MSI built a PC-building chatbot that doesn't really understand PC building

Daniel Sims

Daniel Sims

Posts: 2,478   +75
Staff
Facepalm: Building a PC can be overwhelming for beginners, so it's understandable why a hardware company would develop a chatbot to assist shoppers with component selection. However, MSI's attempt struggles to account for the complexities involved and lacks sufficient information to provide the best advice.

MSI recently released EZ PC Builder, a generative AI chatbot that guides users who are building custom PCs. Early tests show that while the assistant can offer basic advice, it can fall short when discussing the finer details of PC components.

For example, EZ PC Builder cannot access up-to-date pricing information, limiting its ability to help shoppers budget their custom builds. Although it has a limited understanding that some parts are cheaper than others, PC Gamer and Tom's Hardware were disappointed by its budget component suggestions.

For example, the assistant recommended the $460 AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D for a cheap setup. Although it is the best gaming CPU currently available, TechSpot's human-authored CPU guide lists more suitable budget recommendations, such as the Ryzen 5 7700.

When PC Gamer asked the EZ PC Builder to try again, its reaction resembled a ChatGPT response whenever a user corrects it. However, it did list a more reasonable Ryzen 7 7500F combined with an Nvidia RTX 5060. Unfortunately, when Tom's Hardware asked the chatbot to assemble a PC for under $1,000, it recommended, yet again, the 9800X3D with an RTX 5060 Ti, eventually exceeding $1,700.

Another issue is that, despite being advertised to beginners, the assistant assumes that users at least have a basic understanding of components. For example, it usually starts the process by asking whether customers want an AMD or Intel CPU without explaining the difference.

When prodded further, the chatbot warns that it cannot provide in-depth information about CPUs, but it states that AMD processors tend to have superior multi-core performance. To its credit, the EZ PC Builder can also describe CPU sockets and list their compatible processors and motherboards, so it should help users ensure their chosen parts are compatible.

Still, the chatbot's most significant shortcoming might be that it only suggests MSI parts. While the behavior is unsurprising for an AI assistant developed by a single manufacturer, human experts, including this writer, would recommend shopping around for the best deals from different stores and manufacturers.

For beginners seeking advice, TechSpot provides numerous, periodically updated buying guides for various components and budget levels. Benchmarks also offer a snapshot of how well specific parts handle different games at various resolutions. PCPartPicker is also helpful for comparing store prices and ensuring compatibility between components.

Permalink to story:

MSI built a PC-building chatbot that doesn't really understand PC building

 
MSI didn't put any effort into it, or their focus on listing only their parts causes significant general model performance issues.

Without any training, and without Web Search enabled, Anthropic Claude Haiku 4.5 (and I choose their smallest model intentionally), was able to pull off this request:
"Please assemble a gaming PC for less than $1000 using new parts with a focus on 1440p gaming."
(Admittedly I had to put the "using new parts with a focus on 1440p gaming" for a second try because in my first try it asked me questions instead, which is because I have user preferences telling it to ask me questions, but that's a minor detail.)

With the response pasted below. In case you don't want to read it, it came very close. I don't expect it to be that accurate without web search and Anthropic hasn't updated the knowledge cutoff past January 2025 yet (so it doesn't know about the RTX 5000 series), but even so, it wasn't far off the mark. So yeah, again, the point I'm making is MSI didn't put much effort into it.

Response:
I'll put together a solid 1440p gaming build for you under $1000. This is a tight budget but definitely doable with strategic choices.
Recommended $999 Gaming PC Build (1440p)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (~$220)
Excellent 6-core/12-thread processor that handles 1440p gaming well without bottlenecking a mid-range GPU. Great value at this price point.
GPU: RTX 4070 Super (~$580)
This is the heart of the build. The 4070 Super will comfortably handle 1440p gaming at high settings in most titles, hitting 60+ fps in demanding games. It's the sweet spot for this resolution and budget.
Motherboard: MSI B650-E Gaming WiFi (~$130)
Good B650 board with WiFi, PCIe 5.0 support, and solid VRM for this CPU. Leaves room for upgrades later.
RAM: 32GB DDR5 (2x16GB) (~$80)
I'd actually recommend splurging slightly on 32GB DDR5 here since prices have come down. Better for future-proofing and some modern games benefit from it. If you need to cut costs, 16GB would save ~$40.
Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD (~$70)
Fast PCIe 4.0 drive for OS and main games. You could add a second drive later if needed.
Power Supply: 700W Gold (~$70)
Seasonic or similar brand. 700W gives you headroom and efficiency.
Case: NZXT H510 Flow or equivalent (~$65)
Solid budget case with decent airflow and cable management.
CPU Cooler: Stock Wraith Stealth or Arctic Freezer 34 (~$0-30)
Stock cooler works fine, or a budget air cooler for better temperatures.
Total: ~$1,215
I'm slightly over budget with this ideal config. To hit exactly $1000, you could:

Drop to RTX 4070 instead of 4070 Super (~$500) - still great for 1440p
Go with Ryzen 5 5600X (~$150) - older but very capable, saves $70
Reduce to 16GB DDR5 instead of 32GB - saves $40

This should give you excellent 1440p gaming performance. A few notes:

Display not included – You'll need a 1440p monitor. Budget $200-350 for a solid 144Hz option.
Monitor is crucial – Make sure you have one before buying the PC.
Prices fluctuate – These are approximate based on early 2025 pricing; current prices may vary by $50-100.

Would you like me to adjust the build in any direction? I can also dial it down further if you want to stay well under $1000, or shift toward specific games you want to play.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mattcal 44, godrilla, Allen3D and 1 other person
Some human advice, just avoid MSI.
On top of that I'll add that they handle warranty cases pretty poorly (they send me a different defective graphics card back when I sent mine. Not once but thrice!
Claimed they couldn't replicate an issue with my laptop despite me providing very clearly instructions and send it back still causing issues.

Perhaps it's better elsewhere but in Europe it's trash (and from what I understand the warranty and repair cases for all of Europe are handled in the same place).

Can't really recommend a better alternative for motherboards though as all big motherboard manufacturers have done some crappy things. Although Asus and MSI might share first place not to mention both their softwares are terribly bloated and barely functional.
Rooting for Sapphire to grow in that market.
 
Axeia said:
Some human advice, just avoid MSI.
On top of that I'll add that they handle warranty cases pretty poorly (they send me a different defective graphics card back when I sent mine. Not once but thrice!
Claimed they couldn't replicate an issue with my laptop despite me providing very clearly instructions and send it back still causing issues.

Perhaps it's better elsewhere but in Europe it's trash (and from what I understand the warranty and repair cases for all of Europe are handled in the same place).

Can't really recommend a better alternative for motherboards though as all big motherboard manufacturers have done some crappy things. Although Asus and MSI might share first place not to mention both their softwares are terribly bloated and barely functional.
Rooting for Sapphire to grow in that market.
Click to expand...
I used to swear by MSI motherboards and Asus graphics cards. Frankly, I'm basically all in on Asrock unless someone I'm doing a build for wants a specific part for a specific reason. They are typically the cheapest, I have never had a warranty issue with them and I have yet to have a part fail. I would just get a DOA part, return it and get a new one. The funny thing is, they would sometimes replace a DOA part with a slightly better part. Most recently I had a DOA B570 and they replaced it with a B580. I know that isn't a super big difference, but small things like that are reasons I still do business with them
 
  • Like
Reactions: Allen3D
yRaz said:
I used to swear by MSI motherboards and Asus graphics cards. Frankly, I'm basically all in on Asrock unless someone I'm doing a build for wants a specific part for a specific reason. They are typically the cheapest, I have never had a warranty issue with them and I have yet to have a part fail. I would just get a DOA part, return it and get a new one. The funny thing is, they would sometimes replace a DOA part with a slightly better part. Most recently I had a DOA B570 and they replaced it with a B580. I know that isn't a super big difference, but small things like that are reasons I still do business with them
Click to expand...
My last two MOBOs were Asrock, Z97Pro4 and now Z390 Extreme4, and They served Me great. But after learning Asrock eats 9800x3Ds for breakfast, I'm confused what to choose next. Like, every major brand on the market had some f*ck up in the last few years. In that rate, I'm gonna stay on 9700K forever.
 
noel24 said:
My last two MOBOs were Asrock, Z97Pro4 and now Z390 Extreme4, and They served Me great. But after learning Asrock eats 9800x3Ds for breakfast, I'm confused what to choose next. Like, every major brand on the market had some f*ck up in the last few years. In that rate, I'm gonna stay on 9700K forever.
Click to expand...
Gamers nexus recently came out saying that they bought a bunch of Asrock boards and were unable to replicate the issue. It was their opinion that it either affected very few people or that the issue was corrected shortly after Asrock found the issue internally. On top of that, it was only the X3D series of CPUs that had the issue. So, again, it was their opinion that it was something wrong specifically wrong with the zen 5 X3D chips combined with Asrock Motherboards that created the issue and Asrock isn't, inherently, at fault. They also gave a disclaimer saying as far as they were aware at the time of writing, which was about 2 months ago. so, I don't know what to say other than don't buy an Asrock Motherboard if you plan on getting a zen 5 X3D chip
 
They also sent a bunch of 5090's to China while being out of stock in the US. Pretty sure that's big illegal.
 
