Take a look at our
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message

X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

X230-X280, X390 Series
Post Reply
Message
Author
htc4668
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 2:23 am
Location: San Jose, CA

X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#1 Post by htc4668 » Mon Jul 31, 2017 1:13 am

I've been using my X250 for a year now but have issue with my eyes on such a high resolution on such a small physical dimension. Because the laptop is still in such great condition, I don't want to just go out and buy a new one. Would it be possible to replace the LCD panel with a similar FRU that uses a 1366x768 native resolution? I've tried adjusting windows DPI/magnification and resolution settings to the best of my ability, but because of how many old apps I use for work, I need something with a lower native resolution to avoid all the irritating blurring I experience. So that's kind of my only option.

Alternatively, I found a refurb X260 on eBay for just $600 that has a 1366 native resolution. Should I attempt to swap the LCD panel out or just get the X260? And lastly, if this is doable, can someone help me pinpoint the correct FRU for an X250? What drove me nuts is this: when looking at the FRU, I found that in both HD and FHD listings on eBay, they both show the same native resolution of 1366x768, which can't be right. Some direction would be much appreciated.

00HM745 N LGD 12.5" FHD IPS AG
00HN839 N LGD 12.5” HD IPS AG
00HN856 N IVO 12.5” HD IPS AG
00HN889 N BOE 12.5 HD TN AG
00HN899 N LGD 12.5 FHD IPS AG
00NY403 N BOE 12.5 HD TN AG
04X1765 N BOE 12.5"HD A

RealBlackStuff
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 23820
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Loch Garman, Éire

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#2 Post by RealBlackStuff » Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:14 am

It would be a straight swap, if you know how to take the lid apart.
I'd recommend the 00HN839 IPS screen.

I have an X230 which I upgraded the other way around: from HD to FHD, using nitrocaster's FHD-mod.
Having similar problems with tiny text, I only changed the resolution to 1600x900 and am happy with that.
No scaling or DPI switching.
Give that a try for a week or so, before you swap.
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
Lenovo: X240, X250, T440p, T480, M900 Tiny.

PS: the old Boardroom website is still available on the Wayback Machine
.

htc4668
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 2:23 am
Location: San Jose, CA

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#3 Post by htc4668 » Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:46 am

Yeah, I tried 1600x900 for a while and just could never get used to it. For the vast majority of the past year, I just worked off an external monitor because it was just so difficult to work with the existing screen. My biggest fear is disassembling the lid. I've disassembled pretty much everything on my X220 and my X250 sans the lid. Last time I saw a lid disassembly, it looked pretty painful to do with the guy using a tool underneath the bezel. I found a video for the X240 that seemed pretty straightforward. Do you happen to have a reference for the 250 or should it be pretty much the same deal?

The one nice thing is that it looks like this panel replacement is something I can do without disassembling anything else, which is an added bonus. That pretty much correct?

RealBlackStuff
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 23820
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Loch Garman, Éire

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#4 Post by RealBlackStuff » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:04 am

Only remove the bezel and then the LCD.
But be careful not to leave any marks/dents/scratches.
Follow the X250 HMM sections 2010 or 3010 from: https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobi ... f30022.pdf
Do NOT follow step "1140 LCD unit", not needed.
See also: https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comme ... periences/

Thinkpad4by3
Senior ThinkPadder
Senior ThinkPadder
Posts: 2670
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:25 am
Location: N. Bellmore, ny

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#5 Post by Thinkpad4by3 » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:09 am

When I swapped the panel on my X240, I made the mistake of following 1140 and caused a big headache. Next time around when I had to do it, I just did what you said.
Thinkpad4by3's Law of the Universe.

The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.

htc4668
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 2:23 am
Location: San Jose, CA

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#6 Post by htc4668 » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:39 am

(this might be a duplicate post ... other one disappeared?)

Awesome, thank you much for the manual. For prying off the bezel, do you recommend attempting it from the inner edge or the outer edge first? Also, I am looking at panel listings for 00HN839 and find multiple listings but with different spec. I see 00HN839 listed with IPS and non-IPS. Is that a correct listing or should an IPS and non-IPS have a different FRU?
RealBlackStuff wrote:
Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:04 am
Only remove the bezel and then the LCD.
But be careful not to leave any marks/dents/scratches.
Follow the X250 HMM sections 2010 or 3010 from: https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobi ... f30022.pdf
Do NOT follow step "1140 LCD unit", not needed.
See also: https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comme ... periences/

RealBlackStuff
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 23820
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Loch Garman, Éire

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#7 Post by RealBlackStuff » Mon Jul 31, 2017 10:12 am

I haven't had anything newer than an X230 in my hands, so I don't know what the story is with newer LCD-bezels.
As for screens: I have the very best experiences (in both X220 and X230) with LG LP125WH2-SLT1 (HD and IPS) which were used in Lenovo S230U Twist.
Others can confirm that.
Does it also fit in an X250? Don't know either.

The X220/X230 need the 3 mounting holes L and R as seen here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/181571266833
But it looks like the X250 does not have/need those mounting holes.

For removing the LCD-bezel: https://www.frusonfone.com/showcase?sid ... y=TGVuZw==
Scroll down to LCD Bezel

Thinkpad4by3
Senior ThinkPadder
Senior ThinkPadder
Posts: 2670
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:25 am
Location: N. Bellmore, ny

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#8 Post by Thinkpad4by3 » Mon Jul 31, 2017 10:19 am

I can confirm that there are no screws on the top bezel, all friction, glue and 99% snap clips.
Thinkpad4by3's Law of the Universe.

