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.

 

[kappamaster]

Also, the graphics card is a NVIDIA GTX 1050 ti.

I think you should buy the new gtx cards. I highly recommend it, 1660 ti is extremely good, 1050 ti is not the best option to go for in 2019. Or if your budget allows it, then go for the rtx ones.

 

[TheSwann]

We use i5-8400 CPUs in almost all of our newer computers for photo and video editing as well as customer service. They've all been able to handle everything we throw at them with no problems whatsoever, from heavy processing of HD video or CAD modeling (with appropriate GPU of course) to having about 50 different browser tabs open at once. It's a great CPU, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's still decently fast 5 or even 10 years from now.

Thanks for that information! Good to know you have experience with an i5 8400.
What types of monitors do you use? I think I should stay in the FHD range. These were recommended:

1. ASUS VA249HE 23.8” Full HD 1080p HDMI VGA
2. ASUS VC239H Ultra-low Blue Light Monitor - 23" FHD (1920x1080), IPS

Thoughts on whether you think these are decent monitors for this system?

 

[TheSwann]

I think you should buy the new gtx cards. I highly recommend it, 1660 ti is extremely good, 1050 ti is not the best option to go for in 2019. Or if your budget allows it, then go for the rtx ones.

This is a non-gaming pc so even though I could upgrade, I now think based on advice I've been given & research online, I'll be fine with the 1050 ti. Is there any other reason you think 1050 ti isn't that good?

 

[VIVO-US]

Thanks for that information! Good to know you have experience with an i5 8400.
What types of monitors do you use? I think I should stay in the FHD range. These were recommended:

1. ASUS VA249HE 23.8” Full HD 1080p HDMI VGA
2. ASUS VC239H Ultra-low Blue Light Monitor - 23" FHD (1920x1080), IPS

Thoughts on whether you think these are decent monitors for this system?

Those monitors will be just fine. Based on user feedback, the VC239H needs color adjustment out of the box to look natural, so the VA249HE may be the better option of the two.
Many of our employees use Asus 1080p monitors in dual or triple arrangements. Some older models like the VS248H-P have given us problems with HDMI (so we use HDMI to DVI adapters - problem solved!), but for the newer ones, I'm sure they've worked out those issues by now.

Regarding your graphics card, for a non-gaming PC, a GTX 1050 Ti is more than enough. That's the same card our main video editing guy uses, and it's done a great job. I've been using a 750 Ti with triple monitors here at work for the past few years (doing some occasional photo and video editing), and it's never given me even the faintest glitch or performance issue. The only reason to upgrade the card would be if you're going to be gaming (I assume those recommending upgrades haven't read your original post and believe you're putting together a gaming PC). If you're not installing the latest high graphics games, then a high end card is a waste of money.

 

[cryoburner]

This is a non-gaming pc so even though I could upgrade, I now think based on advice I've been given & research online, I'll be fine with the 1050 ti. Is there any other reason you think 1050 ti isn't that good?

I agree that you likely won't need more than a 1050 Ti, and could probably get away with even lower-end graphics hardware if not gaming or performing other tasks that heavily utilize the graphics card.

It is worth noting that Nvidia Recently released the GTX 1650 though, which draws a similar amount of power as a 1050 Ti, while delivering more graphics performance, and generally the 1650 is available for about the same price, if not a bit less. While you probably don't "need" that extra graphics performance, if you can get a system with the faster 1650 without paying more, it would be worth considering. I'm not sure if GTX 1650s will be common in prebuilt systems quite yet though, since they just came out in recent weeks.

Said that 27" doesn't work well with FHD which I thought was weird but I've been doing research and I guess around 24" is still good.

What he means is that 1080p resolution can tend to look a bit less sharp on a larger screen like that, as the individual pixels that make up the image will be larger, and in turn more noticeable at a typical monitor viewing distance. At a screen size of around 27 inches or larger, a higher resolution would often be preferred. If you want a larger screen than 24 inches, 1440p (QHD) is another common resolution you might consider, which is in-between 1080p (FHD) and 2160p (4K).

Depending on how scaling is set up for an application, more resolution can result in text and images appearing sharper at a given size relative to your screen (since each character will contain more pixels), or text and other objects can appear smaller, but more can fit on the screen at once. Different applications may handle scaling a bit differently though.

