Replacing the screen on the Aorus x7 DT

I didn't feel like paying $3k+ just to have the 4k screen on the Aorus x7 v7 DT, so I decided to do it myself. I got this idea from another thread where they are doing it for the Alienware 17. I figured it would be easy, but it was a little more difficult than I expected so I wanted to make a mini guide. Note that this is not something you should be doing if you want to keep your warranty intact. I'm personally very comfortable taking a laptop apart into all of it's pieces and putting it back together. Any future problems that happen with this laptop, I plan on fixing myself. Think carefully about the risks before proceeding. Also, you will lose Gsync on the new panel.

What you'll need:
-a 4k screen: I bought B173ZAN01.0 on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZ52M48/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-If you have an ifixit pro tool kit, your life will be easier, otherwise get
-A size 0 phillips screwdriver
-guitar picks(3 or 4 will do)
-needle nose pliers
-scissors
-1 or 2mm 3M double sided tape for cellphones and tablets
-lots of patience. Prepare to be without your laptop for a few days, just in case something goes wrong.
-gel film or a business card if you want to modify the logo
-latex gloves(I should have used these but didn't)

First things first, make sure you give yourself a lot of working space. Unplug your laptop and turn it off if you desire. I chose to work with it on so I could see if I was being too rough with the screen. The first step is to work your guitar picks into the bezel itself. Start from the bottom - odds are there's a weak point in the tape there.

Work your way around the bezel, slowly peeling away at the double sided tape. Take your time and don't force it. The bezel is made of metal, not plastic, so it will bend and even crease if you're not careful. Also, there are no clips.


Eventually, you'll start peeling the bezel off. I found it easier to work at the bottom before tackling the top. The top corners are really thin, so be careful.


Once you get the bezel off, put it somewhere clean with the sticky side up. You'll see the double sided tape all around the edges. Just leave it be for now.


At this point, I turned my laptop off. There are four phillips screws on the bottom clips but you'll only want to unscrew the top screw on each clip. The top clips have 1 screw each and come completely off with the clips. Put them all somewhere safe. The last thing to remove is the small magnet at the bottom. This is your hall sensor and enables sleep/wake when you close your lid. Don't lose it! Once you have them off, pull the top edge of the panel towards you and pull it off. Note that there is some double sided tape holding the panel in, just below the webcam. With enough pressure, it'll break free.


With the panel off, you can see the backside of the lid. Notice the logo cutout and the reflective film on it. I'm really glad they decided against the X7 cutout...

Continued in next post.

 

Here's a good close up of the double sided tape holding the top edge. You won't need this anymore so don't worry if you break it apart.


The connector is located at the bottom of the panel. You'll need to lift up the piece of tape and pull on it to lift up the locking bar. Once that is undone, you can pull the ribbon towards the bottom edge of the panel to release it.




Now that you have the QHD panel disconnected, you can remove it. Now get your 4k panel and connect it the same way the old one as connected.

 

It helps to slide the black part(the part that says "Do not touch") into the gap and then position the panel in place by aligning the bottom screw holes. The top will then fall into place, but you'll notice that there are two clips on the top that weren't on the old panel. Don't worry about that for now. The important thing is to power on your laptop and test your screen. You'll probably want to spend some quality time on this step, because once you move on, there's no way to return your panel.


Be sure to check for dead pixels by opening a completely black screen. Also keep an eye out for weird looking dark spots. I went through a couple panels before I found one that worked. The two I got on ebay both had many dead pixels and one had severe dark spots. The one I linked above had no dead pixels but had a dark spot. Luckily the dark spot was able to be worked out by massaging it lightly with a lint free cloth.

Once you're satisfied with the panel, it's time to make some modifications. The clips on the top need to go and the only clean way to do it is to pry them off. Using needle nose pliers, bend the clips back and forth until the metal starts to break away. It'll take 15-20 times for each clip.


Another modification you might need to make is on the backside of the panel. Some panels have this aluminum foil that's on the back, which might partially block the backlight hitting the logo on the lid. The solution is to cut the foil away. I did this by pulling it out of one of the edges and using scissors to cut along the edge. Once you get a cut started, you can pretty much just rip it along the edge of the panel. I apologize for not having a picture of this - for some reason that photo didn't save on my phone...

