Re: [Thinkpad] 560z 128mb RAM Chip

> I've endlessly tried to find a video utility that could somehow change
> resolutions on any given screen size, for example changing a 640x480 resolution
> to 800x600, or 800x600 to 1024x768 to no avail. Does anyone know of any video
> utilities out there that one might try.

Well, you won't need one if the drivers on your laptops were set up
properly. Besides, what do you mean by "to no avail"? Be a bit more
specific here. My vanilla P133 tp560 switches resolution perfectly from
800x600@16bpp to 640x480@24bpp in 3 mouse clicks.

I have come to understand that in the
> real world, changing resolutions on specific screens is just not physically
> possible despite what utility software you use.
>
Well, on LCDs the number of pixels which determine your resolution are
fixed, unlike the CRT monitors, which can refocus and redraw your screen
on the fly using an electron beam against a phosphor mask. We are
talking about different technologies here so your assumptions from CRT use
must be cast out of the window. You can't do certain resolutions because
the LCD screen can't scale the image down effectively.

> Another observation that might apply to this series would be that it just
> wouldn't be possible to simply attach a 1024x768 lcd to a laptop that has a
> video card that won't support it and is only limited to a resolution of
> 800x600.

Well, strictly speaking, the Neomagic 128XD on the 560Z is perfectly
capable of doing 1024x768. Dell did it using the same chip on the Dell
Latitude CPiD's XT subseries to draw a 13" XGA screen. And I bet that
if you plug your tp560 onto a CRT monitor it'll happily toss a
1024x768 screen up for you at 16 bit resolution. So the video chip is not
a problem. It's the LCD that's the restriction.

With this in mind, if one happens to have both machines (one being the
> x model), perhaps changing the lcd and video card might be advisable, but don't
> quote me on that for the reasons that just maybe you might burn something out
> (perhaps the inverter) rendering some or all the components of both units
> inoperable.

Well, you can't switch video cards. As far as I know, Most Thinkpads have
their video chips integrated directly onto the motherboard, and even
assuming that if you happen to be a soldering iron ninja and got the chip
successfully out, you probably would not find anything else that you can
put into the laptop that can work otherwise. Your machine's BIOS
would have to support that new chip, and not to mention the LCD, which is
designed with the specific laptop in mind. So no, you won't be able to
get the video chip/LCD out, park a new video chip/LCD in and expect it to
automagically handle 1024x768. I mean, if you find a 12.1" LCD that is
designed for the Neomagic 128XD you're always welcome to try, but most
likely than not, it'll simply not work.
Received on Fri Sep 19 12:54:55 2003