E6230 Owners Thread

Do you know if this is just plug and play or is any hardware mods needed to get it to fit like on the e6220?

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I was assuming modification would be required.

Now I'm debating on waiting for the XPS 12 screens to be available.

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Hey guys,

I'm thinking of ordering an e6230, and I was hoping someone could share their real-world experience with the display. The notebookcheck.com review shows pretty good black levels but terrible consistency in illumination. That is, it looks like the right side of the display is far dimmer than the left side. Can anyone confirm that the problem is consistent, or did they just get a bad sample?

Also, are the reported black levels accurate? I've used an e6430, e6420, and e6430u, all with the 1600x900 display, and while I appreciated the brightness and resolution, the displays looked very washed out and the viewing angles were terrible. I'm hoping that someone can tell me how the e6230 display compares.

Thanks.

 

In my opinion the stock display is pretty poor, but I'm somewhat fussy (home desktop setup is 2x20" and a 30", all IPS). Can't comment definitively about the black levels, as I swapped to the x220 IPS panel long enough ago to forget.

As for the panel swap, see the thread for the e6220 swap - the process is exactly the same. Expect a tight fit and some minor dremelling, but it can be done without ruining anything. My next project is to see if I can find a 1080p 12.5" which will work, though this might be a lost cause if the LVDS cable limits the panel options.

 

I have an e6230 at work and in my opinion the display is horrible. The display is one of those that requires you to always be hunting for a "sweet spot." Tilt it 5 degrees in either direction and the bottom and top edges start washing out. Black levels are terrible as well.

You should wait for the new e7240 which should be announced this month according to the leaked roadmaps. Although there are no guarantees that the e7240 will be any better regarding viewing angles (I had an e4310 before and it had a similarly crappy display), at least there will be a Full HD panel as an option. Hopefully it will be better.

 

I'd agree that the display is poor. Not really seen anything worse in all honesty.

 

Ouch. Thanks for the input, guys. I don't understand why Latitude displays are generally so poor. It's too bad--the Latitudes seem superior in every other way to the ThinkPads. But I spend most of the day reading on screen, so that display is a big deal.

Hydron--I've seen the threads on the screen swap, though I'm not sure if it's something I'm comfortable trying. When you finished, did the bezel go back on cleanly, or does it look like you've messed around with it?

 

I got the bezel back on cleanly, the only way you can tell that I messed with it is to observe the vastly improved display. That said, it wasn't super easy - there was some dremeling involved, and I had to fiddle with the screen mounting and a couple of bezel clips so that the bezel wouldn't put pressure on the top right of the screen (which was causing some backlight bleeding).

All in all, it was something I was quite happy and competent doing, but I'm reasonably mechanically inclined and confident about messing with my expensive stuff, so your mileage may vary.

If you're less DIY inclined and you don't have an investment in dell compatible gear (docks, power bricks, slice batteries, etc) like I did, then you may want to go the lenovo route. I have two friends with X220/X230s and both are happy with their machines. I like the dell's construction more, but the lenovo has advantages too, for instance the 60 WHr battery doesn't stick out the back, and they have a mSATA port for a SSD+HDD option (I'm most jealous of that detail!). Also in New Zealand at least, the lenovo is significantly cheaper unless you pick up an auctioned off dell overstock like I did (paid ~$500 USD for mine; under half price).

 

There are two stock display options, Samsung and LG Philips, and the LG Philips is noticeably better than the Samsung. Without going the IPS route, you may want to check which panel you have and RMA if necessary.

Keep in mind that it's a cheap 6-bit IPS panel and viewing angles are not perfect, but it's still much better than TN. I've got an IPS LCD in my E6220, and it was definately worth it ($90 for the panel from a US seller on eBay).

If you don't have a Dremel or some other way of cutting metal, the biggest issue will be modifying the hinges.

 

BIOS update from A06 do not work, tested A08, A09 and A10 via Windows & USB stick with DOS.

This is what i get
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3rd0ipptm38amyo/2013-08-14 13.53.58.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/w5oy6051m9dqeb6/2013-08-14 13.54.10.jpg


after "preparing update" goes to end, laptop reboots but nothing happen. Same thing directly from Windows (of course with Windows GUI).
On BIOS it still shows A06