Downgrading the screen on a W530

[dwf]

hi,

I am looking to replace the screen on my W530. The unusual part of this (I guess) is that I want to downgrade the screen, from 1080p to 1366x768. (I've come to the conclusion that Full HD and my eyesight just do not get on; for whatever reason the lower resolution, lower colour gamut etc just feels more comfortable to me).

So first of all my assumption is that "downgrading" in this way is OK technically. Would that be correct? I see that the W530 originally came with a choice of screens, HD, HD+ and FHD, so I assume going back to HD would be OK. And having checked out YouTube, screen replacing does seem like a fairly straightforward process.

However, trying to source the appropriate replacement has me a little confused. One retailer lists screens not just for "W530" but for the different machine types: 2441, 2447 etc. (Mine is 2447). Whereas on eBay sellers just put "W530" and no further detail. How much does the machine type matter? Could I get any W530 screen (HD) and be confident of fitting it on my machine?

cheers

David F.

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the Forum.

The easiest solution would be to go into Control Panel/Display.
Set that screen to Smaller - 100%.
On the left, click on "Adjust resolution" and set it to 1366x768.
Click on "Apply" and "OK".
Done.

[dwf]

Well, whatever the "issue" is, it's not to do with resolution as such. Other things beside max resolution change, I guess, in going from HD, to HD+, to FHD (etc). Colour gamut? Intensity? NITS? It's not really something I want to spend time trying to puzzle out: I just find FHD screens (whatever their resolution) relatively uncomfortable compared with HD.

Anyway. I would be grateful for any tips on making this replacement, choosing a new screen to go with my W530, and if details like machine type matter.

cheers

David F.

[atagunov]

W530 ... I want to downgrade the screen, from 1080p to 1366x768

Hi David, not much experience here.. I believe your 1080p is LED backligt while regular 1366x768 screens are probably CCFL. That might mean you also need to replace the "inverter" part.

[RealBlackStuff]

I can't see what your problem is.
My wife uses an X240 with FHD (1920x1080), on which I have made the above mentioned changes.
The screen is as good now on HD as it was on FHD.
Other than the resolution, nothing has changed!

[dwf]

W530 ... I want to downgrade the screen, from 1080p to 1366x768

Hi David, not much experience here.. I believe your 1080p is LED backligt while regular 1366x768 screens are probably CCFL. That might mean you also need to replace the "inverter" part.

Thanks atagunov, I'm taking from your comment that it may not be as straightforward as I thought.

[dwf]

For what it's worth, came across this blog that describes going from HD to FHD on a T530s, without having to do anything other than just remove the old screen and replace with the new. So would I be right in thinking that going in the other (and admittedly more unusual) direction would be as straightforward?? (and assuming this is equally applicable to the W530).

http://replacethinkpadscreen.blogspot.c ... creen.html

[atagunov]

Okay, I was possibly wrong about the "inverter". Here is the HMM for W530 (hosted on this very website ); the part I was referring to is called "LED sub card" there. On Thinkpads that have CCFL screens in this very place you find a card known as "inverter", its job is to convert 20V into super-high voltage needed by CCFL tube. But on models with LED backlight its place is taken by a rather modest piece of hardware with more limited functions.

So cutting long story short it may well be that all the screens that T530 and W530 were ever supplied with were LED backlight screens. I've found online T530 and W530 FRU lists that list a number of FRU-s (Lenovo own part designator) for LCD panels:

T530

04W0430 N CMI 15.6"HD
04W1544 N AUO 15.6FHD
04W3260 N SEC 15.6"HD
04W3339 N LGD 15.6"HD AG
04W3341 N AUO 15.6"HD AG
04W3345 N BOE 15.6"HD AG
04W3346 N Samsung 15.6"HD+ AG
04W3471 N AUO 15.6"FHD AG
42T0743 N LGD 15.6 HD+
42T0763 N AUO 15.6 HD+

W530

04W0430 N CMI 15.6"HD
04W1544 N AUO 15.6FHD
04W3260 N SEC 15.6"HD
04W3339 N LGD 15.6"HD AG
04W3341 N AUO 15.6"HD AG
04W3345 N BOE 15.6"HD AG
04W3346 N Samsung 15.6"HD+ AG
04W3471 N AUO 15.6"FHD AG
04W6848 N LCD ASM HD+ SEC for CS
04W6849 N LCD ASM HD+ LGD for CS
04W6850 N LCD ASM HD+ AUO for CS
04W6851 N LCD ASM FHD AUO for CS
42T0743 N LGD 15.6 HD+
42T0763 N AUO 15.6 HD+

It may very well be that all of them are LED backlight and some of them are 1366x768. Using the first FRU on this list I found this rather interesting page: https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-FRU04W042 ... B007BBQFIC If you look at the 4th illustration on that page you will see a comparison of how the backside of LED backlit screen panels differes from the back side of CCFL backlit LCD panel: the CCFL one - the one you don't want has got an extra wire with a 2 pin connector protruding from the back. This must be the wire over which the super-high voltage from inverter is supplied. So summary: look for a panel for T520/T530/W520/W530 that doesn't have this extra wire. My conjecture is that all the panels that I copy-pasted above from Lenovo's website are LED backligh and so don't have this wire.

