Mac Book Pro display life

[acme]

I have a Mac Book Pro 13" 2010 model. I tend to be conservative with the screen brightness level. Often, the first square is bright enough given the lighting around me or the task I'm doing.

Sometimes I need it brighter to clearly see color, but I've noticed that halfway is plenty bright. 100% brightness is far too bright for me; maybe that's intended for outdoor use?

My question is: by limiting screen brightness, can I extend the lifespan of this display?

thank you,

a

[NovaScotian]

LCD screens are nominally rated at 60,000 hours and newer models have LED backlights which have a similarly long life. I doubt that brightness has much to do with it. Running a dim screen does extend battery life, however, and like you, I find about half-speed or a bit less easier on the eyes on both my MBP and iMac machines.

[acme]

OK..thanks for that info. Now, I hope this doesn't sound like a dumb question, but are the 60,000 hours counted anytime the book is powered up, or anytime the monitor is not turned all the way down?

IOW, if I turn the screen down all the way using the keyboard controls F1 ( or fn F1) is the screen as off and unpowered as if the machine itself were off?

a

[macosnoob]

If you want the screen OFF rather than turned down all the way via F1: Ctrl-Shift-Eject.

[NovaScotian]

Given that 60,000 hours is just short of 7 years, I wouldn't worry about it. I have an old LCD screen that's still going strong and it's older than that. What happens to them typically is that they lose a few pixels.

[DeltaMac]

And, there's nothing in the laptop that keeps track, then suddenly goes out at 60,000 hours. Especially with the advent of the LED backlight, you may see considerably longer life than even 7 years, and the screen would likely not be your "disposable" point... In 6 or 7 years, more likely the battery will be the big repair, not the LCD screen.
Well, I'm assuming that you won't dump a grande latte into the keyboard, like I did a few years ago.
BTW, you should avoid dumping a grande latte into the keyboard. It's quick death for the logic board.
I didn't need to worry about possible LCD life with that one...

[acme]

Quote: Originally Posted by macosnoob If you want the screen OFF rather than turned down all the way via F1: Ctrl-Shift-Eject.

isn't that sleeping the computer? but at any rate is sleep more "off" to the monitor than simply all the way down with F1?

[DeltaMac]

Sleeping the screen is not the same as sleeping the computer.
Your Mac will not be sleeping just because the display is sleeping.
Turn the brightness all the way down (f1) simply is minimum brightness. An iMac will be just that, less bright. A MacBook Pro at minimum brightness has the backlight turned off, but you can still see images on the screen (video is still on, just no backlight),
See the difference by using f1 to turn your brightness all the way black.
Now, hit Ctrl-Shift-Eject, and you will see the still-visible video turn off, and your screen goes completely black at that time. Your MacBook Pro will have the screen turned off, but the Mac is not sleeping.
So, yes, screen sleep is more "off" to the monitor than simply turning the brightness all the way off.

[NovaScotian]

Control-Eject = Shutdown Dialog
Control-Shift-Eject = Display Sleep (only the display)
Command-Option-Eject = Immediate Sleep (including display)
Command-Control-Eject = Immediate Restart
Command-Option-Control-Eject = Immediate Hard Shutdown

[benwiggy]

I had a G3 iBook from c.2003 which has only just completely died. I changed the battery a few years ago and gave it to Aged Mater for emailing and surfing. It's recently just "gone blank", but the screen may still be working for all I know.

As DeltaMac points out: this is not the component whose life-span you need to worry about. The hard drive, battery, power supply, logic board are all first in line.

As for brightness: for minimum eye-strain, the ambient light should be of a similar intensity to the display. Reading a bright screen in near darkness is bad.

[NovaScotian]

Quote: Originally Posted by benwiggy As for brightness: for minimum eye-strain, the ambient light should be of a similar intensity to the display. Reading a bright screen in near darkness is bad.

I find it's much easier on the eyes to have a backlight behind the screen shining on the wall. That softens the edges of the screen.

[acme]

So, the logic board is one of those items that will croak before the display? Is this true even if one doesn't spill a latte or other liquid onto the machine?


I have a 1999 pismo still going strong; the display color is a little weird at first, but everything works...I'm hoping this machine will be as durable or more so...


a

[DeltaMac]

Typically, you have failures in mechanical devices, such as hard drives, fans, optical drives, keyboards/trackpads. Then you have those devices with a limited useful life, like batteries.
If a fan quits working, then you have possible overheating on the logic board.
Devices with cables that feed through the hinge area may experience failure, the result of very common movement in that area.
Keep in mind that you are simply looking at the odds. There is no definite "that part will always fail first, then that other part, etc ... " When you have failures, then you look at common failures first - but sometimes you get unlikely failures. It's all part of life with technology.
Stuff happens.... Why dwell on the issue before it happens? Early display failure can happen, but it's just not that common compared to other parts.
Ask a tech - Do you replace more logic (or system/mother) boards, or more lCD panels (assuming accidental damage is not the issue). I will guess the board number is higher. Then, compare that to hard drives and batteries/power supplies.

[NovaScotian]

Quote: Originally Posted by acme I have a 1999 pismo still going strong; the display color is a little weird at first, but everything works...I'm hoping this machine will be as durable or more so...

I have a 1986 SE/30 still going strong. It's CRT image began to shrink with age, but that's adjustable on the motherboard so I expanded it. It's HD floppy reader and an Ethernet Card installed in its PD slot in it are still working too. As DeltaMac says; it's just statistics -- I lucked out. Your mileage may vary.

[acme]

heh..yeah, I know...thanks for being patient with my questions...

all things wear out, including us. I'm feeling a bit pinched financially these days and looking for ways I can improve my computer using behavior to squeeze as much life out of my gear as possible...that's why I keep asking about this angle and that.

Thanks for the helpful information....


a

[NovaScotian]

Quite reasonable, acme. I hung on to a late 2005 PM G5/2.3 until last year. After all, it worked well. Only new software that wasn't universal eventually drove me to a new computer. My MBP was a gift from my son.