The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.

ZaZ
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 4706
Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 1:33 pm
Location: Minnesota

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#9 Post by ZaZ » Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:52 pm

htc4668 wrote:
Mon Jul 31, 2017 1:13 am
Should I attempt to swap the LCD panel out or just get the X260?
Having done LCD swaps, I'd vote for getting the X260. By the time you buy the screen, though the old one probably has some value, you're probably not saving much, so why go through the hassle?
ThinkPad L14 - 2.1GHz Ryzen 4650U | 16GB | 256GB | 14" FHD | Win11P
ProBook 470 G5 - 1.6GHz Core i5 | 16GB | 2.2TB | 17" FHD | Mint

htc4668
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 2:23 am
Location: San Jose, CA

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#10 Post by htc4668 » Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:16 pm

I've been pretty disciplined over the past few years about my buying habits so maybe getting the X260 wouldn't hurt my budget too much. But the X250 I got is still practically brand new so I feel a hesitation to ditching it so soon; that and I just blew $500 for a ReMarkable Tablet, lol. So between $110 for the panel and $600 for the X260, the panel seemed a better idea. I actually just ordered it yesterday and am waiting for it to arrive. I wish there were some video specific to the X250 on the panel removal. Being a relatively new model, it is not so easy to find yet. The above maintenance manual has some general guidelines, but does not replace a good old fashioned video walkthrough.

RealBlackStuff
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 23820
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Loch Garman, Éire

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#11 Post by RealBlackStuff » Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:29 pm

That frusonfone link I gave you above is specifically for X240/X250...

htc4668
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 2:23 am
Location: San Jose, CA

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#12 Post by htc4668 » Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:33 pm

Yeah, that manual is exactly it. I'm just reluctant to start prying stuff unless I see it on video first, lol. I just want to avoid breaking any of the clips, which is why I've still been trying to find videos or instructions to pry from the inside edge or the outside edge.

htc4668
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 2:23 am
Location: San Jose, CA

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#13 Post by htc4668 » Wed Aug 09, 2017 1:26 pm

I received the replacement panel and was able to swap it out. The nice thing is that it is quite literally a drop in replacement. And for reference, the best way to remove the bezel is to start by prying it from the inside edge. 1366x768 is significantly better on my eyes so that's good. However, I did come to realize my vision has deteriorated a bit in the past couple years. Some text is still blurry to me. Sad.

But now here's another issue. When I pull the system on (either a cold boot or resume), where the LCD goes from no power to powered, there is a vertical black bar that takes up about 1/6 the width of the screen that appears in the middle. This generally goes away after the initial boot screen but on a couple of occasions stuck through the system boot. Is this because I probably received a bad panel or is this an artifact caused by me using a non-HD display on my HD-capable Thinkpad model? Other than this annoyance, I have not seen any other artifacts or dead pixels. Currently waiting on the seller to respond and see if they can send me a replacement panel but would love a potential fix if anyone has experienced this. It would save me shipping this thing back internationally.

Many Thanks!

RealBlackStuff
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 23820
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Loch Garman, Éire

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#14 Post by RealBlackStuff » Wed Aug 09, 2017 7:02 pm

That sounds to me like either a bad screen, OR you handled it too rough during installation.
Fingers crossed that your supplier offers a replacement.

htc4668
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 2:23 am
Location: San Jose, CA

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#15 Post by htc4668 » Thu Aug 17, 2017 2:22 pm

The seller was able to overnight me another panel and because of your comment about man-handling, I tested the panel before sealing up the bezel (to avoid squishing something). It came out even more berzerk than the first bad panel. Now with the first panel, I kept using it, and after warming it up, the picture eventually came out. However, if the screen went all white, I would flex and bend the screen by the edges and it would kick back on.

But given that ... is there a possibility that firmware/BIOS/motherboard for an originally HD display could at all be causing a non-HD display to malfunction? The seller claims that they tested it, but I'm not sure if they are BS'ing me or if it's just me? Oh, and when I switch back to my HD display, works fine ... lol.

RealBlackStuff
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 23820
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Loch Garman, Éire

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#16 Post by RealBlackStuff » Thu Aug 17, 2017 3:11 pm

What exact screen did you get, and from where?
Did you maybe go from touch to non-touch or v.v.?
AFAIK the recommended 00HN839 is an LP125WH2(SP)(T1) non-touch.

htc4668
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 2:23 am
Location: San Jose, CA

Re: X250 Possible to Replace 1080p display with 768?

#17 Post by htc4668 » Thu Aug 17, 2017 3:16 pm

I went through a UK ebay seller and simply asked them what would fit my "X250" with a matte spec, non-touch. They gave me their listing with these spec: 12.5" Laptop Screen Matte For B125XTN01.0 M125NWN1 HB125WX1-200 Lenovo ThinkPad X240 X240S X240T IPS 1366X768 30-Pin

But yes, non-touch. I mean, if it was an incompatibility issue, I would assume that the screens would flat out not work, instead of flickering in and/out of working based on how I flexed the panel, right? I'm guessing they just have bad manufacturing, but please do tell me if you have any other thoughts on that.

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “ThinkPad X230-X280 / X390 Series”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests