The FP731 has been around for a little while now, and I have owned mine since October 2003. I bought it for over £250, and now it has dropped below this price and represents a good value for money 17 inch flat screen monitor.
Benq have provided an excellent TFT monitor which is beautifully designed. The screen itself takes up most of the product, with a rim about 1 inch wide around the screen of matt silver. This makes the screen the focus, and not a huge amount of beige like on some other monitors.
At the bottom of the screen are 6 discreet buttons. An on/off button, an auto adjust button (which basically refreshes and realigns the view) and 4 menu buttons for manually changing settings (though there is practically no need to use this at all).
The screen resolution can go up to 1280 x 1024, which is what I have it at, but only as I have sharp eyes! It does make things a little small, but you can fit loads on the screen then. Buying a bigger screen really is an advantage; I think I might get a 20inch when I can afford it! The screen is very bright too, and the brightness easily adjustable to suit your eyes.
The screen sits nicely in the base provided, and has an easy vertical adjustment, so that it is at the correct angle for your eyes. As an add on, you can buy a wall mounting plate, which I have not tried, but sounds good.
I bought this to go with a base station I bought from eBay, and I just plugged it into the mains and into the back of the computer (normal analogue port) and away I went. I have used it for all sorts, from normal computer work, to DVD’s and games and have been pleased throughout.
Basically, if you are looking for a relatively cheap, stylish 17 inch monitor, then this BenQ model is ideal. I have had no problems with it at all, and I really enjoy the big screen.
More details
Image Size in relation to tube size
Excellent
Ease of Installation
Good - quick to install
Speed when refreshing at a chosen screen resolutio
Average
Manufacturer Support
Satisfactory
Instruction manual
Good
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