The last thing you might be interested in modifying is the backlight logo. You can either cover it up permanently so it'll never glow again or even change the color. I decided to make mine blue by taping on some gel film. Once all your modifications are complete, put the panel in place, as before, and replace all the screws you removed before.


Now it's time to use the double sided tape. If you have some goo gone, you can probably remove the old tape. I chose to just leave mine. Put a thin layer of tape all around the perimeter of your bezel. You can probably use more than I did, but I chose to keep it simple. We'll see how mine holds up over time.


The last thing you'll want to do before replacing the bezel is replacing the magnet where it belongs. Stick a small piece of 3M tape onto the magnet and put it in it's proper place.

 

Once the magnet is in place, the bezel is pretty easy to stick back on. Start at the webcam, so it's aligned correctly and work your way around. Try not to press too hard or stretch the bezel - try to just let the bezel fit itself. It's hard to explain but if you put any excess pressure on the bezel while sticking the panel with tape, you'll actually cause backlight bleed. If this happens, you can pull it off and try to restick it - eventually you'll probably get it to a point where you're happy. I now have a greater understanding of why so many laptops suffer from BLB...

That's about it though. Hopefully this helps someone else out there. Here's a shot of my colored logo(it's a deeper blue in real life).

 

Well done, thank you!

 

Great work, well done !

On a side note: is always frustrating to see how OEMs rip us off for those 4k displays. They are just $50-70 more than the standard FHD IPS panels and we get charged $200-500 extra. In the worse case they bundle it with 32Gigs of RAM which only very few people need and charge even more.

 

It also comes with a 512GB SSD instead of 256GB.

 

Can you confirm that gsync works with that panel since its different than the one actually shipped with the x7v7? The sharp version that comes with Aorus is very difficult to find as its the same panel used in the 17" Razer.

 

No gsync unfortunately. It's in the first paragraph.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

So my Aorus X7 V7 KL4K4D has the Sharp IGZO 4K display? I believe the part # is AUO139B. It is G-Sync

 

Yes it's gsync in the x7 v7

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

What I meant was, is it the same as the Sharp IGZO panel just non gloss?

 

To my knowledge all of the Aorus 4k screens are matte and are the sharp part # SHP145A. My DT is the same and yes its gsync.

 

Ok thanks. I was wondering why the profiles besides Pantone were the same as the Sharp IGZO.

 

AUO139B is an AU Optronics panel not a Sharp.

 

Exactly, that’s what I’m thinking.

but everyone keeps saying;The Aorus 4K panels are the exact same as a “ Sharp IGZO” ?

My panel is a,

B173ZAN01.3

It even uses the same color profiles.

 

Install HWInfo64 and post the part number



The panel quoted to be in the 2017 Razor
"17.3 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel 255 PPI, Capacitive, Sharp LQ173D1JW33 (SHP145A), IGZO, UHD, 60 Hz, G-Sync, glossy: yes"

 

auo139B

 

That seems odd if this model was to use a completely different panel, are you sure it hasn't been replaced? I haven't looked at any X7 V7 (NonDT) 4k models to see if there are normally differences but that's usually unlikely. Hopefully a vendor will chime in or a few with the same model as yours.

 

I’m not sure if it’s been replaced or not. I bought it like used, the first owner missed the Newegg return window. I registered it for the full 2 year warranty and everything.

It has tiny marks that look like the screen could have possibly been removed, under very close examination.

G-Sync does work, and the original Pantone profiles work and it’s definitely a AUO139B / B173zan01.3

 

Its not the same panel, the peofiles can be used on other sxreens but they might show an inaccurate color because of it. Strange, wonder if more users have a different panel.

 

The panel I have is what’s suppose to be included from the factory. I know that SGEVO replaced his own panel, and he installed a SHP145/Sharp IGZO in his Aorus.

As far as I know, it’s not a Sharp, and it’s not suppose to be a sharp.

 

If it works and looks good I wouldn't be too worried about it.