Question Advice needed - is an i5 8400, 256 ssd + 1 tb hdd, 16 gb a good system in 2019?

[TheSwann]

This desktop will be for a student - research online, Microsoft WORD (non gaming). Also, Netflix and apps for e-books. And will add Photoshop and writing software (Scrivener) in the future.
Was wondering if I should upgrade to the i7? And whether I need different specs. Also, the graphics card is a NVIDIA GTX 1050 ti.
Thanks.

 

[liamwhalley20]

What specific i5 is it? But If it's not for gaming and just general use then it should be more than adequate

 

[TheSwann]

Thanks for your reply.
It is an i5 8400. (just updated the info.)

 

[liamwhalley20]

More than enough, I'm guessing 8gb of ram also?

 

[liamwhalley20]

That being said if it were to be gamed it it would be capable of doing so, not at amazing quality but mid/high setting on most games could still possibly work

 

[TheSwann]

16 GB RAM. I was told that was a good amount since I hope I can use this pc for 5 yrs or so.

 

[liamwhalley20]

Even better yes 16gb of ram is definitely a must have nowadays, but that is with gaming and other high intensity applications, so in short yes that is a very capable system for what you're intending to use it for, system will most likely sit twiddling its thumbs most of the time :')

 

[TheSwann]

I have never played a game on a pc (just used a playstation + TV). Have no clue about it and probably won't have the time. I guess this system can also handle gaming so that's a good option in case someone else wanted to use it for gaming in the future. I'm just looking for a stable/efficient system that I can write essays on.

 

[Shektron]

If your monitor is 60 Hz, the Ryzen 5's might be a better option since you are also looking for future-proofing. Wait for Ryzen 3000, it's offerings are too good to not wait for.

Edit: saw the recent reply, the i5 8400 is just as good an option if all you want to do is write essays. Why are you buying a powerful GPU then?

 

[TheSwann]

Great. I thought i7 was necessary so good to know the system sounds capable.

 

[TheSwann]

Thanks for your response.
Ryzen 5? I have no clue other than what Dell offered (my last pc was Dell). I need this pc in a few weeks.

 

[liamwhalley20]

The ryzen 5's are definitely good cpus, I am guessing this system you will be buying will be a prebuilt one?

 

[Shektron]

Thanks for your response.
Ryzen 5? I have no clue other than what Dell offered (my last pc was Dell). I need this pc in a few weeks.

Ryzen 5 is an AMD processor, Intel's primary(and only) competitor in desktop CPU industry. Ryzen 3000 launches in 5-6 weeks, but like I said if all you're doing is writing essays it won't make a difference, even an i3 is enough for that.

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

Great. I thought i7 was necessary so good to know the system sounds capable.

Posting full system specs when you started this thread would have been a much better idea --- there's more to hardware suitability for a particular purpose than just the CPU.

 

[liamwhalley20]

Yeah the i5 8400 and 16gb of ram is definitely more than enough for what you want to use it for, and agreed you could even get by with an 8th gen i3, would be cheaper

 

[TheSwann]

Yes, prebuilt. I wanted to get an iMac (as I have apple products aside from a dell pc) but didn't want to spend over 2k for a basic pc.

 

[liamwhalley20]

Yeah I personally wouldn't get the iMac, if you are willing to build your own desktop then you could possibly get it alot cheaper than a pre built one

 

[TheSwann]

Ok thanks for the info. I plan on using writing software as well (Scrivener) and PhotoShop. I'm guessing the system can handle adding more programs.

 

[TheSwann]

Yeah I personally wouldn't get the iMac, if you are willing to build your own desktop then you could possibly get it alot cheaper than a pre built one

Definitely do not want to attempt building a pc.

 

[TheSwann]

Posting full system specs when you started this thread would have been a much better idea --- there's more to hardware suitability for a particular purpose than just the CPU.

What other specs should I post?

 

[YT-CTECH]

This desktop will be for a student - research online, Microsoft WORD (no gaming). Also, Netflix and apps for e-books.
Was wondering if I should upgrade to the i7? And whether I need different specs. Also, the graphics card is a NVIDIA GTX 1050 ti
Thanks.

for simple computing, you could use a 6th gen i5, but for 60fps gaming on mid settings the 8400 should achieve! it has aboost clock speed of 4ghz on all six cores!! itll be perfect for any use that's not too demanding!! thanks

 

[TheSwann]

for simple computing, you could use a 6th gen i5, but for 60fps gaming on mid settings the 8400 should achieve! it has aboost clock speed of 4ghz on all six cores!! itll be perfect for any use that's not too demanding!! thanks

Thanks. And no gaming, so it seems this system is fine.

 

[YT-CTECH]

Thanks. And no gaming, so it seems this system is fine.

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-8400-vs-Group-/3939vs10

 

[TheSwann]

If your monitor is 60 Hz, the Ryzen 5's might be a better option since you are also looking for future-proofing. Wait for Ryzen 3000, it's offerings are too good to not wait for.

Edit: saw the recent reply, the i5 8400 is just as good an option if all you want to do is write essays. Why are you buying a powerful GPU then?

I was told that since I wanted to add PhotoShop in the future (for coursework) I may need higher specs.

 

[YT-CTECH]

I was told that since I wanted to add PhotoShop in the future (for coursework) I may need higher specs.

i would get ryzen 5 2600 like @Shektron said and also an rx580 because they are the best gpu on a budget atm, in my opinion!! +4gb more vram...