Thinkpad P43S WQHD Panel Compatibility

[adamhyla89]

Hello All,

I am new to the Thinkpad world. Finally, I have purchased a Thinkpad P43S. The only thing I would like to upgrade is the FHD Panel to a WQHD Panel with the IR Camera. Here are the specs from PSREF.

Model 20RH0014US
Product ThinkPad P43s
Region NA
Country/Region USA
Machine Type 20RH
TopSeller TopSeller
Processor Intel Core i7-8665U (4C / 8T, 1.9 / 4.8GHz, 8MB)
Graphics NVIDIA Quadro P520 2GB GDDR5
Chipset Intel SoC Platform
Memory 16GB Soldered DDR4-2400
Storage 256GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe Opal2
Display 14" FHD (1920x1080) IPS 250nits Anti-glare, 45% Gamut
Touchscreen None
Media Reader MicroSD Reader
Ethernet 100/1000M
Optical None
WLAN + Bluetooth Intel 9560 11ac, 2x2 + BT5.0
WWAN None
SIM Card None
Smart Card Reader None
Monitor Cable None
Case Material PPS / 50% GF (Top), PA / 50% GF (Bottom)
Bundled Accessories None
Camera 720p with ThinkShutter
Microphone 2x, Array
Color Black
Keyboard Backlit, English
Fingerprint Reader Touch Style, Match-on-Chip
NFC None
TPM Discrete TPM 2.0
Battery Integrated 50Wh
Power Adapter 65W USB-C
System Management Intel vPro
Operating System Windows 10 Pro 64, English
Bundled Software None
Base Warranty 3-year, Depot
Bundled Service None
EAN / UPC / JAN 193638105459

I was hoping someone might have the answer to whether not it is possible with my current configuration.

[theterminator93]

Welcome stranger.

Based on parts lookup of that machine type, 00NY679 is the WQHD panel for that model. Based on some cross-referencing of FRUs and MPNs of that panel, the WQHD panel in my T25/T480 FrankenPad, and the FHD panel for your machine type... the WQHD panels use a 40 pin, 4-lane eDP interface. The FHD panels use a 30-pin, 2-lane eDP interface. I do not know if your system board would have a 30 pin connector and a 30 pin eDP cable, or a 40 pin connector with a 40 to 30 pin eDP cable. If the former, I would assume your GPU output (internally) only has 2 lanes, and would thereby only support FHD screens at a maximum. If it DOES have a 40 pin connector, then there may be hope.

Historically, upgrading from FHD panels to WQHD or 4K panels has been possible with the proper display cable on compatible units, but I haven't read much about it for the T490/T590 or the P43/53/73 series. If push comes to shove, you could pop the cover off and compare the LCD cable and system board connector to the one I have on mine...