(1) It was my turn to replace my old laptop at work so on Friday i got the Dell XPS 9310 2in1 Core i7 /16 GB/512 GB/Iris Xe Graphics with Eyesafe technology.

Connected to my trusty ASUS CCFL display via Dell's docking station, it seems ok. I used this configuration for 3-4 hours at work. I will know for sure within next week.

I had to use it without connecting it to an external display for 3 hours at a client's site. After the first 20 mins of looking directly at the laptop's monitor i felt my eyes a bit heavy with a light headache. I experimented with Dell's profile options (movie, animation etc.) and night light but none of these made any real difference.

What helped enough to get through the meeting were my Crizal glasses, i figured i could give them a try. I think they helped me in not having a nasty headache during my weekend.

It seems that this eyesafe technology is not really helping me. Next week i will be able to conclude if this one is usable or not.

(2) Also regarding to Linux, a client of ours used to operate the office laptops with Mint 19.1 (they operate their accounting software on linux).

Recently they upgraded all their desktops to Linux Mint 20.3. Now i get a very strong headache in 5 mins of use in the same machine as before (CCFL display).

I assume there are developers/IT people in this forum (i am an accountant), do you think it is possible to ask the Mint development team what changed? If we could have this information, wouldn't this shed some light as what software changes cause the discomfort? Mint 19.1 was perfect, with the combination of a ccfl display it was perhaps the most comfortable setup i have ever used.

    Peter

    Thanks for suggesting Mint 19.1. Its good with my eyes too. Using it for 3 days no eye strain as such.

    My setup: Old 2011 Samsung NP350 laptop, Benq 2470 external LED monitor, Mint 19.1.

      ThaCMaster

      I cannot game at all. Even on monitors and systems that are fine. I think my eyes struggle with the depth and perspective, esp. with shooters.

        3 months later

        I have been using a Dell Latitude E5550 for several years without any problems (with W10 1809 and GPU drivers installed) and a few months ago I received the new Dell Latitude E7420 business notebook which unfortunately I cannot use. Usual symptoms, eye ache, headache and brain fog.

        I tried connecting it to my Alienware AW2518HF external monitor via HDMI and the situation improved a little but not enough. So I bought a 17 "inch portable external monitor and connected via USB-C! I can use it without problems.. The monitor is this one:

        https://www.uperfectmonitor.com/collections/portable-monitors/products/17-3-in-1080p-fhd-portable-monitor

        Was it just luck or does the USB-C connection render the image differently than HDMI?

        P.S. Last W11 build and last intel GPU driver.

          Lauda89 Just a guess, but the Alienware AW2518HF is 6 bits + FRC whereas it looks like the UPERFECT monitor you linked seems to be 8 bit.

          What if you tried a mini HDMI to HDMI cable on that UPERFECT monitor? That would tell us if it's the USB-C connection vs. the panel itself.

          I'd love to hear others inputs.

          Glad you found something usable 🙂! These success stories (even if workarounds) give us so much hope!

            I'm highly interested in that monitor!

            Quite a price difference between the two…

            Lauda89 Was it just luck or does the USB-C connection render the image differently than HDMI?

            It shouldn't matter. Both are digital signals: 1's and 0's. The cable it travels on won't make any difference to the electrons.

            The monitor may have a different video chip (or different functions on the same video chips) that processes the signals differently, that would explain the difference between the two

              16 days later

              @Lauda89 How are you doing with that external panel? Still working well?

              a month later
              3 months later

              Lauda89 Hi @Lauda89,

              Are you still using the external monitor with success? Ever figured out why the laptop display wasn't visually good for you, or, why USB-C worked good for you whereas HDMI did not?

                  I use a Dell Latitude 3440 with the "upgraded" matte screen (it was an option when I bo ught it) with absolutely zero issues. With 8GB of RAM it runs Windows 7 just fine

                  ryans Yes i am still using the external monitor so I was able to keep going on with my job. The bad thing is that I have a laptop that I am not able to use it as a laptop because I need always the external monitor, keyboard etc..

                  I miss my old laptop (latitude e5550) but better than having to change jobs..

                  For some reason, the HDMI output didn't work when I tried.. i don't know why but I am still using the USB C with zero issues. The laptop still using W11 with the last update! Every week the laptop is forced to restart in order to install the last OS updates, driver and bios 🙁

                    2 months later

                    What 14-16" (ips?) notebooks, still being sold, are considered generally safe? Price range: 700€, max 950€.

                    My older pc, now broken, was a 15.6" ASUS with Windows 10, maybe a X556? I couldn't find PWM info on notebookcheck because it's 5-6 years old. I'm very sensitive to light (any source) so I had to use low brightness and suffer from its (likely low hz) pwm, using it for very short sessions. Clearly with worse problems in the last years, when I literally thought to stop working. I suspect even non-pwm lights could hurt me, but it's worth a try anyway. I only tested them viewing videos for an hour (non-pwm phone).

                    So, I would use my new notebook for programming and web surfing. The most GPU demanding stuff would be playing twice a month, at max GTA V (medium settings). Nvidia GPU would be cool for CUDA programming, but it's not a must have.

                    Buying a gaming laptop just for the 144+Hz frequency feels overkill for me, as the price skyrockets and heat/noise is annoying. Never tried anything above 60Hz.

                    I know about Windows 7 being safer than 10, which has problems with later builds and 11 being in between, but still bad. An older OS is not a problem.

                    I'm also reading that some new gpus have unavoidable temporal dithering.

                    What is a reliable setup I can try? Possibly from EU markets. I don't mind if it's 4 years old, if it's safe.

                    A working setup can't be recommended, as the screen can (and will) vary.

                    If you are not yet compelled to Wirus 10 or 11, a tested almost paper like setup is consisted of B156HAN01.1 screen, intel gpu with drivers not newer than 2015, ditherig 1.7 and Win8.1. The display is eDP 30 pin FHD and can be fitted to any compatible laptop that is max Intel gen 7.

                    dev