choosing the right lcd panel for your laptop

How to choose the right LCD panel

LCD displays, panels, or screens, whichever you like to call them come in many different sizes, versions, resolutions and finishes.  The screens you see out in the market with a shiny effect are called glossy screens.  The ones without the high shine are matte finished screens.  Can you switch from a glossy to matte?  It is not recommended, but, depending on the connector type on the screen it is a possibility.  Now, you need to replace your LCD panel but do not know which one it could be.  You could search for one based on the model number of your laptop, however, the best and most accurate way to go about this is to locate the part number on the screen itself.

This handy dandy part number quickly and easily identifies your screen with the proper replacement of your liking.  So, where is this number you may ask?  How can you get your hands on it?  Well, it is easy to do if you are good with a set of precision screwdrivers and a plastic scribe.  Yes, you heard right, you will need to take your LCD screen apart, remove it from the cover and locate the part number behind the screen usually next to a barcoded label on the right or left bottom hand side.

Do you have to take apart your laptop to find the part number?  It depends, if your are able to see an image of some sort and get into the BIOS/setup section you could find the service tag number and do a search on the manfufacturer's website.  For HP or Compaq, you can do a service tag search and do the same for Dell or other brands.  If you are unable to locate the part number, chances are your screen is already defective so removing it and retrieving the part number would make sense as well.

Ok, so you found the part number, congratulations!  Now you are able to do a lcd search online for the panel that you need.  If you took your screen out of the cover, make sure you remember to install all the screws back into place.  The LCD bezel should also snap back on into the clips and make sure to tighten the screws that hold the LCD hinges into place.