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    Convince me not to return my T420

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by Gary87, Jan 20, 2012.

  1. Gary87

    Gary87 Newbie

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    I have been playing around with my new T420 i5 with 1600x900 screen that I ordered direct from Lenovo and upgraded the ram to 8gb after I received it. It has everything that I wanted, except the screen leaves something to be desired as most people say in their reviews. I wish I could have seen one in person before ordering, because I had been hoping to watch some movies and do some Solidworks, CAD, and maybe even some photo editing (which I mostly do at my desktop) when I am away from my desktop in addition to the excessive use of Word and email checking I do regularly...right now even photo viewing is not that enjoyable. I could sacrifice the photo editing part--I really should do that with my desktop screen anyway--but I still will be running Solidworks, CAD, and watching a few movies when I'm bored and away from home. I guess my question is this: is the screen that much better on the T520 to justify sacrificing some mobility and returning the T420 and paying the restocking fee? Is there some way to replace the T420 screen with a better one? I appreciate any help you can give me, and I understand that the 'worth it' part of my question is subjective, but if you could help me understand just how much of a difference there is between the two screens that would be great...and if there is some way to crack open the T420 and install an IPS screen, even better. Thanks for your help.
     
    Gary87, Jan 20, 2012
    #1
  2. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    Calibrating the screen on the T420 can help some, but despite what you hear about how bad the T420 screen is, most notebook screens aren't that great. Quality on most laptops comes from a narrow bandwidth and until you change technologies to something better like IPS or PVA, you won't get better results. Narrow viewing angles are the norm for TN panels. The T520 will get you more contrast, but keep in my the pixel density jumps up quite a bit too, Text will be a lot smaller. I know of no 14" IPS screens. If you want that you'll need to go with the X220.
     
    ZaZ, Jan 20, 2012
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  3. MidnightSun

    MidnightSun Emodicon

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    Before you return your T420, try placing it next to a "good" reference monitor, and tweak your contrast and brightness settings in the Intel or Nvidia graphics control programs to approximate the reference. You can often get a much better looking screen this way.
     
    MidnightSun, Jan 20, 2012
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  4. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    See this thread for a profile that might improve the quality.

    I also found that adjusting the gamma on my T420s display made it better to look at.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Jan 20, 2012
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