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    Razer Blade 2015 Monitor downgrade question. Is it possible?

    Discussion in 'Razer' started by James D, Dec 7, 2018.

  1. James D

    James D Notebook Prophet

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    So my friend has Razer Blade with QHD panel and it doesn't suit its GPU of course.
    His panel: SHARP LQ140Z1JW01 supposedly with eDP 50 pin connector, at least this site claims so.
    Original 1080p was claimed to be LG Display LP140WF3-SPD1 supposedly with eDP 30 pin.

    Is it possible to downgrade to 1080p? To original panel or there are analogs? Also is new eDP cable needed and if so, original from Razer or any will work?
    @t456 Sorry for tagging but you are an expert in monitors and I wasn't sure if PM is OK and I guess someone will find this topic useful in the future.
     
  2. Joikansai

    Joikansai Notebook Deity

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    I never heard Blade screen up or downgrade so far seeing Blade forum on insider and here since 2016, correct me if I’m wrong though. I remember there was a thread about this mentioned it’s too thin to mess around mostly impossible, you can try asking @pbhenry3 who was often repairing Blade though.
    I had 2015 Blade 14, you doesn’t need to run games on with native 1800p with its 970m, I mostly downscale to 1440p or 1080p depends the game. Igzo Sharp Panel is one of my favorite display, it’s sharp like the manufacturer name ;)
     
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  3. t456

    t456 1977-09-05, 12:56:00 UTC

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    The original Razer fhd cable is required since you need its 30-pin connector plus its motherboard-side configuration. There are a few rare 40-pin eDP 1080p panels, but there's no 50-pin 1080p model. It'd have to be a 144Hz or 10-bit color type for it to need so many pins (4-lane bandwidth), but probably due to lack of demand of such panels at 14" means there's none to be found. And unlike 40->30-pin there's no simple 50->30-pin adapters either.

    The connector at the lcd side is standardised, especially with eDP type. So an HP's 2-lane 30-pin 0.4mm pitch lcd cable is the same as that of the Razer's where it connects to the lcd. The motherboard end isn't though. There's only a few connector types, but the biggest problem is that the pin arrangement can differ a lot between brands and models and it'd be a rather good idea if the backlight-on and voltage pins correspond to the same pins on the motherboard.

    The original fhd is fine, but any of these will do as well and also have quite a good image:
    • LQ140Z1JW01 (4k, for the compare)
    • LP140WF3-SPD1 (stock fhd)
    • B140HAN03.2
    • N140HCE-GP2
    • NV140FHM-N61
    • NV140FHM-N62
    One thing to consider; the 4k panel doesn't use mounting flaps, so it'll be attached to the lid with double-sided tape. Since the stock fhd models uses screws that means there might be two lid types as well. Not much of a problem either way; screw types can be mounted with tape as well (flaps can be cut off), but it's just something to keep in mind. Depth of these panels is similar or thinner than that of the W01, except for the stock SPD1, so these should fit just fine. If the Razer does indeed use different lid types then you may want to avoid the stock fhd model; apart from mounting type they also could have made a thinner lid or bezel for the W01.

    These über-thin tape-mounted panels aren't much fun to remove, the tape being very sticky. I use a scalpel to slice through the tape, but a sharp knife might do. Twisting gently would be ok, but try to avoid bending it; you'll easily wind up with a bent-iphone situation.

    PM is fine, but won't be of use to anyone else. You might also have dropped a line in @sicily428 's exhaustive Laptop Screen Upgrades thread.
     
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