Razer Blade 14" Screen Mod

Hi guys, I'm new to this forum, but I've often lurked around reading the many excellent and informative posts by the great members on this site.

So, like many of you, I would love to get the new Razer Blade if only it had a better screen. Ideally, I would like for it to have a 1080p IPS touchscreen like on the Aspire V7-482PG.

I've researched around on screen replacements for the Blade, but I couldn't find any information on what kind of LVDS connector, or the screen panel part number, etc. So I would like to ask for your guys' assistance/advice in doing this mod, thanks.

First, if anyone here owns a Razer Blade 14, could you run AIDA64 (or similar utility) and look under Display > Monitor and copy the panel manufacturer and part number? That little bit of info would be a huge help in finding out what type of LVDS interface the motherboard uses. (If somehow, you could also find info on the LVDS spec that the mobo uses, that would be superfragilistic... )

More generally, if any modders have experience with laptop screens, could you answer a couple of questions?

1) In your experience do most modern (c.2012-2013) laptops use a standardized LVDS interface? Or is it more likely, in general, that new LCD panels are not interchangeable even if they have the same connector?

2) Is touch input normally communicated through the LVDS cable or a separate USB cable for newer touchscreen laptops? If it is through USB, you know of a convenient way to mod an external USB port to accept the touchscreen connector?

Thanks, everyone! Hopefully this mod goes well!

 

I don't have any of the information you need but if you manage to pull this off I would like to hear how it goes and any pro's/con's! Good Luck!

 

Just wanted to throw a post up here to give my support. Good luck man!

I'm one of those guys waiting on the r2 version almost entirely due to the current blades screen resolution/quality. But if there is a way to replace the panel successfully I would be game for some surgery.

Let us know how it goes sir!

 

Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor [NoDB]
Monitor ID: AUO103E
Manufacturer: XYH93_B140RTF
(I did some searching and it is AU Optronics, I did some more searching and anything with their screens gets bad screen reviews...)
Manufacture Date: 2011
Max. Visible Display Size: 31cm * 17cm (13.9")
Picture Aspect Ratio: 17:9
Gamma: 2:20
DPMS Mode Support: None

A lot of 14" seem to have these displays... It would be nice to see what the options are, I think ASUS would have a different screen to this on their 14".

I love my RB14 but why is the screen so bad?! I would be happy to help search and document fitting a new screen if a potential candidate appears! I think we need to know the type of connection required and dimensions? AUO may be able to help.

FWIW I hate the blacks the most on this screen, you miss so much watching films and looking at pictures.

 

Its not that AU is incapable of making good TN screens. My VAIO VPCZ1 has this and it is terrific. 13.1" though.
SONY Z Series B131RW02 V0 Laptop Screen

 

Sorry I was tired when I wrote this! Yes you're right, the laptops I was looking at were the Dell XPS and HP Envy which share very similar screens, if not the same, as the RB14 and get bad reviews!

I'm probably going to place an order for the LP140WD2-TLG1. The colour gamut is still 45%, the same as any other potential LG candidate for this design, but contrast ratio 600:1 and brightness of 250 nits should make the colours look great and fix the horrible blacks on the current panel. I'm going to do one last search for any non-lg potential candidates with higher than 45% gamut. The LP140WD2-TLE2 was looking great until I figured the connector was on the wrong side!

Does anyone know if anyone has taken the RB14 apart further than just the back panel for the SSD online?

 

I'm in a very similar boat as far as the blade 14.

 

how about the SHP5108

contrast 700
white 335
black 0.48
delta E 1.5
aRGB 67

 

I'd rather stay with the intended 1600*900, it's a nice resolution for a 14" allows games to be played quickly at native resolution and any increased resolution would probably not be noticeable. Surely it would just make windows smaller and multitasking a bit easier but gaming performance lower for no perceived difference.

So it looks like, from the guts of my RB, the screen cable runs from the back left of the screen 40 pin connection (underneath RHS of keyboard with RB in normal usage position). There's no real easier way to access the lcd panel by opening the back of the laptop. The black razer bezel needs to be removed from around the screen for further access, I'm not sure if I have the guts to do that! On the bright side with a rear left 40 pin connector potentially the LG screen from the Lenovo Carbon X1 may be fitted.

The next step to determining an absolute guaranteed replacement would be to access the screen in the RB because "AUO103E" doesn't give enough info and it's obviously different to the XPS and HP envy panels to me.

