Replacing T430 screen with a better one
T430/T430s and T420/T420s laptops are equipped with awful screens. No matter if the screen is HD (1366x768) or HD+ (1600x900) and no matter if the screen manufacturer is LG, Samsung or AUO: every screen has been reported to show awful viewing angles, poor colors and weak brightness.
The subject of upgrading the screens of these laptops has been long discussed on forums, notably on Notebook Review Forum at the thread "X1 display on a T430? and on ThinkPad-Forum at the thread "T420/T430 auf FHD-Panel umrüsten (wie Alienware 14" FHD matt) ... Gibt's schon Infos?". More than one screen has been considered as candidate for the replacement, nevertheless at this time (November 2013) it seems that only the X1 screen has been successfully installed.
At this time the principal aim of this article is to describe the successful installation of the X1 screen on my T430. Nevertheless, thanks to similarities between T430, T430s, T420 and T420s the information hereby presented could be applied to these other models too. Moreover, I've summarized some information available about the other screens considered as replacement so far. The article itself is written in order to be improved with future discoveries on the subject: any future contribution will be welcome!
Contents
Candidates
The one of X1 Carbon
| FRU | manufacturer code | connector |
|---|---|---|
| 04W68591 | LP140WD2(TL)(E2) | LVDS 40-pin |
The HD+ display mounted on X1 Carbon is a 14 inches TN screen made by LG. This screen has been praised by reviewers2: it features good viewing angles, rich colors and high brightness. An interesting comparison between this screen and one of the awful screens mounted on T430 has been published by Laptop Reviews: "Thinkpad X1 Carbon screen comparison to other Thinkpads".
Talking about compatibility, this screen has the right connector (40-pin LVDS) and the right dimensions to fit perfectly in the T430. Besides, it can't be screwed (the original is screwed) and, most important, its connector is on the wrong side (on the right instead of left). In the following solutions for these problems will be presented.
The X1 screen can be purchased straight from Lenovo or from third parts (like laptopscreen.com) for quite less money.
The one of T440p/T440s
T440p and T440s feature excellent IPS panels (HD+ and Full-HD), that by definition should be superior also to the screen mounted on X1 Carbon. They've been reported to have same dimensions but completely different connectors (eDP instead of LVDS). This difference make them difficult if not impossible to replace T430 screen.
Removing the original screen
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TODO
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I'm working on it!
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LCD cable
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TODO
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I'm working on it!
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Placing the new screen
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TODO
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I'm working on it!
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| FOOTNOTES [Δ] |
