Need help. Information on new(er) thinkpad and fixing scree

[TarzanBoy]

My Thinkpad T40 2374-BU7 got a small crack in the corner of the display (from a drop) which has just become a quartz-leaking crack that stretches all the way across the screen.

For this reason, I have decided to upgrade laptops. I was on a trip with a friend who had a macbook, and was struck by how much nicer the the screen/display was than my thinkpad was (before the crack) in terms of brightness, color range, and viewing angle.

I would like to get a thinkpad (or screen) that at least has as as nice a screen as hers was (I sometimes edit photos with the laptop if my desktop machine is unavailable)....but I know absolutely nothing about the new thinkpads (anything past T40), nor which of the newer ones will have the nicer displays that I am interested in.

Do I need to shoot for the T6x line, or will I have to get a T/X/Rxxx model in order to get a nice screen?

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Also, I need to replace/fix my screen. Where is the best place to purchase one (used is okay with me), and how much should I expect to pay for a T40 2347 screen (or something a bit nicer)?

Thanks in advance... been away from the site too long and I am out of the loop!

[ZaZ]

If you want a good screen, shoot for a T60 with IPS screen. They're amongst the best notebook screens ever made. They're the 15" T60 SXGA+ and UXGA resolution screens. Post in the Marketplace forum you're looking for one. eBay is another option, but it can get a bit dicey over there. Good Luck.

[irus]

it would be best to get a replacement lcd from ebay. those flashy/bright lcds look good to attract initially but are pretty bad for day to day use.

[TarzanBoy]

My laptop doesn't typically get day-to-day use... and I can always dim it, right?

So, the T60 / T61 with the SXGA or WXGA is the way to go, then?

[ZaZ]

If you just want a higher quality screen, then the 15" SXGA+ and UXGA are the way to go. They have very good contrast and wide viewing angles. Those more so than the brightness will make for a quality screen. If you want a 14" I'd say the T61 WXGA+ might be worth a look as it's about 30% brighter than the 14" standard screened ThinkPads. The Z61t could work as well.

[irus]

uxga might be a bit tough to use in native resolution without increasing the dpi. a t60 with sxga+ would be a good choice. but like fred said its not going to be bright like the macbook.. probably quite far, but these screens stand out for their sheer quality.

[TarzanBoy]

Yikes, you guys are starting to confuse me! I understand that there are nuances and trade-offs but I am getting mixed signals.

I am taking it as a given that whatever I upgrade to will be better than my T40 screen, so telling me that a certain T61 has better contrast, viewing angle/etc than the T40 isn't helpful as far as information/education for me.

Could you guys maybe answer these questions to help me understand better?
• What are the best screens (either 14 or 15 inch) available for a thinkpad?
• Which model of thinkpads do said screen(s) come on?
• How do these 'best' screens compare to the color range and overall performance/quality of a Macbook?

I would value the properties of a screen as follows (listed in order of decreasing importance)
-faithful color reproduction or color range
-contrast/viewing angle
-overall brightness

Keeping this in mind, is the SXGA the best choice?
Thanks

[ZaZ]

uxga might be a bit tough to use in native resolution without increasing the dpi. a t60 with sxga+ would be a good choice. but like fred said its not going to be bright like the macbook.. probably quite far, but these screens stand out for their sheer quality.

Don't forget the 300 nit MaxBright screen on the Z60m/Z61m.

The best screens are the IPS screens. Over the years they've come the A, R, T and X series tablets at some point or another. They were last offered on bigger notebooks on the 4:3 ThinkPad T60. They come come in SXGA+ and UXGA resolutions. The XGA screen in not IPS.

I would say these are better then Mac screens, but the Mac screens are glossy. Glossy screens are more vivid, but don't have the angles or contrast, which is what makes it a good screen.

If you value faithful color reproduction, contrast and viewing angles, the IPS screens are the way to go, though they are not super bright in the way a glossy screen is. While brightness does help a bit with readability, it is not the answer to a better screen. Take a look at some of the super bright LED screen and you'll see what I mean.

