent contrast without el-cheapo plastic glossy tape over viewing surface, like prev. generation Macbook Pros... I just want to use one of those panels on a Thinkpad.

Interesting thought. I am looking from a different angle though.

I've just purchased a T400 with LED screen and I just love it. Wonder if we can put a LED backlight into a T4x or T6x 14" sxga+ screen. I think the sxga+ size and resolution is perfect for me, and with LED backlighting will really make it one sweet laptop to use in anywhere.

I think we just need to petition the LCD manufacturers to start making 8-bit (or even 10-bit), S-IPS laptop panels. Of course, they could go to RGBLED backlight to make up for the extra power draw of IPS.

@softtower:

I'm sorry to say that you're stuck with the LCDs that you have. BIOS in T6x unit would not allow you to install a "non-approved" LCD.

Of course, you could mod the BIOS...but why? Most if not all laptop LCDs on current market are garbage anyway.

Sell what you have and buy a couple of T60/p units with IPS LCDs...

My $0.02 only...

I'm unhappy with my LG 15.4" WSGA+ since using a XBRITE screen on a VAIO. I love my T61 so much more, but I'm so disappointed when switching back between the two. I just wish it were brighter. (I could live without gloss)

I was looking at Vaio FW series as a candidate for a replacement, and found their LCD's super-low contrast without any blacks (their "black" in reality is mushy gray instead), plus that disgusting el-cheapo gloss...

I've got rid of both Thinkpads I had via Craigslist and moved to Macbook Pro, the only issue is that i have to live with OSX right now...

The insanity of using substandard 262,000 color displays from early 90s has got to stop at some point. Every single Thinkpad I've gad in 07-08 claimed to had the "worst LCD of all times" at some point, one knocking another out... Even their W700 with "Adobe colors" is a pathetic piece of TN junk. Incredible...

If you have a MBP you can install whatever operating system you want...

Hm ... I miss my post here. Anyway, the only option is to buy used T60/p with 15" SXGA or UXGA panel. No other way to get decent notebook display anymore

softtower wrote:Every single Thinkpad I've gad in 07-08 claimed to had the "worst LCD of all times" at some point, one knocking another out... Even their W700 with "Adobe colors" is a pathetic piece of TN junk. Incredible...

I couldn't agree more. I think of starting a campaign to emphasize this issue. Maybe to register a domain for it and use as signature in various notebook forums.

It seems as things might become even worse, interesting post http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=70068

Well, I'm sure if you were willing to spend enough thousands of dollars, a display manufacturer could build an 8 or 10 bit, RGBLED backlit, S-IPS display. I'd love one in 15.4" WUXGA (or, call me crazy, but 15.4" WQXGA @ 196 DPI, beating the 15" QXGA thinkpads 171 DPI).

comptiger wrote:

Well, I'm sure if you were willing to spend enough thousands of dollars, a display manufacturer could build an 8 or 10 bit, RGBLED backlit, S-IPS display. I'd love one in 15.4" WUXGA (or, call me crazy, but 15.4" WQXGA @ 196 DPI, beating the 15" QXGA thinkpads 171 DPI).

I very much doubt that (the custom build part), but that's really beside the point...

The point here being that we're paying $3,000+ for a ThinkPad workstation of today (W700), which has worse LCD than a workstation ThinkPad (A31p) had six years ago for about the same price...now that's unacceptable, plain and simple.

It looks like the X200 Tablet models all have decent screens (due to viewing angle requirements for a tablet PC used in portrait mode). The CCF model is AFFS (like my old Compaq tc1100), and the LED models are IPS (pen only model is 285 nits, touch is 235 nits). Ironic though that I am considering getting a tablet model not because I use the tablet features but because of the screen

Lenovo should offer the 285 nit LED IPS screen on the X200, many people would pay more!

- Dennis

dhodge wrote:

Ironic though that I am considering getting a tablet model not because I use the tablet features but because of the screen

Don't kid yourself...for several months that I had used a pre-production X60T as my "around the house" machine, it hasn't been used as a tablet once...for many amongst us, high-quality LCD is still the # 1 thing...