diff --git a/platform/editor-ui-api/src/com/intellij/ide/ui/UISettings.java b/platform/editor-ui-api/src/com/intellij/ide/ui/UISettings.java
index ad089ce4e9bb..dd50aa9046fb 100644
--- a/platform/editor-ui-api/src/com/intellij/ide/ui/UISettings.java
+++ b/platform/editor-ui-api/src/com/intellij/ide/ui/UISettings.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import com.intellij.openapi.components.*;
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.Pair;
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.SimpleModificationTracker;
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.SystemInfo;
+import com.intellij.openapi.util.registry.Registry;
 import com.intellij.util.EventDispatcher;
 import com.intellij.util.PlatformUtils;
 import com.intellij.util.SystemProperties;
@@ -295,6 +296,10 @@ public class UISettings extends SimpleModificationTracker implements PersistentS
         g2d.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_TEXT_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_TEXT_ANTIALIAS_OFF);
       }
     }
+    if (Registry.is("force.subpixel.hinting")) {
+      g2d.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_TEXT_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_TEXT_ANTIALIAS_LCD_HRGB);
+      g2d.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_TEXT_LCD_CONTRAST, Registry.intValue("lcd.contrast.value"));
+    }
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/platform/util/resources/misc/registry.properties b/platform/util/resources/misc/registry.properties
index 42d0272ef135..88f85637b9e3 100644
--- a/platform/util/resources/misc/registry.properties
+++ b/platform/util/resources/misc/registry.properties
@@ -504,4 +504,11 @@ JDK8042508.bug.fixed=false
 JDK8042508.bug.fixed.description=Disable check for type variable until javac bug is fixed
 
 check.power.supply.for.mbp=false
-check.power.supply.for.mbp.description=Check for discrete video card and power supply on MBPs
\ No newline at end of file
+check.power.supply.for.mbp.description=Check for discrete video card and power supply on MBPs
+
+
+force.subpixel.hinting=false
+force.subpixel.hinting.description=Force using sub-pixel antialiasing
+
+lcd.contrast.value=140
+lcd.contrast.value.description=Set LCD text contrast value from 100 to 250
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/ui/GraphicsUtil.java b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/ui/GraphicsUtil.java
index a77f6c65a111..d6285d3837d5 100644
--- a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/ui/GraphicsUtil.java
+++ b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/ui/GraphicsUtil.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 package com.intellij.util.ui;
 
 import com.intellij.openapi.ui.GraphicsConfig;
+import com.intellij.openapi.util.registry.Registry;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
 
 import java.awt.*;
@@ -71,6 +72,11 @@ public class GraphicsUtil {
         g.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_TEXT_ANTIALIASING,
                            enableAA ? RenderingHints.VALUE_TEXT_ANTIALIAS_LCD_HBGR : RenderingHints.VALUE_TEXT_ANTIALIAS_OFF);
       }
+
+      if (Registry.is("force.subpixel.hinting")) {
+        g.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_TEXT_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_TEXT_ANTIALIAS_LCD_HRGB);
+        g.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_TEXT_LCD_CONTRAST, Registry.intValue("lcd.contrast.value"));
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/ui/UIUtil.java b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/ui/UIUtil.java
index c65cd1098566..8126b33293ba 100644
--- a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/ui/UIUtil.java
+++ b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/ui/UIUtil.java
@@ -1673,11 +1673,16 @@ public class UIUtil {
   }
 
   public static void applyRenderingHints(final Graphics g) {
+    Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D)g;
     Toolkit tk = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit();
     //noinspection HardCodedStringLiteral
     Map map = (Map)tk.getDesktopProperty("awt.font.desktophints");
     if (map != null) {
-      ((Graphics2D)g).addRenderingHints(map);
+      g2d.addRenderingHints(map);
+      if (Registry.is("force.subpixel.hinting")) {
+        g2d.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_TEXT_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_TEXT_ANTIALIAS_LCD_HRGB);
+        g2d.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_TEXT_LCD_CONTRAST, Registry.intValue("lcd.contrast.value"));
+      }
     }
   }