Hansolved? Jolly nearly... (Hansol 710 A)

Member Name: moistoist

Product:	Hansol 710 A
Date:	18/06/01 (427 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Well built

Disadvantages: Takes up quite a bit of desk..., not the greatest monitor on the planet

Hansol are a company that produce a lot of the monitors that are supplied with other manufacturers machines as a default monitor...
...the main one being Novatech - that's not bad. Alas, PC World have also been known...ahem, NOT good for a self-respecting manufacturer...?

However, this should not put you off...just because you are getting a relatively cheap monitor does not mean in this case that the monitor will be substandard. The 710A is their bog standard 17` (unless you agree with Mr Blair that `bog-standard` is unfair, in which case it`s a `promising` 17`... :-) )
I`m writing this on it right now. The text is clear, well defined - and the colours seem natural. It`s nothing to rave about, though, if you`re used to better...my second machine has a 19` Iiyama monitor which is more comfortable to the eye. But no image complaints really - it`s quite untiring over long stints, although I would advise buying a UV filter as that would probably help. Actual screen size is just under 16` - average for a 17`. The controls are fairly self explanatory - you have a menu button, + and - buttons which serve concurrently to move the menu cursor around, and an enter button to select/deselect the options. All the main monitor functions are available, although the brightness doesn`t seem to have as much effect as it might? Just a thought - it`s not a major niggle. Documentation is scant, but fairly unnecessary as it`s not exactly complicated to work out what the 'menu' button does for example...

Tech spec wise, it chugs along at a fairly stonking 85hz at standard 1024x768, impressive stuff, and certainly enough to make Half Life look Half Decent. It's max is 1280 by 1024, but that's not really worth it, like the 110hz maximum. To be honest, plug it in, switch it on, and forget about for a few years. Not the best, not the worst, but it will happily chomp through those pixels for a little while.

So basically - it`s average. Whi
lst it`s nothing to write home about image-wise, it`s not too deep and consequently doesn`t hog your deskspace! BUT, I have had a certain, shall we say, issue with mine...
I bought my first one (I bet you`re smelling the rat already!) about 2 years ago - the equivalent (it was just the 710 then). It died after 18 months, which is actually why I now have the 710A - Novatech replaced it under warranty, and to be fair, it seems a little sturdier than its older cousin. But that might be an issue - so make sure you have a warranty for at least three years.

Overall, good stuff: a sturdily built, clear and passable monitor. If you are considering just buying a PC for light home use, this is well worth the look. At under £150, it's a bargain. Otherwise, you`d do well to look higher budget.

Summary: