One dead pixel... should i send it back?

[redrumchoy]

So i got my t43p 2668G2U: it's the top of the line 14 inch thinkpad but it has ONE dead pixel to the left of the screen. It is visible at times especially when it turns a neon green on black backgrounds (not all the time though sometimes it just stays black). I already got my exchange thing done and ready to ship it back and exchange for a new one. I don't need the thinkpad immediately so waiting the 3 weeks or so to get another one back here isn't THAT big of a deal but is this sole pixel worth me to wait and risk getting a thinkpad that might have an even worse pixel situation? I'm only doing this because this IS a notebook with a list price of almost 3500 US dollars. I really would want a perfect system....

[dinotopia]

My T43 has a dead pixel right in the middle of the screen. I don't ever notice it (in fact I forgot about until I saw your post); it's like a speck of dirt, and there are always specks of dirt and dust that land on your screen every minute. If you don't look at it head on, you don't ever see it.

If your dead pixel is going to bother you or eat away at you, maybe you should get a new one. But maybe it's not the laptop that's the problem, it's you wanting something that's "perfect". And nothing really is perfect, no matter how much you pay for it. How many weeks is it going to be before your new laptop has a scratch on the cover, or the keys start to go shiny, or the stickers on the palmrest wear away?

In about 5 years, give or take a little, your laptop will be detritus. And besides, every Thinkpad I've seen creaks or warps a little here and there, and the cover latch isn't perfect and.... maybe get NASA to build you a laptop. Wait, they, too, aren't known for perfection. Nevermind.

[admsteiner]

I'm only doing this because this IS a notebook with a list price of almost 3500 US dollars. I really would want a perfect system....

If you want it perfect then get it perfect. Call up IBM and have them send you a new one. Find out if you can send back this one when they send you the new one. I wouldn't be too worried about getting another dead pixel display. For $3,500 I'd prefer no dead pixels

--Adam

[sugo]

Well, I think you already have an answer before posting.

[Plinkerton]

I returned one that had a dead pixel in the middle of the screen. When I got the new one, that was pixel perfect, it has made a HUGE difference. I noticed the other one all the time, and not having any, is great.

-Plink-

[Scorpiontico]

I returned one that had a dead pixel in the middle of the screen. When I got the new one, that was pixel perfect, it has made a HUGE difference. I noticed the other one all the time, and not having any, is great.

-Plink-

did you have to send the one with the dead pixel first/before you got the other one with no dead pixels? or did they send you the new one while you had the defective one?

thanks.

[Plinkerton]

Ah, well, there's a bit more too that whole mess.

My first T42 had a stuck red pixel, about an inch from the top, pretty much dead center. It bothered me a bit, but I didn't notice it much, and was otherwise completely happy with the notebook, so I decided to keep it.

About a week later, the computer completely died, and tech support couldn't help.

I sent that one back, and got a new one, which worked fine, but it had a stuck pixel completely dead center of the screen, and it bugged the crap out of me. I didn't want to be without a computer again for another 2 weeks, so I was just bummed.

As a last resort, and not expecting anything to come of it, I stumbled onto the email address of Sam Palmisano, who was the CEO of IBM at the time. I sent an email explaining my situation, and less than 12 hours later, someone called me from IBM and said they were willing to work very hard to fix the situation.

They sent me a T42, I kept it for a week, and put it thru it's paces, I swapped the HD with my old one, and sent the other one back.

Now, I've had that one since, and it's still perfect.

So, it was a happy ending, but a bit of a pain in the [censored], though IBM made everything right, and I was very impressed with them.

[nirvana0001]

I can tell that you are so care about the dead pixel, neither am i. So just return it. lucky mine doesn't has dead pixel.

[nirvana0001]

They sent me a T42, I kept it for a week, and put it thru it's paces, I swapped the HD with my old one, and sent the other one back.

what if you keep both?

[Plinkerton]

Then they charge my credit card for the second one... Which was definitely not something I could afford at the time. They gave me 30 days to send it back before they charged me.

[Cliff]

Upon recieving my T41, i noticed a pixel stuck red near the middle of my screen. After a few hours, it had gone to stuck white (which was odd). I know the sick feeling and being torn between sending it back and not...if you haven't seen it change the status, i would send it back. Mine has since started working and looks great. Sometimes it will reappear as stuck white, but a power down usually fixes it. Very odd, and likely the exception rather than the rule, so i wouldn't count on yours 'fixing itself' like mine has...my vote is exchange it.

[Plinkerton]

The stuck white pixels are actually quite common. They seem to be an "artifact" or whatever name fits there, from the Ultranav Drivers. Sometimes, if you see one, click on the middle blue Ultranav button a few times, and it will dissapear.

-Plink-

[Guest]

In response to the first response: Nothing stays perfect, but something that is new should arrive perfect, especially a $3500 computer. I want the flaws in my property to be of my making or from normal wear and tear, not of bad quality control or of a prior owner.

[BillMorrow]

a "dead pixel" is, well a dead pixel where nothing shows..

a "stuck on pixel" is one that shows up with a contrasting color against a solid black or white or red or whatever, background..

so first, get the term right..

these things can come and go but usually they are either there or not..

they CAN just appear after a time but this is rare..

AFAIK i have not seen a stuck on pixel in about 20 new thinkpads..
that is 20 that i checked before shipping..

[JHaislet]

Bill, if you don't mind me asking, how many dead pixels have you seen in that batch of about 20 T43's you were talking about?

[VMax]

Bill, I don't think that's technically correct - a "dead" pixel, if all three subpixels are not working, will be white, as that's the colour of the backlight. If a single subpixel is dead, then it will be the colour of that subpixel.
A "stuck on" pixel will block light, so will either be black for all three subpixels stuck on, or whatever colour results from the absence of the colour of the stuck on subpixel.