[Harryc]

One thing not being mentioned here is that the Macbook and Macbook Pro LCD's are widescreen. Does the OP prefer a widescreen LCD or a standard 4:3 aspect ratio LCD? If you prefer a 4:3 aspect ratio LCD I'd agree that the 15" SXGA+ and UXGA IPS Flexview models are the best LCD's in the Thinkpad line. You do not have to get a T60P to get one however. Look at the IPS models in the link below;
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/TFT_display

As far as wide screen Thinkpads, I have never seen one that would come close to a Macbook in the Thinkpad line. However, I also have never seen the 300 nit MaxBright screen on the Z60m/Z61m, so if Fred says they are nice then I beleive that. I have seen and owned the 14" Z61T with a WXGA+ LCD, and it is very acceptable as well. If you are looking for brightness for the sake of a very bright LCD, then the LED backlit T400 is on top IMHO.

[ZaZ]

I've not seen it either, but I was just point out there was a bright ThinkPad screen like the MacBook.

[TarzanBoy]

I have a line on a local T61 with a WXGA screen. The WXGA screen is NOT IPS, is that correct?

[irus]

interesting thinkwiki table. from that it seems there are no ips panels for 14.1" ever made, unless the table is incomplete.

@OP the confusion might be stemming from the fact that you're expecting the glossy/bright/low ppi "entertainment" LCD of apple in the avataar of your replacement but looking at matte finish/relatively dim/high ppi "business/text" focused LCDs of thinkpads. if you sort out your expectations there will be lesser confusion.

[TarzanBoy]

I am having problems trying to narrow down the hardware here.

The T61 I have contacted a seller about is a T61 7659-12U. The Lenovo support site lists that particular model as having a 14.1 inch 1280x800 WXGA screen, but does not offer any more information other than that.

The thinkwiki TFT page (linked here) lists 3 different 14.1 inch 1280x800 screens for the T61.
An
• AUO
• LG-Phillips, and a
• Samsung.

Is there any way to tell which the seller has? (he seems less knowledgeable than I am)

[ZaZ]

You can do the parts look up to tell which screen it is. You are correct the none of 14" screens were IPS, only the 15" and the tablets.

The WXGA+ screen is a bit brighter than the WXGA, 200 nits for the WXGA+ versus 185 nits for the WXGA.

[TarzanBoy]

I understand the difference between WXGA and SXGA (physical form factor and available resolution), but I am still at a loss as to how to determine which of the screens listed on the linked thinkwiki page are IPS screens or not.

Am I missing something?

[qviri]

.

[TarzanBoy]

I went and looked at a T43 2379-DXU with a 15" screen. I was a bit underwhelmed by the difference between it and my T60 2007-GBU, and disappointed in the difference between it and a Macbook screen.

I think its becoming clear that I will have to stray from the Thinkpad/Lenovo offerings in order to find a laptop that is well equipped for photo editing.

[Troels]

Are you completely sure it was a Macbook and not a Macbook Pro? If it was a Macbook it would have an LCD contrast of approx. 185:1 on a good day (i.e. low contrast) - according to:
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Apple ... 971.0.html
- and horrible viewing angles (see bottom):
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Apple ... 860.0.html
and a color gamut like any standard display these days.
In comparison to your current LCD - except from the difference in brigthness - the difference shouldn't be as large.

The MacBook Pro and MBA are completely different beasts though, with much migher contrast, also than the flexviews.

Still even the MacBook Pro lost to the T60 with an IPS (LG though) here:
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_ ... -9320-9876

I.e. flashy colors like usually available on the RGB LED or expensive notebooks in general mean nothing if they aren't calibrated (and they aren't). From what i've seen flexview requires little or no recalibration - no color tinting in grayscales, as tested on the middle of this page: http://www.notebookcheck.com/laptop/con ... ew/745/65/
If "flexview" isn't quite it, i'd recommend no less than the Dell Precision M6400 with a 17" WUXGA RGB LED LCD. Either that, or maybe an external LCD of a good quality.

Edit: Reading what i wrote again, it sounds negative i think - but it really wasn't meant to be.
Maybe an external LCD would actually be the most inexpensive and - for photo - best solution. I mean, doesn't the T40 still work with VGA output (or DVI via dock)?