Alienware 15 R2 display panel mystery

Thanks for reply,

I too found the samsung one http://www.laptopscreen.com/Spanish/screen-part-number/LTN156HL06-C01/ but here is two models again, what you think?

What should I buy?

 

Nobody has the Samsung panel, trust me, I have searched extensively. That said, feel free to ask them if they have that actual panel in stock and confirm that it will be that panel that gets shipped and not a compatible model.

Failing that, the WF6 SPB1 is the best you'll get. Again, make sure they have it in stock and that is what they will send you.

 

Do you know if any one would have the Exact Samsung panel. LTN156HL01-102.

I have heard its one of the best panels out there. 101 is actually very bad, and many people have 101 and will try to sell you 101. Trying to find out 102.

 

The only way to tell what panels stockists have is simply to ask, stock changes almost daily so if you're looking for a specific panel, you need to be checking with them. Don't expect everyone to to be forthcoming though, its a shady industry at best.....

 

I spoke to laptopscreen . c o m and they said they have both LP 156WF6 SP H1 or LP 156WF6 SP B1 in stock. Do you know anything about the H1? just making sure if you did the research on it and decided that B1 is better

 

Yeah a number of us did our homework on this the WF6 SPB1 is the better panel. See below:

http://www.panelook.com/LP156WF6-SPB1_LG Display_15.6_LCM_overview_24180.html

The H1 panel you mention is not a WF6, it is a WF4. Whilst the WF4 has decent colour it is not as good , compared to the WF6 it is a slow panel too. If you're playing games then you will notice.

http://www.panelook.com/LP156WF4-SPH1_LG Display_15.6_LCM_overview_20611.html

 

@sirleeofroy

I think I'm gonna get burned by this listing here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/371519113044

Scheduled delivery is Monday, hasn't shipped. Should I cancel now?

 

Did you check with them before you ordered? I guarantee that you will not receive the Samsung panel. That listing has "generic" and "compatible replacement" written all over it.

At this point it would be a lottery as to the panel you actually got, and one that is not in your favour. I would cancel the order and make inquiries into getting the LP156WF6 SPB1 as it is more readily available. Just make sure before you order that your seller has the actual panel in stock and not a compatible replacement.

 

I found a seller who claims he has exact WF6SPB1 model, if anyone is interested I can tell the name, but then its lottery from there.

 

Heyya, I'm new here and after reading all the comments, I checked mine and it says Model: LGD04B9 156WF6. It doesn't say SPB1 though so I'm not sure if I have the better model? It's having the stupid yellowish thingy too though. What do you guys think?

 

Please do tell.

 

I have a Alienware 15 R2 with the 4K IGZO 300nit display....................... LQ156D1

Monitor Name: Sharp [Unknown Model: SHP1450]

anyone has this by any chance...............i also have the old R1 that i have to still send back to dell that has the 4K touch option with 350nit display...

really contemplating swapping these displays out!

 

Here is the listing. Just to be sure, message before you place the order

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Dell-C3...-LED-LCD-Panel-LP156WF6-SPB1-A-/151880765717?

 

Ok, so a little update on my search for a decent panel:

After instantly pulling out the original, lifeless panel I put in an LP156WF4 SPB1 and whilst the colour is good and a bucket load better than the crap Dell put in, it is a slow panel and not particularly suited to playing games (or watching fast paced movies for that matter). I actually found it a bit annoying and as such,I've not used the machine as much as I would normally would so the search continued for better colour and response time...

After some serious worldwide searching for the Samsung LTN156HL06 C01 (8bit, 16.7m colours) I got burnt by a Chinese outfit who claimed they had that model. They didn't, they sent me a ChiMei TN panel labelled as the Samsung!!! Fortunately, PayPal don't mess around when you use the words "fraudulent" and "fake" with regards to an item you've been sold... I'm getting the entire sale refunded, but it has still cost me the return shipping....

So, still stuck with the WF4 I go in search of the LP156WF6 SPB1 that a number of users here have installed in their machines. With stock levels apparently quite high, you'd think it would be easier to find one. Apparently not..... That said, after a quick chat with a UK based seller just yesterday who confirmed that they do indeed have stock of the WF6 SPB1, I placed the order.

Just 20mins ago the panel was delivered and guess what........... I finally have the WF6......... But not the SPB1....... I have the SP A1.

A1= Glossy
B1=Matte

Now whilst I was looking for the matte version, I'm actually thinking that receiving the glossy version is a blessing in disguise.... Why? I have very good eyesight and I've noticed that the matte panels actually make things a touch blurry and blacks are not quite as black as they could be. The loss of Anti-glare is no big deal for me if it means better image quality but that is personal preference I suppose...

I will update later once I've installed the panel....

 

has someone changed the Aw 15 R2 - 220 cd Display against the normal 300 cd Display from the Aw 15 R1?

I have a R1 with the 300 cd Display and plan to buy an R2 with the 220 Display and want to ask the pro's if its easy and technical possible to change the displays, other wires etc. needed... ?

thx

 

It's a straight swap, there is no difference in mounts or connections. It should take you less than 10 mins to complete!

 

Have you guys noticed that now the touch screen is available for 15 R2 on dells website? It looks like the same panel that came with the R1. I'm wondering if it is a better panel than the matte 4k panel.

 

Do update us about the performance of the A1 glossy panel, is it fast enough for gaming? Also the color gamut and brightness?

I was able to source the SPB1 (matte) panel from dell, since Alienware 15 R1 has the SPB1.. so they have that in stock, unless dell has made some custom changes, to it

 

You cant. The touch layer is glued onto the 4k screen. It is one assembly.

 

I've got to say, it's very good! The problem I had with glossy panels previously is that they were not very bright so reflections were considerably annoying however, the brightness of the WF6 SPA1 overcomes any of those potential issues. It's rated at 300 nits and i can believe it, the panel is very bright, even at 60-70%.

The colour is very good also, it's punchy without being overly saturated. (72% sRGB). Images are very clear, understandably more so than the matte panels and I like it!

Gaming on the panel is a significant improvement over the WF4 that was removed, running Project Cars and The Division is nice and fluid, without the the blurring and fatigue of the WF4.

I can now say that I am fully happy with my machine, it's a beast that actually beats my desktop in some respects

 

I managed to get the SPB1 from dell. And i was able to source the samsung 01-102 as well. really confused which one to use I am glad your rig is working great. Really excited to set up mine with a fresh install, and use it as my working laptop, and time retire the old dog L702x which has served me well for over 4 and a half years.

 

Where did you source it from, how much was it? thanks!

 

I picked it up from lcd4laptop.co.uk for £43... You know the score, check with them first etc!

 

Now this is a US based Samsung distributor with real address etc.
Listing for the LTN156HL06-C01 looks legit enough hence the price.
http://www.samsungparts.com/Products/Parts_and_Accessories/PID-BA59-03886B.aspx
What do you guys think- is it worth it?
Anybody actually seen this model in action?

 

220$ is a lot of money!!! just be sure its the correct one!

 

8-bit 16.7 mil color for £100 extra over shady eBay "deals"?

Yes well price is a bit high but quality it's what's important in this case. Unless it's a faceless server the screen is what one will actually use on a PC most of time.

I was hoping for someone who had this panel to kind of review it.

 

Not 100 atleast 150 pounds more than what people have been able to source the 6 bit panels for. But you are right, the screen quality matters the most! Do keep us updated about the quality and authenticity of the vendor.

 

Does anybody buy a Samsung 8 bit screen from this seller: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/15-6...01-LTN156HL06-1920-1080-30pin/2035738550.html

The seller says he has the original LTN156HL06-C01. Maybe it is a fake.

 

I wouldn't trust that for a second, I bought from a seller with a very similar trading name. They assured me that they had an authentic panel, I didn't trust them but figured the only way I would find out would be to purchase.

The panel that turned up was labeled as the Samsung but turned out to be a Chi Mei TN panel.

It's a good thing I have a sense of humour because that was laughable!

Anyway, no-one has stock of the Samsung panel, I think the only way you'll get one is to pull it out of a machine that came with one. (Ativ Book 8)

 

Ok, better I do not order one. I have an idea. But I think you will pay a high price. You can ask a samsung official service partner, which repairs samsung notebooks. Maybe they could order one. But it will be very expensive I think. I wrote an email to a service partner. Let's look what they say.

When I do not get an Samsung 8 bit panel I will order an LG lp156wf4-spu1 Panel. It is an FULL-HD 100% srgb panel with 330 nits and glare version. I like it to watch movie in a dark room. Otherwise in bright rooms matte version is better.

 

You would be better off getting the LP156WF6 SPB1 as the WF4 is a slower panel. Trust me, it's slow enough to give you headache watching action movies. How do I know this? I have one, if you really want one then i could sell you mine! Great quality, just slow....Fortunately I got a WF6 SPA1 (glossy) and all is well.

