IBM T40, T41, T42 14" screens vs sager 3790, Asus M6NE

The Thinkpad screens are definately not as bright. I returned a couple of them, and was VERY disappointed with their look.
Don't get me wrong...the Thinkpad is a very solid, well built notebook, but the screens are quite poor. Yes, I saw a Flexview model, not much better. VERY dimly lit.

There is another factor that you should be aware of:
Vendors do NOT ship the same panel in the same notebook model every day.
Large notebook manufacturers and even small ones each have several sources for their LCD panels. That way, if the LCD panel supplier can not meet supply, they can switch to another panel without holding up the production line.

A notebook ordered from Dell, HP, IBM, etc. may have one panel in it. The SAME IDENTICAL notebook may have another panel in it the next day. As far as the manufacturer is concerned, you have ordered the same notebook. It just happens to have a different screen in it.

This can be frustrating. I saw an HP zt3000 that had a beautiful screen, the panel manufacturer happened to be Chung Hwa. It had wonderful contrast and clarity. I ran Ultimate Boot CD to check it. I then ordered an HP zt3000, and the panel I got was a Hitachi that looked absolutely terrible. Horrible contrast and focus.

Anyway, yes, the SONY and Fujitsu have more brightness to them, the Fujitsu is less reflective than the SONY. I find the SONY to be too reflective.
I don't know who they get their LCD panels from, and how much they vary.

Andrew
Austin, TX

I don't know how bright a Sager 3790 is in person, and maybe my thinkpad's flexview screen is abnormal, but I would not consider it dim, by any means.

From what I've seen here on the forum, the CL56 doesn't particularly shine in the screen department.

Probably, but I have no idea which panels ASUS and Sager are using now, or what the specs of them are.

As I have pointed out, which LCD panel the manufacturer ships you in your notebook is the biggest "iffy" part of the notebook purchase, IMHO.

Again, with the Dell, you saw an "Ultrasharp" but as I said, there are at least 4 or 5 panels that Dell can put in each notebook and call them all "Ultrasharp". The average consumer would never know the difference. IBM has fewer sources, or they seem to, but I haven't liked any of their screens that I have seen. Solid notebook, poor display quality.

Dell, HP and most manufacturers have a set of specs for the parts in their notebooks, and the LCD's are one of the big parts that are spec'd. Dell will tell you that any LCD panel put in any model on any given day meets their specs. However, they don't all look the same, at all!!

Until you get a notebook in your hands, you can't tell if it is a good panel or not. Most ASUS purchases can not be returned, same with some Sager purchases. Make sure you can return the notebook if you don't like the display or any other aspect of the notebook.

I have spent over 6 months trying to find something close to perfect for me, and nothing has made it yet.

Display is the #1 priority for me. I want a 14.1" or smaller notebook with a GREAT XGA display (not a high res display), but not a SONY XBrite (too reflective) or an HP Brightview (same thing). The Fujitsu CV displays look good to me, but I don't know how solid the Fujitsu's are. Also, you can't get accidental damage coverage on them, just "screen damage protection" for over $300 for 3 years, which is a lot just for screen coverage.

I am even considering a tablet pc or convertible tablet pc, because some of them have 180 degree viewing angles and 600:1 contrast ratios on 12" XGA panels!! There is no laptop display under 15.4" that has 600:1 contrast ratio that I have seen.

Andrew
Austin, TX

I'll just say that my M6Bne WXGA screen makes my coworkers Dell 600m screen look pathetic. It's has superior viewing angles, color, brightness, contrast.