 

that screen is from the thinkpad x1 carbon touch... so its 1600*900, sorry I thought that I posted for the x1 carbon non touch model, will look for it

so its a LVDS connector, 40 pin... are all those active? not that it would matter much at this res.

and here it is

there are 4 screens that lenovo uses

touch LP140WD2 and the aforementioned model

non touch LEN40A2, LG LP140WD2_TLE2

or anandtech screwed up their screen name again because its returning me results from the kirabook

 

I agree with gibby400 about the 'guts' part. When I changed my VAIO's screen (due to physical damage) I was very careful while removing the bezel, and I still cracked it in one place. Fortunately the crack is in the lower middle portion of the bezel where it is hidden by the keyboard.

What we need is a display vendor with a good return policy, and a display cable. Then one could order a likely screen, unplug the existing cable from the motherboard side, and test the new screen without actually having to dismantle the laptop to get the current screen out. Once you are sure the new display works, you can start mustering up the courage to perform the actual swap.

 

I got the impression when searching yesterday that a new 14" screen with identical connector and same resolution would probably work flawlessly. I'm worried about the physical dimensions of the screen matching and what type of connection has been used to bolt the screen to the chassis... It seems like the RB14 is essentially a MB Pro and I wouldn't be surprised if this is how you remove the bezel:

MacBook Pro 13 screen replacement / Installation guide [Apple MacBook Pro 13 Unibody LCD repair] - YouTube

Maybe I will pull the trigger, or maybe I won't

What was the procedure for removing the VAIO screen? Was it similar?

 

Thanks gibby! Wow it looks like quite a bit of discussion has gone on in a few days.

Ok I did some more research and I can answer some of the questions in the OP.

First off, most modern laptop (c2012-2013) use a standardized 40-pin LVDS interface. And most screens are interchangeable because each screen comes with a video controller that translates the standard graphics/power signal. It's actually quite similar to how an LCD monitor works, if you've ever opened one up.

Secondly, the touchscreen controller on touch-enabled notebooks is usually connected by a FFC and sadly is not so standardized. Usually there is custom motherboard socket for these. USB interface touchscreen are usually aftermarket solutions. The ones that I've found that are 14+" all use IR, so I don't think these will work very well. (However, I am still holding out hope that there is at least one 14" touchscreen on the market that uses a USB connection.)

I am going to try to find more information on the AUO103E, preferably a full spec sheet. I think I've found a compatible cable and it looks like there are quite a few screens in the AU B140 series.

As for actually open in the screen, thanks go gibby for your tips. I wonder if iFixit has any additional info regarding the Razer Blade 14" specifically? I actually tried asking Razer Support for disassembly info (of course bearing responsibility for voiding the warranty), but they flat out refused, saying the RB was "not designed to be upgradeable". I'm actually kind of dissapointed it them, I mean common we're gamers, we love customizing our hardware.

 

Being a gamer doesnt automatically mean that you like to customize your hardware, but being an enthusiast does. A lot of the time the two go hand in hand, but not always. I am also disappointed by the lack of customization options available on any of razers systems.

 

To be fair I think that easy customization after the sale portable systems are the exception not the rule. And when it comes to screen customization after the sale I think its even more rare. Most times easy and user replaceable screens don't fit in the same sentence. At least this has been my experience.

 

It sounds like it would be a lot of work to replace the display panel in the Razer Blade. Not sure if I would be up to that... lol

 

Most manufacturers of high end laptops, of which gaming laptops definitely are, do offer a wide range of customizable hardware options. Being able to upgrade the screen on a laptop that you are spending $2k + is not unreasonable.

 

I think that about covers it. Just in case this is a MOD thread so I was under the impression we were discussing after sales customization.

 

Well, the discussion was about both, as one directly affects the other, but I do see your point. I dont care if it was at the point of sale or afterwards, but a screen upgrade option would have been nice. I hope that they decide to go with a higher quality screen on the next generation.

 

I just want to add I'm extremely interested to see if there is a screen that could work with the razer 14. I wish the modder would use a 1080p panel and not just stick with that 900p one. That screen resolution is the only reason why I haven't bought the laptop...

 

What's the word Cajun? Don't say you have chickened out on this. Just be the one to actually do it and make it happen. Throw that LG Lenovo screen in and show Razer and everyone else what's up. I can guarantee that if you pull it off and make a good howto write up with a video that it would be popular enough to get Razer's attention to update their current model. And current users would be very thankful.

Me? I think with the upcoming competition from MSI/Gigabyte and others that the price premium they charge on the Blade warrants a price reduction, especially with that terrible screen in it. Currently about to pull the trigger on a p35k but if you could pull off this screen swap I would think twice and maybe go with the Blade...

 

If you could verify that this would even work without the touch screens that would be great.

