How long can I expect a notebook CCFL LCD to last ?

I have a laptop that is on 24/7/365
Its Dell M90 with WUXGA 17" lcd.

Hiw long can I expect the LCD/backlight to last ? I'm now seeing darkish borders at the side and top.
I normally work with a dark background, so it hasnt bothered me much, but I'm afraid the LCD will fail in the near future.

 

as long as you don't drop the machine, around a bazillion years.

50,000 hours continnuous is the usual rating. CCFLs usually get broken well before that though.

Backlights and the LED screens they serve can be knocked out of alignment though. There isn't much in the lid of consumer-grade lappies to keep things together. If your machine is out of warranty and there is a local (non-bestBuy) computer shop you trust, they may be able to crack open the lid and tighten things down. No guarantees through.

LEDs, while more expensive (for no good reason mind you) are mostly immune to vibration-sickness. If you work with pro-level imaging tools, LED lit screens are harder to color calibrate because the tools used to do so are only just now being updated to handle LED backlights.

 

Well...generally as long as a CCFL flourescent light bulb last.
How long does your CCFL flourescent energy saving bulb last?

 

Florecent bulb!
That made me think about an old big florecent tube like in classrooms at school, lol

Seriously tho, I just found out that I got a CCFL as opposed to the WLED option when I bought my dell 1545 and this sounds like it may be another shortcoming to add to the list in my choice of 1545 pricing band.

Also will the CCFL I have last considering that I don't actually take my laptop out of the house at all, so there is no bumping about that people talk about to damage it?
Or is it just general usage that will stuff the CCFL wheras the WLED keeps in going?

Before anyone asks why I dont have a desktop it's because I shift houses and cities and am not living in my home country because i'm backpacking, so lugging a desktop around is nuts!
And what does the "W" in WLED mean?

 

Forgot to ask, how much does it cost to fix a CCFL screen is the florecent dies?

 

There are places that replaces the backlight tube and keep the LCD, I've never seen any of my laptops CCFL light fail, still have a 2001 Thinkpad that was also 24/7 and is still functioning well.

 

And.. what's wrong with that assumption. The one in your laptop is the exact same long flourscent tube in your classroom at school, except it's smaller.

CCFL, a.k.a flourescent tube light bulb cost around $10 at bulk prices.

 

Well if it can be replaced behind the LCD if/when it eventually blows for very little cost I guess it's not that bad after all.

Thought that florecent was bad for your health after reading something years ago about them being used and how they drain health or something.
Not sure if that was fact or just hype at the time (probably from electric companies to make more $$$), but i'm sure people would be blind by now if you couldn't look at them safely.

Never knew until yesterday there was a choice in LCD's, I thought they were all the same, not CCFL and WLED, can't believe I used to build my own desktops! ... though that was over 6 years ago

 

They does do some damage to your eyes, just like sunlight. LOL
Your eye's will eventually die due to on average of 75 years of light exposure.

The thing that "damage" your eyes are due to the fact that most lights are turned on and off 50/60 times a second. Sometimes, there are CCFL controllers which regulates the flashes to save energy. E.g. operating CCFL at 10 FPS (flashes per second, LOL) will save a company 80% on their lumination electric bill.

At 10FPS, it'll fool your brain and cause dissyness and sometimes seisures for some people. It's the same concept applied on strobe lights or rapid camera flashes.

 

The CCFL bulbs are not all that expensive, replaing them is a pain in the butt and requires extreme care. There is a fellow ove ron thinkpad forums who changes CCFLs on thinkpads for $150 or so.

 

LOL ... I should outlast the laptop then.. hopefully

But, yeah, an LED seems more eye friendly from what I hear, as LED aren't really strong light from what I remember, but I am thinking of the LED's in things like the green and red/orange lights that show disk activity on a desktop PC's I/O switch.
I suspect that a different type of LED may be at play with regard to the laptop displays.

And just thinking about how bad the "good old" CRT's were back when I used to build desktops (I don't actually own an actual desk now ironically).
They gotta be officially dinosaur tech by now

 

THATS HORRIBLE! LoL I thought the days of slow refresh rates of CRTs were over. But you do have a point, I don't think you can actually dim CCFL tubes.

Anyways, I have noticed the inverter has gone out far more often than the CCFL tube does and although its more expensive, (~$30) at least is fairly easy to replace. Pop off frame of screen, swap the board.

 

"The life span of the CCFL is around 30kHrs to 35kHrs. For the LEDs, the life span is over 50kHrs. "
http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800477231_480700_AN_4c20982d.HTM

 

Thanks.
Assuming LCD on for 15hrs/day, that give about 5.5 years.
But there are a lot of failed backlights with less use

 

I think they are referring to the lifespan before it starts being to dim.

Not to defects. Most people move around their notebook which probably increases the likelihood of defects.

 

Yep. That is usually refering to the half-brightness of a panel.

 

Hopefully, the cause of the brightness decrease isn't caused by mercury leakage. Mercury is what produce the light in a flourscent light bulb.

 

Naah, I think it's just the electrodes deteriorating.