howdy, first post on the forum, hope i'm doing this right as im very tired and about to go to bed before i have to go to work tomorrow, and hope this is in the right place. trying to figure a thing out. an outside eye would be helpful.
so my roommate and i have the same model of computer, the lenovo legion 5 15imh05h (with the 240hz display). mine has been fine aside from a couple minor scratches at the top of the screen, but recently she's started having an issue where horizontal lines start to span the screen. we own a very active cat who will periodically ping-pong around the apartment and has, on occasion, jumped on her computer while its been closed as she leaves it flat on her desk. this same cat is also the reason for my computer scratches as she likes to try and climb on things she absolutely should not be climbing, like the adorable hellion she is. the hazards of owning a small furry beast, and all that (unrelated, but RIP my headboard).
first idea was that either the screen is damaged or the wire is damaged due to feline-related mayhem, and i have some experience with prying open laptops and changing out hardware so i offered to take a look at it, and she bought the cable and mounting tape first, because it's only $15 for the cable versus the like, $150-$170 for the 240hz screen on ebay. we have been sitting on it a bit due to timing issues but today the issue got worse (it's like, almost 2 inches of the screen completely unreadable) and i finally started prying the thing apart to check what the heck's going on.
getting off that back panel, immediately visible was that the computer was chock full of dust bunnies and cat hair residue. clean that with compressed air. pull out the heat-sink to check the edp connection. looks normal and undamaged. turn the computer on, issue persists, so its not related to that connection.
i then remove the mounting panel on the screen and... when i start the computer without that mounting on the front to check the issue one last time before the inevitable anxious hell of carefully prying the screen out to check the cable attachment, the screen is. normal. no lines at all. we are baffled. i start putting it back together. she takes it back to her room. its still normal. then i realize that we forgot the screws on the chassis, so we bring it back out. i flip it upside down, and put the screws in. we turn it on. the lines are back and as bad as it was before.
this is confusing. i pull the bottom of the chassis off. pull out the heat-sink. check the issue. gone again. start to put back everything together while the laptop is on its side. still normal. when i put the computer back together completely, put the front screen panel and right it, she reports after taking it back to her room that the issue is INCREDIBLY minor in comparison (two lines at the bottom edge as opposed to a 2 inch horizontal dead-space), but is back.
my stumbling point is trying to determine whether something could apply pressure to the cable that when the computer is assembled, starts to disrupt the connection and cause the horizontal line issue, or if the cable is truly damaged and starts to exhibit quality decay when the computer's completely assembled. is there any diagnostic procedure to do to determine if the cable itself is damaged? i don't want to bleep extensively with the screen or motherboard unless i know that replacing the cable would solve the issue completely. if it was my computer that'd be a completely different issue since i'd be the idiot at fault and out a laptop screen, but this is my room-mates laptop and my room-mates money on the line.
final question: in the case of permanent screen damage, could she opt for the 144hz screen (a good $100 cheaper)? i do understand there'd be a lower refresh rate as a result, but i've seen some discussion online has established that refresh rate difference as ultimately not worth the $$$, so i'm not sure what to do. and also the cable used for the 240hz screen is a y550 144hz edp cable so from a surface standpoint it seems like it should be compatible hardware wise?? i just dont know if this'll run into a software compatibility issue or not or if it's just not advisable.
any input is appreciated. thank you!
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