 

I've been following this thread in hopes that someone would report their success with the screen replacement. However, that doesn't seem to be happening. With that said, I am willing to perform the display swap on my Razer Blade 14-inch laptop.

I feel comfortable with the disassembling required to perform the screen replacement, however, I'm looking for solid assurance that a better panel can be purchased and will indeed offer the desired display improvements. I'm not interested in touch functionality, and upgrading to 1920x1080 is not a requirement. My main objective is a screen with greatly improved viewing angles (I want to eliminate the need to tilt the screen in order to have a semi-decent viewing angle), colors that are not washed out, blacks that actually appear black, etc. I'm assuming an IPS panel is going to be best for this, but this is out of my area of knowledge.

I found this website: https://www.laptopscreen.com/ and called today. The staff seemed to suggest that replacing the screen is quite reasonable, but they needed very specific screen details. The information listed in a previous post was not enough for them to identify exactly which screens would work as a replacement. Unfortunately their databases don't have anything on the 14 inch Razer laptop, so they advised removing the screen first and calling back.

I do not want to remove the screen and then begin the search just to find out this isn't going to work.

 

In addition to my above post, I found these panels:

AU Optronics
LCD Panel Selection (15 models) - Panelook.com

LG
LCD Panel Selection (11 models) - Panelook.com

Both the LG and AU screens show a color gamut of 45% and similar viewing angles, so i'm not sure if the LG would show any significant improvement. The X1 Carbon review on Anandtech does say the panel in that machine doesn't suffer from the "no good viewing angle" issue that the Razer does.

 

I wouldn't call any of what I have seen or had my hands on competition, posers maybe. The MSI specifically is inferior in all most all quality aspects.

 

Update:

So I've almost got the display off. You do need a heat gun to remove the black frame around the screen as an adhesive is what's holding it. The black plastic covering the hinges was easy to remove. I just used a flat-head screwdriver to pop both edges away from the latch and then used my hands to pull it off carefully. This whole process can be done safely and without scratching or damaging anything so long as you are careful.

After calling several screen re-sellers online, all of them said the same thing... The B140RTF code is not enough for them to figure out what kind of screen is being used and as such, they can not recommend a replacement. So it seems that the only option is to remove the screen which is what I'm now doing.

Will post more news tomorrow. I'm on my way to home depot to buy a heat gun.

 

So the panel is off..

Very easy to remove with a heat gun.. Just keep going around the metal frame with the heat gun for a minute or two constantly feeling the metal to see how how it is. It's probably not a good idea to get it too hot. Eventually, once the adhesive is heated, the metal frame will pull away easy.

After pulling the the screen off, the identifying codes on the circuit board are:

14B49-C01
B140RTN02.0 CTRL BD

Next step is to call the screen companies back tomorrow and see what my options are from here.

 

Great efforts buddy, definitely worth a +rep.

 

It's hard to believe that nobody else attempted this to date, + rep as well!

 

Thanks for the support everyone..

I posted a few pictures on my google drive.. here are the links:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-fZ2f6Z8DDOYnNLU1kyRW5qRTQ/edit?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-fZ2f6Z8DDObDZXb3JMUHUxUW8/edit?usp=sharing

 

looks like the part # you are pulling is off the inverter board, usually the info is on the back of the panel. Don't you have the AIDA64 details as well?

 

You are correct, that number is from the inverter board. However, the numbers reported through AIDA64 were not helpful in identifying the panel used. I called several companies with those numbers and nothing helped. I touched on this in a previous post. My next post will contain the current status.

 

UPDATE:

So here is where I'm at. I found a laptop repair company here in San Diego and I brought the laptop there for help finding a replacement screen. When the technician looked at the computer, he noticed that the panel was disassembled prior to installation. Razer does this to keep the lid and the overall laptop thin. When you purchase a panel it will come in a housing, which is standard in most laptops, and this will require disassembling the panel prior to installation.

The technician said he feels comfortable with this process, but there is a chance of damaging the screen and I would be responsible. I agreed.

--

EDIT:

Incorrect link: The current panel being used is similar to: AUO B140RTN03.0 Overview - Panelook.com

Correct link: AUO B140RW03 V0 Overview - Panelook.com

End of EDIT.

In summary, the specs for the stock screen are:

- color gamut: 45%
- viewing angles: 45/45/15/35

We found a potential replacement, it's an LG panel: LG Display LP140WD2-TLE1 Overview - Panelook.com

In summary, the specs for the LG screen are:

- color gamut: 72%
- viewing angles: 70/70/60/60

It does consume more power, +1.1W, so this will most likely be noticed in battery life. No biggie.

They are going to call me once they track down the screen and verify it will work.