 

I am from Germany and I have a seller, who send me panels with the real panel and not a "eqiuvalent". I do not trust the seller at ebay. My seller has no spa1, only the spb1 matte version. I am not a hardcore gamer, so i think the wf4 spu1 is ok.Or do you have a seller where i get the wf6 spa1 for sure?

 

If your seller has the WF6 SPB1 then get that, that's generally considered the best replacement available for our machines (currently). I have the SPA1 because I actually ordered the SPB1 but got the glossy version instead..... Fine for me.

I really would avoid the WF4 if you can help it, the response time doesn't just effect games, but anything that moves fast on the screen. That includes movies which you said you'll watch. Fast moving scenes will become blurry and it's really fatiguing to watch.

Ultimately though, it's up to you!

 

I get an answer from the samsung service. I can get the Samsung 8 bit panel for 230€.

 

Hie everyone,
I was also intersted in buying one 8-Bite Samsung LTN156HL06-C01. Specs in theory are great, but If you look in real tests lieke this http://www.notebookcheck.net/Samsung-ATIV-Book-9-2014-NP930X5J-K02DE-Ultrabook-Review.117595.0.html , its very dissapointing. So after a comparison between B156HAN01.2 and LP156WF6-SPB1 by myself, I decided to keep the LG one.

EDIT: I've also found an another 8-Bit panel (NL192108AC18-01D), but unfortunately it's not available anywhere. Do you guys know something more about this panel?

 

I'm thinking you may be right about the Samsung, on paper it looks the best but @rinneh mentioned he had this model in his old machine and said it suffered image retention however, I would like to see one in the flesh so I could decide for myself.

Nice find on the NL192108AC18-01D however, looking at the spec, the mounts are on the side whereas our machines have the mounts top/bottom -

http://www.panelook.com/NL192108AC18-01D_NLT_15.6_LCM_parameter_25994.html

Here is a link to the datasheet - https://www.glynshop.com/erp/owweb/...ifications/NL192108AC18-01D (DOD-PP-2202).pdf

 

Interessting! So why we want a Samsung panel, when it's practically not better. I will also go for a LG panel.

 

That depends on your definition of better and then factoring your requirements.

The reason we were looking for this panel in the first place is because it is the only 8Bit panel (AFAIK) that is compatible with our machines. Being 8Bit (16.7m colours) this means that colour banding (particularly blues) is much less prevalent. I find banding pretty annoying which is why I searched for the Samsung panel.

It is a touch slower (response time) than my current WF6 SPA1, I think I would still prefer the better colour.

As I mentioned before, I would like to see for myself however, it looks unlikely...

 

Yes the 8 bit panel has less color banding. But I had a Eizo TFT with 8 Bit Panel and 12 Bit Look-up-table and there was also color bending a little bit. The Highend Eizos now have 10Bit Panels and 16 Bit Look-up-table. Maybe there is nearly no color banding now. So I think the 15,6" 8 Bit Samsung Panel is a little bit better than a good 6 Bit Panel in banding thematic. But it will be far away from an good Eizo TFT.
I thought the Samsung Panel has less color banding, higher color garmut and better contrast ratio. It has only less color banding.
The Samsung Panel form samsung service costs 230€ a good 6bit Panel only 70€. So I save the money and take an good 6bit panel.

 

lol "Image retention"
Yes I too have had problems with Samsung panels of this size. The ghosting and blur is horrible. Stay / Go LG!

 

You can get the SPB1 from dell, atleast they were kind enough to send me one!

 

Alright so! I just ordered a Glossy LG LP156WF6-SPA1 (I had the dell LG WF6) for 38£ shipped with next day shipping in the UK.

Best 38£ i've spent so far!

Glossy is FAR BETTER than matte - so happy to be back with that and rid of the matte, images just are so much clearer to me and its like i'm back on my macbook.

it may be a function of the glossy finish but the blacks seem blacker as well, all the colors pop more.

The brightness is also there, definintely 300 nits now, wow i was missing out.

This screen makes it work for me. Highly recommended and lcd4laptop uk has the real deal in stock - no dead pixels and even came with a "this is definately a brand new panel" plastic peel over the glossy, so first fingers on this one as well.

Extremely happy with my Alienware 15R2 now

 

can you provide a link to the vendor and the screen specifically, I have a friend in ireland, will have him bring that over for me

 

See here - http://www.lcd4laptop.co.uk/lg-philips-lp156wf6-spa1-laptop-screen.html

 

Yeah a few days in, the screen is an absolute pleasure to use. Really transformed the AW15R, no idea why Dell didn't just go with these screens - even looks sharper powered off - lol

 

At only 38 quids I have no clue what dell was thinking...

