Upgrade Dell Studio 1735 CCFL to LED?

I have a few questions, and would appreciate some feedback from you guys.

1.) Is it possible to upgrade my Studio 17 CCFL Backlit LCD with an LED Backlit version?

2.) Is the inverter for the CCFL integrated with the LCD?

3.) Could I just plug in an LED LCD, or are there different connectors for CCFL?

4.) Could I get a higher resolution LED, like 1920x1080, or do I need to stick with 1440x900?

I've been looking at something like these

Dell Studio 1735 Screen - Dell Studio 1735 Screen Replacement

DELL STUDIO 1735 17.1" LED WXGA+ LP171WPA D/PN:0FR962 - DELL STUDIO 1735 17.1" LED WXGA+ LP171WPA D/PN:0FR962 (LP171WPA),17.1"led from SHENZHEN HUATIAN CARVE OUT LTD

My Studio 17 currently has one of these according to the Dell System Information from my Service Tag

17.0 " Widescreen WXGA + CCFL(1440x900) TFT Display with TrueLife(TM)

Thanks.

 

1) Yes it is, DELL STUDIO 1735 LTN170BT06 LAPTOP LCD SCREEN 17" WXGA+ GLOSSY LED $250
2) Usually inverter is a separate piece in the LCD bezel.
3) There shouldn't be, it all depends on your inverter
4) Again depends on how much you want to spend

That link is for a site me and my coworker use, very professional. I honestly don't think it's worth paying 250 for an LED backlit screen unless you already cracked the screen and you are replacing it (don't let me jinx you though)

 

Just beware there are different standards of LVDS connector (since the LED panels I worked with dont use an inverter) and your motherboard may be designed for a higher voltage type.

 

Is this the cable I need?

DELL STUDIO 1735 1736 1737 LED LCD & CAM CABLE NU482 - eBay (item 300488273888 end time Dec-01-10 11:47:08 PST)

This shows that the Inverter is separate.

Documentation

 

Honestly, LED panels aren't THAT much better than CCFL panels.

 

That looks like it. Yep you cant use the same cable, although its more like the connector type than LVDS standards considering its all coming from the same place on the motherboard.
You can upgrade to a higher resolution.

What no one has mentioned is your actual lid assembly and the screen casing. It could be the same but there probably is a different thinner lid and bezel.

Anything will work of course, if your prepared to use duct tape.

I agree that there isnt any one thing in particular, the benefit really is a number of things like weight and power consumption normally not considered along with normal screen quality, brightness

 

In your case, I honestly don't think it's worth replacing the CCFL backlit screen for an LED. Now if you cracked your screen and you were going to replace it anyway, then by all means, but if it's in perfectly working order I wouldn't spend the money.

 

There's actually nothing physically wrong with my current screen. I'm happy with the 1440x900 resolution, but I would like to have better contrast ratio and less reflection since I have a glossy screen at the moment.

By the way, is LTN170BT06 a Glossy or Matte screen?

 

Be sure to compare how much $$ are you willing to invest in 'upgrading' a machine (and voiding whatever warranty you have left) with selling your machine and then adding in your upgrade budget $$ to buy a new machine with the screen you want and a new machine warranty.

 

I'm curious, can any laptops screen be upgraded? And if you're just upgrading to a higher resolution do you need to do anything special? Like 420p res LED to a 1080p res LED for example.

 

Pretty much any CCFL screen can be upgraded to other CCFL screens.

Higher resolutions will sometimes require a new cable, not because the connector is different but because manufacturers often leave only 15 wires on the 30 pin connector which is all thats required for WXGA.

upgrading to LED is very rare except on laptops like this which were shipped with both models. Even upgrading from one LED screen to another is not easy, the all have different connectors and backlight techniques.

CCFL is really awesomely easy though, unfortunately something a lot of people who get taken advantage of have misconceptions about...

 

I bought a 17.3" 1600x900 LED backlit LCD for 60$ shipped here.

LCD prices can be very... interesting. People dont know how what they are compatible with and sometimes just want to get rid of them.

Not to say that most people dont overspend, it is true. personally, I wont pay 100$ for any TN panel. Maybe only if it was RGBLED WUXGA.

 

It really depends on the individual model and how it's designed. If the notebook model was sold with that screen available then you should most likely be able to upgrade, if the model you have meets any other requirements there might be (if the screen you're tyring to upgrade to required a special variant motherboard, or a specific/extra graphics card, for example). If this is not the case, an upgrade may still be possible, but it's likely the only way to find out for sure would be for someone to attempt it and report back.

 

It really is not anywhere near that complex. Intel chipsets support up to WUXGA by specification. And literally all 15.4" even 17" CFL lcds use exactly the same connection. Just saying.
LED screens are a totally different story I agree.
but things like this

are incredibly rare except on VERY old 4:3 laptops.

 

There have been some issues with BIOS (maybe vBIOS) and replacements; I seem to recall a while back that someone tried to upgrade a 1280x800 (CCFL) panel to a higher resolution, but the newer panel was still stuck as 1280x800 resolution. I was also thinking of things such as the difference between, for example, an RGB LED panel and a WLED panel (although that's talking about LED screens), where I think an extra connector was needed to run the RGB portion.

 

All LED panels I have seen use an LVDS connector and that's it.

 

yeah, a tiny 40 pin one.

...and some have a backlight connector too.