I'm not comfortable with taking apart a screen, so I'm going to leave this in the hands of a technician. But things are looking promising so far.

 

Good luck! Even though you might personally not be interested in this option, could you ask them if there are any Full HD panels out there that could also work out? Preferably IPS, but high gamut once are nice too.

How much are they charging you for the work and how much will the screen be? Online it looks like it's under $70, which is not bad at all.

 

I did ask, and they are going to check on that as well. The technician seemed to suggest that moving to an IPS panel that is 1920x1080 might not be as easy. We didn't go into any details. As for price, they estimated $200 - $250 (labor and the screen). Seemed pretty reasonable given the circumstances.

 

Thanks for the info. Does $200-250 include removing and putting on bezel that you have done with a heatgun or would they charge extra for that?

 

How is that 2nd panel going to work with a different signal interface. LVDS vs eDP.

I suppose the guy knows what he's doing but I have no idea how embedded displayport is going to work unless there's some common circuitry abstracting it to a common connector.

 

Oops, that was the wrong link. Good catch. The post has been updated to indicate the error.

 

I spoke with John (the technician) today. He said it would have been the same price if I hadn't removed the bezel. Although, they may not have been as willing to consider this replacement had I not begun the tear-down process. Normally, they replace broken screens with the same make/model.

Update:

This is not a company promotion and I'm not sure what the site guidelines are about posting a link to repair company are, but if you are interested, this is the repair facility I'm working with. http://laptoplcdscreensandiego.com/

 

We all really appreciate you sharing this info.. Please do keep us updated. I am really interested in upgrading the screen too but am a bit worried on the performance so idk yet.

 

Keep up the great work!

Would love to do this on mine when I get it on around the 15th...

I had a friend buy one from the US (I don't live in the US) so my warranty is effectively useless anyway.

Maybe a nicer screen with better colour gamut would be nice, though ideally in the same resolution.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

Latest Update:

After some additional research, its become apparent that 14" 1080p screens are using eDP instead of LVDS for the signal interface eliminating them as an option for replacement. This leaves the LG panel mentioned in a previous post as the best candidate: LP140WD2-TLE1

The problem now. This screen has been discontinued since 2011. So finding one is going to be a bit challenging, but not impossible.

Lastly, the technician was able to disassemble several cracked screens lying around and connect them to the Blade without causing any additional damage. Therefore, with some luck finding the LG panel, the installation should go smoothly.

I will continue to post any updates as well as pictures and feedback of the new screen. I'm going to look online and see if I can find any laptops that shipped with this particular LG panel and see what kind of reviews the display received.

 

a simple ebay search revealed 10s of such screen.
This seems very interesting!
Wish I could find a technician in London willing to deal with this..

 

Be careful though.. Because a lot of sites ARE NOT selling you the LP140WD2-TLE1, but rather a compatible screen, possibly made by another manufacturer.. For example, on the US ebay site, the first screen listed when searching "LP140WD2-TLE1" returns an Innolux screen. Compatible, but not the same. Other auctions have a disclaimer reading "If the required screen model becomes unavailable we will be sending a compatible alternative."

 

I'm in San Diego and this is a mod that I'm interested in as well. Please let me know how things go. Also if it is successful for both of us and since we are in the same city as Razer HQ it might be possible to present the results to them. This would help all Razer Blade end users in the long run.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

They are well aware of the panels they could have used in the blade. They chose the one they are using for a reason. No one coming down to HQ is changing their mind. I'm sure they tested a number of panels when they were prototyping it.

 

It's great that someone is willing to do this but a shame that owners have to go through such great lenghts just to improve the screen. It's not like this is cheap laptop and I'm sure people intrested in it would gladly pay more just to have a great screen straight from the factory. RAZER did an amazing job with this laptop but it's really messed up that they dropped the ball so bad with the screen.

 

If they put a different panel in it people, mainly the highly competitive set, would be complaining about the response times.

EDIT: And if they change the panel when a better one comes on the market without changing anything else everyone that already bought one would cry. You're not going to see a better panel until the Blade 14 R2 with an 800M series GPU.

 

All I'm saying is from the start there should have been a good quality panel to begin with, now I'm no screen expert or anything but there has to be a better one out there with good response times, veing angles and good color display. My point was for a $2000 laptop you expect more than just an average panel.Sure maybe some owners that can overlook this but after seeing one with my own eyes it is was a major factor for me not buying one and i'm sure there are others that feel the same exact way.For me it just ruins an otherwise amazing laptop.

 

^If this screen mod turns out well I'd get mine replaced. The screen is the only disappointing part of the machine