 

[TheSwann]

Those monitors will be just fine. Based on user feedback, the VC239H needs color adjustment out of the box to look natural, so the VA249HE may be the better option of the two.
Many of our employees use Asus 1080p monitors in dual or triple arrangements. Some older models like the VS248H-P have given us problems with HDMI (so we use HDMI to DVI adapters - problem solved!), but for the newer ones, I'm sure they've worked out those issues by now.

Regarding your graphics card, for a non-gaming PC, a GTX 1050 Ti is more than enough. That's the same card our main video editing guy uses, and it's done a great job. I've been using a 750 Ti with triple monitors here at work for the past few years (doing some occasional photo and video editing), and it's never given me even the faintest glitch or performance issue. The only reason to upgrade the card would be if you're going to be gaming (I assume those recommending upgrades haven't read your original post and believe you're putting together a gaming PC). If you're not installing the latest high graphics games, then a high end card is a waste of money.

Great. I'll look at the VA249HE. I want a monitor that I can just plug in and not have to worry about fixing settings.
Yes, this is a non gaming pc. I would probably only look into upgrading a graphics card if the higher end option would last longer. Furthermore, if this system will last around the same as a higher end system (with specs I probably will not need), I'll stick with this option.
Thanks again for the advice!

 

[TheSwann]

I agree that you likely won't need more than a 1050 Ti, and could probably get away with even lower-end graphics hardware if not gaming or performing other tasks that heavily utilize the graphics card.

It is worth noting that Nvidia Recently released the GTX 1650 though, which draws a similar amount of power as a 1050 Ti, while delivering more graphics performance, and generally the 1650 is available for about the same price, if not a bit less. While you probably don't "need" that extra graphics performance, if you can get a system with the faster 1650 without paying more, it would be worth considering. I'm not sure if GTX 1650s will be common in prebuilt systems quite yet though, since they just came out in recent weeks.


What he means is that 1080p resolution can tend to look a bit less sharp on a larger screen like that, as the individual pixels that make up the image will be larger, and in turn more noticeable at a typical monitor viewing distance. At a screen size of around 27 inches or larger, a higher resolution would often be preferred. If you want a larger screen than 24 inches, 1440p (QHD) is another common resolution you might consider, which is in-between 1080p (FHD) and 2160p (4K).

Depending on how scaling is set up for an application, more resolution can result in text and images appearing sharper at a given size relative to your screen (since each character will contain more pixels), or text and other objects can appear smaller, but more can fit on the screen at once. Different applications may handle scaling a bit differently though.

Interesting tip about the GTX 1650. I will look into that (I'm guessing it won't be the same price as the 1050).
And thanks for the screen size explanations. Odd that he never mentioned the QHD for the 27". But I plan on going back to the store to look at the ASUS VA249HE again which is a FHD option that was recommended.

 

[captaincharisma]

no, the i5 8400 is a 6 core CPU. it is more than enough to handle photoshop

 

[TheSwann]

no, the i5 8400 is a 6 core CPU. it is more than enough to handle photoshop

That seems to be the consensus here. I got some advice in a store about Photoshop and 'hyperthreading' and that was one of the reasons why I was confused between an i5 & i7.

 

[NightAntilli]

For those types of work loads, Ryzen is really a much much better deal...

 

[TheSwann]

For those types of work loads, Ryzen is really a much much better deal...

Ryzen over intel? How so?

 

[NightAntilli]

Ryzen over intel? How so?

Well... But the i5 8400 is now ~$220, and is slower than the R5 2600X which now goes for ~$180. Use this as reference;

The difference in performance is meh. But the $40 you can save.... That only applies if you either can build it yourself, or have the store build it for you. If you want/need to go with OEMs like HP or Dell, well, you're not gonna be finding a 2600x but have to settle for a 2700X. The best thing you can do is compare the Intel system you want with the Ryzen one and see what suits your budget the best... Here's the Ryzen one;

https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/des...nspiron-5676-gaming-desktop/di5676_btsb_s941e

Remember that the 2700X is 8C/16T, while the i5 8400 is 'merely' 6C/6T.

 

[kerangovender]

It is good and even 8gb is ample for Windows 10 pro if you do gaming then I suggest that you spend some money any get more but that's enough