As I indicated in my PM I am looking with some interest at your panel.. How bright is it btw? Have you ever tried it on a sunny day outside? I don't have any 1366x768 panels right now though I might get one in a week.. or maybe not..

[dwf]

Thanks for the info atagunov. I shall read and ponder.

On the screen brightness - I guess it's the usual level of brightness. There's nothing wrong with the screen as such. My discomfort with it is certainly less in natural daylight than it is with artificial lighting. I've experienced this discomfort any time I've used a FHD screen. No amount of adjusting of resolution or scaling can remove it. If I turn the brightness way way down it's not so bad, but then the screen becomes indecipherable...

[mikemex]

Back in the day, when I witnessed the switch from CRT monitors to LCDs, I just loved the level of sharpness of the new screens. CRTs are still superior in some specific areas (such as color reproduction in dark images) but for everything else, a native resolution LCD with optimal DPI remains unmatched.

If I remember correctly, Microsoft determined long ago that 96 DPI (FHD on a typical 22.5" monitor means 98 DPI) was an optimal balance between visual space and readability. It was hard coded into Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP. Higher DPIs, although possible, are just stretches for people with good eyesight, which not everyone has.

1366x768 in a 15.6" is a tiny bit higher (100 DPI), but the same for practical purposes. So you're not crazy. Just swap the screen and send the offending one my way...

Ahem... old laptops such as the W530 use LVDS and not eDP, that's why higher resolutions often need a dual channel cable. Not a problem in your situation, because, if your machine came with a FHD from factory, it's almost certain you already have it installed. So it's a simple panel swap.

[atagunov]

What is true is that a 1920x1080 W520/W530 panel can definitely be sold.
For how much is a different question They are offered at different prices.
But there will be people who would take one.

[olddog]

Back in the day, when I witnessed the switch from CRT monitors to LCDs, I just loved the level of sharpness of the new screens. CRTs are still superior in some specific areas (such as color reproduction in dark images) but for everything else, a native resolution LCD with optimal DPI remains unmatched.

If I remember correctly, Microsoft determined long ago that 96 DPI (FHD on a typical 22.5" monitor means 98 DPI) was an optimal balance between visual space and readability. It was hard coded into Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP. Higher DPIs, although possible, are just stretches for people with good eyesight, which not everyone has.

1366x768 in a 15.6" is a tiny bit higher (100 DPI), but the same for practical purposes. So you're not crazy. Just swap the screen and send the offending one my way...

Ahem... old laptops such as the W530 use LVDS and not eDP, that's why higher resolutions often need a dual channel cable. Not a problem in your situation, because, if your machine came with a FHD from factory, it's almost certain you already have it installed. So it's a simple panel swap.

Surely that's 1000 times harder than just changing the resolution. Is there something I'm missing? It seems to me that changing the resolution would solve the problem.

[mikemex]

Surely that's 1000 times harder than just changing the resolution. Is there something I'm missing? It seems to me that changing the resolution would solve the problem.

You can adjust the DPI in software, but scaling is never perfect. TFT panels are just that way: they look the sharpest at the native resolution. All those bumps in resolution do not make sense from the tradition PC user interface; they are just to provide a sort of sand box for scalable UI. Which, in turn, is necessary for mobile UIs.

If you want this all non-sense to stop, I invite you to write a letter to your favorite manufacturer and politely ask them to stop messing with our computers. A regular PC is not a phone or a tablet and should not be expected to share a common user interface with them. One can understand simplified UI and oversized controls in a small touch panel, but PCs have always had large screens, a keyboard and a mouse (or equivalent pointing device, such as a Trackpoint). Features such as top menus with visible hints for keyboard shortcuts -notoriously absent in some recent programs- were designed to offer a more precise control over the functions of the software. Also, regular sized UI elements allow for large amounts of on-screen information and are not a problem to be accessed via an accurate pointing device.

Yet manufacturers insist on mobile style UIs simply because that's where the money is nowadays. That's right: the regular PC market is no longer dominant; It has become just a small fraction of all IT related sales. Consequently, it no longer sets the standard for software development.

P. S. I witnessed such changes years ago when I had a Samsung Epix phone. It was originally released with Windows Mobile 6.1, which was probably the last version of Windows Mobile with a traditional user interface. It was a delight to use it with the optical mouse (look for it on Google). Just like using a desktop PC in the palm of your hand. But Microsoft later released Windows Mobile 6.5 which targeted more conventional phones without the optical mouse and they made everything big and ugly; and ultimately useless.

[TPFanatic]

Have you checked if the screen is running in 40hz or 60hz. They like to power save and go into 40hz mode which is less pleasant to me.

[olddog]

Surely that's 1000 times harder than just changing the resolution. Is there something I'm missing? It seems to me that changing the resolution would solve the problem.

You can adjust the DPI in software, but scaling is never perfect....

Thank you for a very full explanation. I am now better informed!