 

Figure I would join the conversation. I recently purchased an Alienware 15 R2 despite seeing mixed reviews about the laptop. I got the i5, 16GB, 1TB, 256 SSD, 965M model for a great deal.

I immediately noticed what every was saying about the display. I was coming from a 2012 Macbook Pro 13.3 with 1200x800 Resolution. Though I noticed a big difference in the resolution with the upgrade, the colors were very bland. Nothing popped. Deep blues on the macbook looked like a blueish gray on the Alienware.

I check my "hardware" and saw that the display on the R2 was listed as "Generic PnP Monitor".

I called Dell to question them about the manufacturer and possible resolutions and they gave me three options...1. Send it back to the retailer for exchange 2) Send it in to Dell via Warranty for inspection and screen replacement or 3) pay for an upgrade to a 4K screen. I am waiting for them to call me back with the price of the upgrade.

Any suggestions?

I saw that a few members have had great luck with replacing the screen themselves using various displays. The task seems simple enough but I understand from Dell, that opening the bezel does void the warranty, which I imagine that I would still have 1 year from last week (when purchased).

I did explain to them that I saw in the forums that they may use different displays on this model. There was no way for them to identify the manufacturer of my current display, nor which model they would install during the inspection/replacement.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Jemlnlx

 

Hi and grats on your purchase

Regarding the information of your particular panel, you'll need to use HWiNFO64 to get that. You will find it under the monitor section.

In any case, you've noticed the obviously poor choice of panel immediately (I actually bought mine knowing it had a rubbish panel, with the intention of swapping it at relatively low cost). Somewhere in this thread it was confirmed by @Alienware-L_Porras that the warranty would be honoured for the rest of the machine should the panel be swapped (I would keep the original panel too, should you need to send the machine back for any reason). I'll link the post here when I find it.......

EDIT: here it is - http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...s-15r2-fhd-screen-query.787795/#post-10194642

As for a screen to replace with, there are 2 that through trial and error by a number of us here (myself included!) worked out to be the best to use.

LG Philips LP156WF6 SPB1 (Matte) and the LP156WF6 SPA1 (Glossy).

These are effectively the same panel but one is glossy and the other is matte. They have great colour and decent response times.

A word of warning though, you will find these panel listed everywhere but upon purchase you may find you'll be shipped a "compatible" version which frankly, is a lottery that is not in your favour.

Always check with the vendor as to their current stock at the time of purchase, stock changes quickly in this industry so what they had yesterday might not be in stock now....

I bought this panel from these guys - http://www.lcd4laptop.co.uk/lg-philips-lp156wf6-spa1-laptop-screen.html again, check with them before you buy!

I hope that helps, give us a shout if you need anything else.

 

Thanks for the feedback @sirleeofroy

I will look into using the HWiNFO64 to get more info on the stock display and report to everyone.

Great to hear about the warranty, that was my biggest worry, being that I bought the laptop last week, I would hate to lose out on that warranty. Thanks @nickbarbs . I would imagine the swap is easy enough that I would be able to revert back to the stock one in case there is any issues in the future. From what I saw, the swap seems to take minutes...

- Remove back cover - Disconnect battery - pop out the display bezel (plastic pry tool or similar?) - unscrew display (4 screws) - disconnect cable - reassemble with new display......easy enough I think. Any other pointers to know or tools I would need? I have know about being careful while popping the clips out as well as the adhesive. Is there a picture-by-picture tutorial on the replacement? On this forum? I saw one brief video which I found on youtube.

Coming from the MacBook I would probably go glossy if given the option. A brief search for the screen listed tons of "compatible" displays, so I would imagine it may be a task to get a legit one. The link you sent me is asking for 8 euros for economy shipping and 12 for express to US. Did yours arrive sealed? Should I still call to ensure it is a legit LG display and not a compatible one?

Dell hasn't gotten back to me yet, but when they do I will be sure to update everyone with the quote for the 4K upgrade.

As mentioned in my previous post, they offered to inspect and change the display under warranty. Is that worth it? or would I simply be getting the same dull display as it originally came with?

Jason

 

I'm getting my laptop next week I guess, but since its my second replacement I don't think I can ask them again for panel replacement, I don't there is a option for 4K screen, or is it possible to use 4K screen on alienware 15 R2 FHD models ?