T61 4:3 14.1'' Best screen available?

[eru3]

Hello.

I saw this ocassion and could not resist. An ideal cosmetic condition T61 with 4:3 screen, X3100. Came with no RAM, no HDD, no screws. Got T7300 and 1024x768 screen. Guess how much was paid?

25 pounds, including delivery. Laptop itself was 17.05 pounds Now, the question is. Best available panel with higer resolution? It is time to put some work on this buddy here: new panel, LED, Middleton, SSD, T9500, 8GB RAM(got 4, not worth to change I think), new cooler and thermal component. Perhaps soldering the third mPCI-E port, thanks to one of forum members Some extension cards as well, like AC7260 etc.

Ok, I am going too far with that. Let's start it with simple thing: best panel available?

PS I do know about Frankenpad T61 to T60, but... I do not have the T60 casing. To collect all parts would cost a bit.

PSS This thing works faster than my T61P with FX 570M and X9000 - Windows 7, I guess.

[brchan]

None of the 14.1" 4:3 screens for the T6* generations were anything great. They were just average. However, the best 14.1" T61 display seems to be the 42T0369 Samsung SXGA+ panel, which is usually regarded as being brighter than the Toshiba one.

[ajkula66]

None of the 14.1" 4:3 screens for the T6* generations were anything great. They were just average.

Indeed.

However, the best 14.1" T61 display seems to be the 42T0369 Samsung SXGA+ panel, which is usually regarded as being brighter than the Toshiba one.

IDK. I always liked the Toshiba one better, but it's really up to one's eyes.

To OP: any of them will do, as long as it's still bright enough. Seriously...Hydis, Toshiba, Samsung...none of them are anything to write home about.

Happy shopping.

[600X]

There is only one 14" 4:3 display that can be considered good IMO, the N141X9-L01. It was used by Acer and Toshiba tablets. It has a contrast of 500:1 and good viewing angles. (even better than the T61 WUXGA displays)

However, installing it on the T61 requires some modifications.

[FryPpy]

There is only one 14" 4:3 display that can be considered good IMO, the N141X9-L01.

May be Panelook is wrong but it say that it is XGA (1024x768). Useless:(

One interesting LCD is QD14FL07. I don't have any specs for it but panelook say - 450 contrast, 150 brightness with slightly better angles than samsung. But it is QDI and i don't know any wonderfull screens from QDI ever.

[Kasm279]

This is from the T60, but I imagine lenovo sourced the same panels. The Samsung panel has the best viewing angles. BOE Hydis has the best color, and the TMD panel has the best outdoor visibility. The TMD panel has terrible reproduction, noticeably dithering. The Samsung panel is also a bit slow, and the viewing angles on the Hydis display aren't that wide. Out of the three, go Hydis unless you're going to be using your machine outside a lot.

[eru3]

Hm, thanks for answers I will be modifying all screens for LED mods, so brightness should be not the issue.

There is a lot of single channel 6-bit LVDS panels with 1600x1200 resolution - what would be a requirement to install them into the laptop? Except the 14" diagonal

[ajkula66]

Except the 14" diagonal

The only 14" UXGA screen that would work in a ThinkPad that I'm aware of is a Sharp panel that was shipped in some old Dell laptops, but good luck finding one...

[brchan]

That 14.1" screen is also dim, and the viewing angles are worse than the T6* panels. Not really worth it.

T4* 14.1" screens tend to be better than T6* 14.1" panels. In fact my T43 screen is very bright, clear, with good contrast. I might have got a lucky panel, though. They are not usually swappable without flashing the edid.

[FryPpy]

In fact my T43 screen is very bright, clear, with good contrast.

Do you know what LCD lives in your T43?
ThinkWiki states that T43 have the same 2 LCS as T60 (Samsung + Hydis). T40 - T42 can have IDtech.

[brchan]

Do you know what LCD lives in your T43?

Not at the moment. I tried to see if it had edid information that I could quickly pull up, but it came back empty (chip is probably not flashed or present). When I have time, I might open up the lid to find out. It is most likely a Hydis display.

[ajkula66]

ThinkWiki states that T43 have the same 2 LCS as T60 (Samsung + Hydis). T40 - T42 can have IDtech.

Don't rely on any of that, since the panel might have been swapped under warranty at some point in the game and any of these machines can sport *any* of the panels...

[brchan]

If it makes any difference, it is a late model T43 from early-mid 2006. I replaced the base cover since it had a large crack next to the battery compartment, so I don't remember the exact date. Judging by the unmarked screw stickers, it does not seem like the display was replaced, but Lenovo could have certainly replaced them.

[eru3]

Seems like the best idea is to stick to T60/T61 Frankenpad, right?

Cash, cash, cash :@

[brchan]

For any of those who are still wondering what the screen in my T43 is, it is a boe hydis model.

P/N: 13N7045
FRU: 13N7046
Model: HT14P12-100

Out of curiosity, I tried sticking it into a T61, and the output was messed up. Seems like it lacked the edid chip, or was not flashed. Colors are quite neutral out of the box, if not only a slight on the warmer side. Panelook lists the model as having a min of 200:1 contrast ratio, but this particular one is certainly more like ~380:1. Decent compared to most other TN thinkpad displays.

[600X]

I went ahead and bought the QDI screen. It was originally used in a Dell D600, so I wasn't surprised that it was a straight-forward swap. Can the screen deliver what it promises? The short answer is yes, it can.

That being said, You really only get what the specs say. Thus, viewing angles are just as crappy as on my old SXGA+ screen. Since my QDI is used, brightness isn't the best either, though a new screen should fix that problem. However, the blacks finally look like black and colors are a lot deeper and stronger as well. The 450:1 contrast spec appears to be legit.

