[CS-FSLUG] LCD screens and Warranties

[Timothy Butler]

>
> I asked around as to what could cause a dead pixel so soon, I'm

	In my experience, dead pixels often show up in new products rather  
than appearing later on. In such cases, I'm told, there is simply a  
margin of error, so to speak on creating the circuits that turn on  
and off the screen. Just like in processors: usually all processors  
have a certain amount of dead pathways in them, as I understand it.

	I'm not sure what would cause it "so soon" in a laptop that was  
working OK, although it seems to me perhaps something that wasn't  
working quite perfectly to begin with finally could have just gone out.

	Be aware, at any rate, that most warranties only offer to replace  
screens if there are at least nine dead pixels (unless you happen to  
be fortunate enough to catch it within the time period of the normal  
return policy). Though I've done pretty well with pixel problems,  
I've had plenty of devices with dead pixels, usually less than the  
amount to activate the warranty.


> I'd like to know whether this is typical of Toshiba laptops, I'm angry
> enough right now over this to promise never to buy another Toshiba

	I usually hear good things about Toshiba. In general, I'd say it is  
"typical of LCD's." While my Apple Cinema Display and PowerBook don't  
have any dead pixels that I've noticed (I haven't checked recently to  
see if any appeared, but there weren't any when I bought either of  
them), my very nice Sony 17" LCD that I have hooked up to my Windows  
and Linux computers does have one dead pixel that was dead right out  
of the box. It's a gamble that you might get something worse turning  
it in, so I lived with it.


> I might have a MacBook special ordered in instead as long as someone
> can tell me that it'll run Windows fine without OS X if I decide I

	Yes, it should run Windows just fine without OS X (I think you might  
need Bootcamp first to install the BIOS compatibility support,  
although that may now be included by default [Apple uses EFI instead  
of BIOS]). Linux should work too. The guts of it aren't really that  
different from any other Intel Core Duo notebook from a technical  
standpoint. You will want Bootcamp at first so that you can burn a CD  
of drivers to install for Windows...

	I'd imagine you'd like OS X if you gave it some time though. :-) If  
you get such a beast, I'd be happy to offer some introductory tips.


> don't like the later. If I get a Macbook I'd also like to know that if
> it's running Windows it'll still to be able to handle some games,
> nothing particularly special, just Rise of Nations and Age of Empires
> II.

	As a fairly standard issue unit, the big issue is if such things  
will run on Intel Extreme Graphics 950 that is used. The Mac, as a  
whole, isn't marketed as a gaming platform, so Apple has  
(unfortunately) followed the PC market into using integrated  
graphics. I hear good things about the 950 GMA, but YMMV. Bottom  
line: if it won't work on a 950 GMA inside a Dell, it won't run on  
the MacBook either.

	If you want something better than integrated graphics, you need to  
either settle for a similiarly priced Apple desktop, the iMac (all  
but the lowest priced, Education market-only iMac have dedicated  
graphics cards), or move up to the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro is  
most definitely a more costly beast, but it has a bigger screen, a  
dedicated video card, the extremely durable aluminum enclosure and  
some other nice perks.

	I don't think I'd have a lot of qualms buying a MacBook, just keep  
in mind the ultimate gaming machine it ain't. (Of course, you could  
buy a PS2 or Xbox 360 with the money you save on a MacBook over a  
MacBook Pro.)


> I'm also interested in suggestions on what might have/could cause
> damage to an LCD display. I can't think of anything that might have
> caused the damage, as far as physical damage goes I wasn't
> particularly hard on it, I was careful to keep pressure off the
> screen. But where software is concerned I did push it to run Rise of
> Nations before I got the RAM upgrade (the video card is shared, it
> used to have 256 MB), and worse yet I had it running Linux in VMWare
> (because some of the hardware is poorly/not supported in Linux).

	Running VMware should be inconsequential to the screen. I've never  
heard of an overworked video card causing problems either, but I  
can't really say either way on that one.


	-Tim




---
Timothy R. Butler | "Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher
tbutler at ofb.biz   | is bound in  his  way to  be a lover of myths  and
www.uninet.info   | poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in
timothybutler.us  | being big with wonder."
                                                      -- Thomas Aquinas