Im looking for a replacement screen for a compaq presario laptop. I sorta...dropped...it right after the warranty expired. Basically Im wondering how cost effective it is to replace it with a new screen (two year old laptop) vs. buying a new laptop. Any thoughts?
Laptop Monitor
Submitted by Almost Evil on July 21, 2007 - 4:30pm.
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Re: Laptop Monitor
July 24, 2007 - 1:08pm
lol I wouldnt say im abusive, im just a teensy bit klutzy. 
But I will definitely check it out. I dont mind putting out $1500 every few years for a new one though. Its like shoes for me, an accessory that needs to be updated and upgraded with the times!
Im totally going to take out the 3- year "drop" protection plan this time though.
Appreciate the input folks!
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Re: Laptop Monitor
July 21, 2007 - 8:50pm
Thanks for the input guys. This is where Im still stuck. Im having a hard time deciding if I want to fork out $250 and try to install the new monitor myself, or shell out $1400+ for the new one Ive had my eye on from Dell.
Right now Dell is offering a free double memory and double HD upgrade, which would give me 2GB RAM and 160GB HD, compared to my current 1GB RAM and 80GB HD. Granted, Im really not very nice to my computers, so laptops and me dont get along, but I have to keep one out of necessity (law school).
That said, my current laptop works fine- its plugged into an old monitor at the moment and still burns DVDs and CDs fine by some miracle.
Im rambling. Im just torn!
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Re: Laptop Monitor
July 23, 2007 - 9:49pm
if you are abusive, you may want to look into putting down on more durable hardware. Panasonic has a line of laptops called "tough books"; one selling for around $10,000 I saw in my house when ATT had to come find the problem with my DSL. The dude told me that it could take a drop from the top of a telephone poll. But they also sell some stuff for less in the $2,500-$5,000 range.
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Re: Laptop Monitor
July 22, 2007 - 10:39am
I went through this not too long ago and it can be a lot more difficult than you think.
I was this close to buying a monitor for my Sony Viao on Ebay and luckily I talked with a Pro before I submitted payment. Turns out that the exact same model of monitor either has two wires or four and only visual inspection will confirm...just a little FYI.
Then my laptop went missing and that took care of that problem. (Explicitive)
Still, these comments are about right on. $250 on Ebay or in my case, $800 from Sony. If I had to place a bet on what you're going to do...it sounds like a $1400 purchase is in your future;-)
In the future, you may want to look at this link.
http://www.safeware.com/
I do not feel obliged to believe that same God who endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect had intended for us to forgo their use. -Galileo Galileio
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Re: Laptop Monitor
July 21, 2007 - 7:27pm
I was in the same situation about a year ago. I got a second hand monitor on ebay for $250. There are companies specialized in selling parts like that, they had huge lists of which monitors were suitable for every type of laptop. The quality was good, some minor scuff marks that you couldn't see when it was on.
You can just search ebay or google for the type of laptop.
By the way, the shop i had brought it to had spare monitors too but those were more like $400-500 which is why i went with ebay.
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Re: Laptop Monitor
July 21, 2007 - 6:22pm
how much life do you think the laptop still has in it? You'll probably have to send the laptop into the shop either way, so you may as well go straight to HP to figure out the actual costs of both options. But it'll depend a lot on how much life the rest of the laptop has in it. my guess is the laptop as a whole hasn't taken much less abuse then the monitor and you're probably best off going with a new one. But that's just my guess.
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