Would I recommend it? Maybe. While the improved contrast and black levels are a more than welcome improvement over a stock SXGA+, it's still weird to see such a display with the kind of viewing angles that only the lowest grade TN's have. I know that these factors are all independent, but in my experience, most TN's with good contrast also had good viewing angles, so this is something I'll have to get used to.

The increased contrast also makes colors look much better. Even the color temperature with the stock profile is much closer to 6500k than the other SXGA+ screens I have encountered, although this shouldn't really be an issue if you are going to calibrate your screen anyway. However, the gamma is so far off that you will probably have to calibrate it regardless. I was also shocked, although in a more positive way, as I discovered that the display actually covers the sRGB color space.

If you can get your hands on one for a small change, or if your screen is defective or needs a replacement anyway for whatever reason, then go for it. If you are really picky about displays and can't stand the stock displays in the 14" T60 and T61 then it might be worth a shot as well. Other than that, I feel like it would make more sense to mod the N141X9-L01 because, apart from a 500:1 contrast and higher brightness, it also provides excellent viewing angles. if you can live with XGA. (can't say anything about sRGB coverage on that screen though)

[brchan]

After finding out about the SXGA+ QDI QD14FL07 screen mentioned by 600X, I got a new one off of ebay to replace my dim Samsung 14.1 SXGA+ panel.

The screen is in fact a drop in, as 600X said. I experienced no issues with resolution and linux detected it perfectly. I measured brightness to be 178 nits, which is just a tad higher than the 170 nit spec and there are 15 steps of brightness. Contrast ratio and colors are certainly better than the other TN thinkpad screens I have seen (other than the FHD display in my W530). However, you have to be looking at the screen without any angle or colors will invert. Vertical viewing angles are especially terrible, but horizontal ones are OK.

All in all, this is a pretty good screen if you can live with the bad viewing angles and is probably the best TN 4:3 ratio LCD you can get.

[tpdude4]

After finding out about the SXGA+ QDI QD14FL07 screen mentioned by 600X, I got a new one off of ebay to replace my dim Samsung 14.1 SXGA+ panel.

The screen is in fact a drop in, as 600X said. I experienced no issues with resolution and linux detected it perfectly.
...

I recently put a QD14FL07 in my 14.1" T61 and I agree that the contrast, brightness, and color quality are all great -- much better than the usual 14.1 SXGA+ screens. However when I tried to install it in my 14.1 T60 just for fun, some odd things happened: first, the BIOS config screen (F1) just wouldn't show up (stayed on a black screen); when I restarted and left it alone it did load GRUB (it's a dual-boot LM17+Win7 machine), and while everything worked fine on Win7, there was no display after selecting LM17. There was just a quick flash then a black screen -- based on the timing of the flash it probably occurred when you'd normally see the LM logo on startup. I found this behavior puzzling -- any thoughts?? I don't think it's an EDID issue since everything worked fine under Win7. Btw, I have a non-modded BIOS on the T60, while the T61 has middleton; so would applying middleton to the T60 help with the BIOS/LM17 issue?

[brchan]

There is no Middleton's BIOS for the T60 and not attempt to apply that BIOS to it. I do recall a someone on this forum putting the same Quanta display into a T42 or T43, but it ended up blowing a fuse. Very odd, since the pin layout is the same.

[tpdude4]

Thanks, good to know re the BIOS. Re the screen, I forgot to mention that my T61 (on which the screen works fine) runs only LM17 (64-bit; on the T60 both OS's are 32-bit). So it's very puzzling to me that it works just fine with Win7 on the T60 but not LM17 on the same machine. The BIOS problem on the T60 makes me think it might be a motherboard/firmware issue...but then why would Win7 be able to use the screen perfectly on that machine in the first place??

[zIO]

I just put QUANTA QD14FL07 in my T61-8896 and it works. In case someone was looking for screen replacement
(my system is Linux Mint 18 and it doesn't even seem to notice the difference; no idea if Windows could handle that though)

My previous screen was Toshiba LTD141EN9B (PN 42T0437 FRU 42T0438) -- also SXGA+.

//edit
This Quanta screen was from Dell NC600.

[boodi]

I have a t61 with a 1024x768 with a 14.1' screen
I need to replace it and I still do not know wheter is easy and feasable to change it with a 1400x1050 sxga+ screen .

I found several deals on ebay for a QUANTA QD14FL07 but I guess I need much more info before buying in


It is feasable to put in a 1400x1050 screen in a 1024x768 14.1' t61? ?

What should I need other then the screen itself ( lcd cable ? inverter ? else.. )?

What should I look into my t61 to know if it supports a 1400x1050 screen resolution ?

Thanks to anybody for the help , that is much appreciated .

[RealBlackStuff]

Yes you can put in SXGA+, no problem.
Ever heard of the Hardware Maintenance Manual?
Click on the HMM link at the top of this page to download it.
The Parts list in there has the info you are looking for.

[boodi]

thanks , I will do .

supposely not all the Quanta QD14FL07 screens work for the t61?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SCREEN-QD14 ... SwMgdXyCP7

what other parts would I need other then a fitting working right 1400x1050 lcd panel ?

[unixed]

supposely not all the Quanta QD14FL07 screens work for the t61?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SCREEN-QD14 ... SwMgdXyCP7

You should dismiss his quote
"Note: This will NOT work in a IBM/Lenovo T60 or T61"
immediately as inconclusive because he also says this:
"Please Note: An alternate compatible Part Number may be shipped"
and lists the screen as "new" and abundant.
It is almost certain you will not receive a Quanta QD14FL07.
In bocca al lupo.

[TonyJZX]

I assume no 61 screen was ever LED? in any resolution?

[ajkula66]

I assume no 61 screen was ever LED? in any resolution?

Correct.