T420 AUO (garbage) panel replaced with LG (acceptable) panel

I would like to know the answer to that as well

 

I too have a 1366x768 panel in my t420, and want to replace it with the highest possible resolution screen, which i believe is 1600x900, has anyone tried this. Thanks

 

My T420s came with the AUO panel. I read lots of scaring posts here about that panel, and they proved to be correct. The screen's quality is BAD, especially the screen door effect and the grainy picture. I ordered a genuine samsung panel from ebay, now waiting for it to arrive. I will shoot some photos, comparing the two panels so we can make some assumptions...

 

I'm really curious what the difference will be between these two displays, so report back if you could; I have the Samsung panel, and yes, I can see some griddiness but nothing to bother me. It's just an ok display, I'm not disappointed nor excited using it. I'm wondering if this "T420/s display quality issue" it is not a little bit "overrated".

 

It depends what you compare the display with. For example, see the photos here that show my T420s alongside a Samsung NP900X3B.

John

 

I've been searching for this answer too! I have swapped screens from 1366x768 to a 1600x900 screen and when I restarted the computer the 1600x900 screen was barely legible. Although it did automatically adjust the resolution to the higher res screen it wasn't working properly. Was also wondering if there were updates (bios?, drivers?, ???) that would need to be done to make it work properly.
Thank you for your help.
-awry

 

I've done a panel replacement surgery on my T500. I haven't had an issue with griddiness (not sure if there isn't or just doesn't bother me), but I've been bothered by washed-out and inaccurate colours for ad-hoc photo viewing and editing while away from the external IPS Dell U3011. Calibration using the native white point would improve things a bit with non-colour-managed programs; but Lightroom color management would make certain vivid colours look radioactive due to saturation in the reds and blues.
The original was Samsung LTN154P3-L02 matte.
I've swapped it for a LG LP154WE2 TLA5, also matte because I prefer it for work. Roughly following the advice in an older post where a TLA3 glossy one was used.
It turned out there wasn't as much improvement as I was hoping for. The white point is a bit better, native 6500K, but the colour response looks just about as much twisted, the reds still suppressed.
Contrary to the OP I have better colour experience with a glossy AUO, which is relatively similar to the failed (vertical stripes) original panel sold as Toshiba TruBrite 6-yrs-or-so ago. So I'm getting inclined to believe that the glossy anti-reflex finishes are directly related to the better colour gamut on "standard" laptop panels (although the IPS U3011 doesn't seem to have any problem being matte).
Notice these are all older CCFL-backlit panels. I'd gladly choose an IPS FlexView or some fresh RGBLED backlit new wonder praised at Anandtech, but I gather the old IPSs are not available and the new LEDs are incompatible.

 

Hi awry, did you find out what was wrong with the new display you installed? Did you manage to correct the screen image quality? I ask because I was thinking of doing the same thing on my T420...

 

Hi VonFeffer,

I was in England when I tried to do this upgrade and wasn't happy with the replacement screens that I tried to upgrade to and nothing was working. Long story - short. I had a T520 and a T420 (still have T420) that both had the lower res screens, and I thought the problem was the quality of screens I was trying to use to upgrade (they were the AUO screens) so I finally sold the T520. (sold mainly because it was so big and at that resolution almost impossible to use)
In late October 2012, now I'm back in the US and I ordered this display, LG PHILIPS LP140WD2(TL)(B1), to see if I could get the 1600x900 screen to work. Well, I ordered it and plugged it in --- same thing happened. See this pic and this pic
The screen was just not working right - as in unbelievably grainy. I tried booting it in Ubuntu -- same thing. Searched for white listed bioses.. and luckily never pursued that much.
So, today after thinking about what could be the differences I looked at the cable part numbers and I found this post and am hoping this will solve the problem. I just ordered the cable off of ebay since the lenovo parts website said it was $27 and possibly 4 weeks to ship! (I found it on ebay for ~$20, and ships tomorrow).
Apparently the T420 with 1366x768 uses the FRU of 04W1619
and the T420 with 1600x900 uses the FRU of 04W1618
So according to seang86s's post we should be able to buy the HD+ LCD cable 04W1618 and that will finally make the upgrade possible to go from 1366 x 768 to 1600 x 900. I wish we could go more

Well, I should have probably waited until I get the cable installed to report back but I think it's going to work. I hope

Sorry for the delay getting back to you.
-awry

 

I installed the 04W1618 LCD cable (HD+ cable) on my T420 today to upgrade the display from 1366 x 768 (HD) to 1600 x 900 (HD+) and it worked! I also just realized I ordered the glossy display instead of the matte - not sure if I'm going to love the reflection it puts off or not. We'll see how that goes.

If anybody else searches for how to upgrade a T420 screen I hope they find this thread. I did plenty of searching before looking at the obvious issue of the LCD cable not being the same. To upgrade a T520 screen apparently the cable is the same - and others have successfully upgraded by simply plugging the new display in. (I didn't have that luck with my T520 upgrade)

Cheers,
-awry