Where to buy a replacement laptop screen?

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Silent Assasin

[H]ard|Gawd
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I also posted this in the Displays forum a few days ago with no luck. Hopefully someone in here will have a better idea.

If you've had to, where would you guys buy a replacement display panel for laptops?

A friend of mine asked me if I could replace his cracked screen on a Sony Vaio that his kid broke. I'm still waiting on him to get me the model number, but I was wondering if anyone had a good place that they have purchased replacement display panels for laptops before. I haven't had to do this in the past few years, yet the last time I had, the screen I ended up purchasing looked like crap compared to the original (Kind of a foggy appearance sorta thing, I don't remember where I got it from though). I was thinking about just looking for another laptop of the same model on ebay or something with faulty hardware, but that doesn't really seem to be that cheap yet and most of them are also broken screens.
 
ebay.

First step is you have to remove the cracked screen from the laptop and find the part number.
Then go on ebay and start searching. There are sellers who have brand new LCDs sold as replacement parts.
When I've done this, they're usually <$100 for a new LCD.
 
Agreed. Ebay is where I've gotten the few screens I've replaced. Just never trust what the seller says is compatible. Like J Macker said, pull the damaged screen and match its numbers.
 
Thanks for the consensus. I will probably end up doing this as soon as I can finally get a hold of the thing from him to take a look. It's looking like most likely around $50 for most Vaio screens on ebay.
 
You probably got a bad screen because of this:
Unless described as 'Original', all items are produced by a 3rd party manufacturer(OEM) and not the original manufacturer. Original manufacturer Part Numbers(P/N)are provided for cross reference only, the actual part numbers on the product is different.
Click to expand...

Even on a listing for a used screen:
LTN154AT10 HP Pavilion DV5 15.4" WXGA CCFL LCD Screen MATTE 484371-001 or A FULLY COMPATIBLE MODEL
Click to expand...

Anyway, all you need to know is size, aspect ratio, backlight type and resolution, you really don't have to match up part numbers. So you could easily do your research and get a matte screen instead of glossy, or one with better brightness or contrast if you want.
Also, 1600x900 to 1200p screens all use the same cable but it's different from the cable used in 1440x900 and lower. So unfortunately you can't upgrade modern 1366x768 screens to 1600x900, but if its an older 1280x800 screen, you could get a 1440x900 for it or if its 1600x900 you can go 1080p.

There really don't tend to be a lot of decent quality WXGA screens... quality seems really subjective, for example I think Chi Mei has had a bad reputation but are now making some better panels. This site has some good info though http://www.panelook.com/
 
eBay, but make sure you get the exact same panel. I've gotten ones that are dim or blurry compared to an OEM panel.
 
Niff, I know that's exactly what happened last time I purchased a display. I knew that it wasn't OEM at the time of purchase, but I couldn't imagine the quality being that much worse. Yet again, I was foiled by the "too good to be true" scheme because the price could not be beaten and the customer (my now ex) was pretty pissed.

Anyways, thanks for the info. When I've looked before, I've always gone the safe route and just got the same model number. That's good to know that it's not a huge deal if they don't match exactly. Although, I think his main concern is just to go cheap, without being too cheap and getting a crap display.
 
I bought mine off of amazon through one of the authorized sellers. It was not the cheapest, but there was plenty of reviews and feedback as well as clear avenue to return the panel if the 'compatible' model didnt work. Quality was as good as OEM and it all worked out okay.
 
np... there are also some great sites to buy screens, and some not so great ones... one of them has an account on NBR forums and talks with customers. they did some non OEM deals but I think they are pretty solid now if you tell them to send you the exact model. I believe its this site https://www.laptopscreen.com/

they legitimately have some better prices than ebay.

BTW, for testing purposes, you don't have to match all of those... 14" screens will work in 15" laptops, 16:10 in 16:9 etc, the weird thing is no one can seem to fit a real LED screen in a CCFL laptop.
 
I've used them for exact models before, very good comms from them.
 
Even to the uk actually, less than 72 hours to my door at one point!
 
niffcreature said:
np... there are also some great sites to buy screens, and some not so great ones... one of them has an account on NBR forums and talks with customers. they did some non OEM deals but I think they are pretty solid now if you tell them to send you the exact model. I believe its this site https://www.laptopscreen.com/

they legitimately have some better prices than ebay.

BTW, for testing purposes, you don't have to match all of those... 14" screens will work in 15" laptops, 16:10 in 16:9 etc, the weird thing is no one can seem to fit a real LED screen in a CCFL laptop.
Click to expand...

Sorry for the bump, but I'm looking to use this site and was wondering if anyone has some feedback.

Basically I'm about to buy the Clevo w230st, but I'm not really comfortable with 1080p resolution on a 13.3" form factor. I'm probably going to swap it out for a lower resolution (like 1600x900). I want it to be able to play "modern" games for the next few years at native res, and I'm not picky about dropping that native res down a notch to get there. ;)

has anyone here done something like this? Particularly through laptopscreen.com? How can I find a generic LG panel or whatever I need to get to be compatable with the 13.3" form factor and at the resolution I want?

Or should I just give up and squint? :p
 
Russ said:
Sorry for the bump, but I'm looking to use this site and was wondering if anyone has some feedback.

Basically I'm about to buy the Clevo w230st, but I'm not really comfortable with 1080p resolution on a 13.3" form factor. I'm probably going to swap it out for a lower resolution (like 1600x900). I want it to be able to play "modern" games for the next few years at native res, and I'm not picky about dropping that native res down a notch to get there. ;)

has anyone here done something like this? Particularly through laptopscreen.com? How can I find a generic LG panel or whatever I need to get to be compatable with the 13.3" form factor and at the resolution I want?

Or should I just give up and squint? :p
Click to expand...

https://www.laptopscreen.com/

I have lost count of how many screens I have bought from there. There screens are high quality, and all the ones I have received did not have any problems. No dead pixels either!
 
I have purchased two replacement screens with zero issues from laptopscreen.com.
 
A15G said:
https://www.laptopscreen.com/

I have lost count of how many screens I have bought from there. There screens are high quality, and all the ones I have received did not have any problems. No dead pixels either!
Click to expand...

Have you bought a screen that isn't the original resolution of the laptop that it will be used on? I'm not sure how to navigate that site to find that information, as it seems to like to narrow me down to the original screen of X model.
 
Ebay or Amazon, just bought a screen for my cellphone on amazon and my laptop that shitted itself with bad pixels is getting one next.
 
Russ said:
Have you bought a screen that isn't the original resolution of the laptop that it will be used on? I'm not sure how to navigate that site to find that information, as it seems to like to narrow me down to the original screen of X model.
Click to expand...

I have and I had to get another cable to make it work with my laptop. original res was 1336*768 and the upgrade was a 1600*900. Had to get the cable from a vostro 1550 to make it work right. No need to change cables if you are stepping down in resolution...

+1 for laptopscreens.com
 
If a machine ships with a display of 1366x768 there it is very likely to need a new cable.

Moving from 1600x900 to 1920x1080 should not require a new cable.
 
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