The system requirements are here: Finale Notation Software System Requirements – MakeMusic Help Center (zendesk.com) , but they don't specify a processor.

One problem with Intel's naming system is that "Core i5" doesn't tell the whole story - you need to know which "generation" of chip it is.  Newer generation i5's can outrun older i7's.

Here is my personal recommendation, which is a higher threshold than MakeMusic's, so take it with a grain of salt.

• A 10th or 11th generation i5 (roughly 2020 and 2021, respectively) should be fine. I wouldn't recommend buying a 9th or earlier generation chip at this point, but that's more about future compatibility than Finale's needs. For AMD,  a Ryzen 5 3rd generation or later would be roughly the same.
• A 500GB or larger SSD, not a hard drive
• At least 8GB of RAM - going to 16GB would be my first choice of what to upgrade.
• A 1080p or better display.

At the moment, there are a lot of machines that meet those specs in the $600-$750 range, depending on your choice of manufacturer and other features.

Thank you Thomas this is very helpful!