I'm a 17 year old student currently doing my A levels, now on part 2 of the courses post-exams! Bein...
I'm a 17 year old student currently doing my A levels, now on part 2 of the courses post-exams! Being a nerd, I Primarily review computer related hardware and gadgetry, just done a new review on a flash drive!
Member since:17.10.2004
Reviews:40
Members who trust:50
Earlier this year, lacking the funds for a fancy flat screen TFT or LCD monitor to replace my 4 year old Dell monitor I decided to opt for the Relisys TE 770 model CRT model. Having never even heard of the brand name before, I was rather skeptical.
My sole reason for buying the TE 770 was that it was the only black monitor currently on offer in the shop, put simply I wanted my new monitor to compliment my other hardware components.
Setting the model up was quite easy, a power cable is supplied with the monitor, though you may need some help from another person when lifting the monitor onto a desk or workspace. You do need to plug in two leads, the monitor's input cable, and the power cable. The input cable must be slotted into the American style 3 - pin slot in the back of your tower/ flat case unit. The power cable has two ends, one obviously slots into the monitors 3 pin slot, the other is a simply plug which (obviously) must be put into a plug socket.
I was impressed by the monitors overall size, being a cathode ray tube based (non-flat) model I was highly skeptical about the area it'd take up. However it stood much smaller than my old Dell. The smaller dimensions freed up around 5 inches of my desk space! The monitor itself is very sleek and modern looking, its curved towards the back to allow further space for other hardware components, speakers in particular. Theres four buttons on the front, one being the power button, the other 3 access the options menu.
When I turned on the monitor I found I had to use the degauss function to activate its full display potential. The actual quality of the display is highly impressive, the colour display is highly defined and vivid, I also found the monitor handles high desktop resolutions and 32 color format with ease. The options menu is extremely easy to use, it takes the form of a blue mini screen in the centre of the display. The two "arrow" symbol buttons allow you to access screen positioning, the degauss function, brightness and contrast with ease. Using the other button to select which to tweak. If you have difficulty with this however, theres an extremely thorough and useful instruction booklet supplied with the monitor, which covers absolutely everything. Performance wise, the monitor features high refresh rates for gamers, I found the improved rates extremely useful, as I regularly played Counter-Strike, a very rate intensive game.
The monitor performed fine for around a month, then one day an irratating line developed in the middle left of the display. After discovering it was infact, an internal problem with the monitor I called customer support. After a 10 minute period being stuck on hold a polite clerk answered. The Relisys support line offered to pick up my faulty monitor and exchange it for a new model instantly. I gave them my address and was told it would take around ten days for the replacement to arrive. After the ten day wait, I finally received my replacement monitor. My second TE 770 worked fine, and since receiving it around 4 months ago i've experienced absolutely no faults whatsoever. If however this second monitor begins acting up, i'll be sure to update this review!
Overall the Relisys TE 770 is a great monitor, being around 85 pounds makes this a good value model. However, it appears its possible to draw a short straw with this particular monitor, hence 4 stars due to reliability. I still recommend purchasing this monitor due to its aesthetic and display perks, just cross your fingers it doesn't end up a dud!
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