Improtant Note!
It is absolutely necessary to know the SIZE, RESOLUTION and BACKLIGHT TYPE in order to purchase the correct screen for a particular laptop.

Please, do not hesitate to email us your laptop make/model details if you are in need of assistance. Our customers are constantly amazed at how fast we reply.

Certain laptop models come in different screen sizes, resolutions and backlights. For instance, Dell M1330 may have LED or CCFL backlight. IBM-Lenovo ThinkPad T60 was released with either 15.4" or 15" or 14.1" screen size and these screens are not interchangeable. Macbook Pro 15.4" screens come in different resolutions and they are not interchangeable as well.

It is absolutely imperative that size, resolution and backlight of the original screen are the same as of the selected screen for purchase. Please examine carefully the screen description. If you are still unsure please, please ask us You may also upload pictures of the back of our original screen that you are replacing. Please focus on labels (so the numbers are legible) and connectors and also include full shot of the back of the screen.

Manufacturers typically do not publish screen compatibility information and even if they do there are occasional mistakes in their manuals and specifications on their websites. Therefore the only sure way to get 100% correct screen is to check the size, resolution, and backlight.

NOTE: Screens for Dell laptops must be chosen by the laptop model number ( i.e. Inspiron 1525 ). Choosing by the original screen model number can lead to wrong selection.

Below are step by step instructions

Screen size is measured in inches, diagonally from corner to corner (see below) (1 inch=2.54 cm):

Laptop screens come in many different sizes with new ones being constantly added. Below you can see the most popular ones.

It is imperative to confirm the screen resolution before submitting the order. There are numerous laptop models that come in more than one screen resolution type. One has to make sure that the screen he or she needs has the same resolution as the one he or she is about to purchase.

Screen or display resolution indicates the number of pixels on the laptop screen. In screen specifications resolution is expressed as number of columns by number of rows (1280x800) And a pixel is a little colored dot of light, many of which go together to make up what one sees on the computer monitor. One laptop model line could have been shipped with several resolutions' screens.
Below is a list of the most commonly used resolutions:

XGA 1024x768

SXGA 1280x1024

SXGA+ 1400x1050

UXGA 1600x1200

QXGA 2048x1536

WXGA 1280x720; 1280x768; 1280x800; 1360x768; 1366x768

WXGA+ 1440x900

WSXGA+ 1680x1050, 1680x945

WUXGA 1920x1200, 1920x1080

"W" - means wide screen with the Aspect Ratio 16:10 or 16:9.

There are several distinct ways to determine the screen resolution:

1. The most reliable source to determine the display resolution is the laptop manual, under the laptop specifications section.

2. Checking the laptop manufacturer's website and finding the laptop specifications in the Support & Help section using the laptop serial number or the model number. You can use any one of the publicly available search engines, like Google or Yahoo, to find your manufacturer's official website.

3. In case your laptop is still functional, you can check your resolution online, using free software. Note: this tool should be used sparingly, as an aditional mean in determining your resolution as it is only accurate if you have not changed your default sccreen settings since the installation of your OS.

On-line Resolution Check

4. The best way to determine which screen one needs is to open the display and check the screen model number on the sticker on the back of the screen. You can use any one of the publicly available search engines, like Google or Yahoo, to find the screen model, and, consequently, the size and the resolution of your laptop screen.

The replacement screen must have exactly the same backlight type as the original (old) screen. Currently there are 2 major types of backlight for notebook LCD screens:

1. CCFL (Cold cathode fluorescent lamp)
a) 1-CCFL - contains 1 bulb
b) 2-CCFL - contains 2 bulbs
2. LED (Light emitting diode)

The CCFL backlight screens always need a high voltage inverter to power the bulb inside the screen. The LED screens use light emitting diodes to light up the screen. Most of the LED screens today require an inverter as well and the inverters of the two types are completely different. Inverters of the LED screens are attached to the bottom of the screen.

One CCFL (also known as "single backlight") - has been and still is the most popular backlight type in laptop screens. The screen contains one bulb to light it up and has a pair of wires at the bottom finished with one white inverter connector that plugs into inverter board.
See the picture right below:

Two CCFL (also known as "dual backlight") - contains 2 bulbs, has 2 pairs of inverter cables and 2 inverter connectors. This type of backlight is less popular than 1-CCFL and is used in laptop screens of size 15.4-inch and larger.
See the next picture:

LED is the new type of backlight which allows the screen to consume less power (which equals longer battery life), does not heat up as much as CCFL based screen, and is thinner and lighter. In LED screens backlight power is supplied in one of three ways: through video connection, through a flat ribbon cable or through an attached inverter. Also note that in LED screens of different resolutions the video connector can be entirely different.

It is usually mentioned in the laptop specifications when the laptop screen has LED backlight.
To determine which backlight type screen is in your laptop you can remove and examine the screen - this is the best way. Alternatively you can check your laptop manual, check specifications online at your laptop manufacturer's Support section, or contact your laptop manufacturer.
LED screen can never be used to replace a CCFL screen.

The picture below illustrates the physical dissimilarities between the glossy and the matte screens installed on the same laptop:

Laptop screens with glossy and matte screens are entirely interchangeable since the difference lies only in the type of the screen surface finish.

Conventionally, laptop screens have had a matte, anti-glare finish, to scatter the reflected light. This characteristic, however, has a a number of side effects, which include scattering the light from the display and increasing the blur. Additionally, it results in reduction of the contrast ratio, color intensity, and viewing angle.

Glossy screens use optical coating to reduce the amount of reflected external light. Their shiny surfaces reflect more light than matte displays, but they are less reflective than the uncoated glossy displays; reflections of external light sources are not diffused by glossy displays, so certain lighting conditions tend to favor a traditional, anti-glare screen. In controlled environments, such as darkened rooms, or rooms where all light sources are diffused, a glossy display may be more enjoyable for the viewer.

Glossy displays generate increasingly saturated colors, deeper blacks, brighter whites, and sharper images. This makes these types of displays more appropriate for general public use, which commonly uses laptops for viewing photos, watching movies, or browsing the web.

As a side note, in extremely bright conditions, where no direct light is facing the screen, such as outdoors, glossy displays can become more readable than matte displays due to their ability not to disperse the light around the screen.

Each laptop manufacturer coined their glossy type screen monicker:

Acer - CrystalBrite
Acorn - Vybrio
AG Neovo - NeoV Optical Filter
Ahtec - Glare
Alienware - ClearView
Apple - Glossy
ASUS - ColorShine
Averatec - AveraBrite
Dell - TrueLife
Everex - DiamondBrite
Fujitsu - CrystalView, SuperFine
Gateway - UltraBrite
HP-Compaq BrightView
IBM-Lenovo VibrantView
LG - FineBrite
NEC OptiClear, SuperShine
Packard Bell - Diamond View
Sager - Super Clear
SONY - XBRITE, XBRITE-ECO, X-black, ClearBright, ClearPhoto LCD
Toshiba - Clear SuperView