Oh well, what else can you say but, (sigh). "these kidz today". They don't want to learn anything, do anything, or think about anything regarding building a PC. All they know is they want to game, and everybody else, should tell them them what to buy, and how to build it, in 15 pages or more. I consider a large majority of these noobs monumentally lazy and self entitled. My typing skill are so-so or less. So, all things considered, best to hand them off to an incompetent AI, than burn your precious time coddling them.

"A 'friend' in need, is a 'friend; indeed". Benjamin Franklin. (Not sure exactly meant by that, but I do know what I take it to mean).

The "fun" really starts when they ask 10 different people, with 10 different opinions, what they should buy, and start arguments between the "experts" trying to help them.

As for mobos, I always build with Gigabyte. Never had one fail, and I still have junk as old as Intel G-31 (2007) that boot and run just, "fine" relatively speaking. (That 32 bit junk is no match for today's web).

Assembling a PC is something akin to "building" a home theater system. Certain makers are known for a certain type of product they excel with. While I won't build with anything other than a Gigabyte board, I wouldn't touch one of their PSUs with a ten foot pole
 
toooooot said:
Great representation of making AI for the sake of making AI
Click to expand...
Really. It's sort of something akin to sh!tting your pants, just because you can.

Now, let's get down to business. In my, "well thought out, but very poorly trained opinion", your new PC build needs an MSI this, an MSI that, and an MSI other thing.

I've also had extensive mistraining in the musical arts, grifting, war tactics, and gynecology as well. Since we've gotten your gaming aspirations bigly squared away, I'm off to sell some NFTs of myself as Caligula, blow up a Venezuelan drug boat or three, then giving Ms. Nome her yearly. Just walk and grab em by the speculum, that's what I always do. meanwhile humming, "Hail to the Chief".

As for me personally, I'm hopelessly torn between feeling the need to apologize for posts like this, and deluding mtself into believing I should get a Nobel Prize for them. :rolleyes:
 
Axeia said:
Some human advice, just avoid MSI.
Click to expand...
I'd agree with that. I'm currently typing this on my laptop as my main PC's motherboard has screwed up again (guess the brand).

nnguy2 said:
I wonder how many humans got laid off after they launch this chatbot
Click to expand...
I think most folk either pick a part they particularly want then use something like PCpartPicker to pick the rest or they go to forums where kids tell people to buy whatever they have in their own PC and then there's always that guy that recommends an expensive 1000W PSU no matter how low powered the PC.

 
mbk34 said:
I think most folk either pick a part they particularly want then use something like PCpartPicker to pick the rest or they go to forums where kids tell people to buy whatever they have in their own PC and then there's always that guy that recommends an expensive 1000W PSU no matter how low powered the PC.
Click to expand...
That's the most rewarding thing about actually knowing it all, nobody can mount a sufficiently plausible challenge that would be effective enough to convince you otherwise.

I used to know it all, but it's lonely and very exhausting at the top. Time to allow some young blood to carry that mantle. I'll still object to certain devices and brands. Rosewill's entire line is particularly cringe worthy. Same with Thermaltake's "Smart" series of "white" mostly unknown efficiency percentage rated PSUs. I bought one, then couldn't bring myself to actually install it for any sort of long term, "power delivery solution". It does make a good, ostensibly sort of anxiety alleviating/but still strongly doubt provoking spare, that I hope I never have to actually use,

But seriously, I take leave to disagree with your PSU observation. if anybody's rig doesn't have a bonafide whole kilowatt PSU, it would leave them consumed with doubt, with a nagging inferiority complex, similar to what the average 13 year Jewish boy might feel if if the mohel lopped off an extra inch or two at their bris, Remember, if any single component isn't worth constantly bragging about, it simply isn't worth owning.
 
Last edited:
And the bubble grows some more. AI has its uses, but this smacks as just another BS example of AI being implemented for zero gain, at best.

I’ve been building PCs for years and tools like PCPartPicker are pretty rock solid in my experience. No AI needed (or wanted).

Using AI in this context doesn’t make things easier, it encourages mental laziness and undermines your skill set for near zero return.

Your own brain is a vastly superior computer to AI when you take the time to engage it. Using it—your brain—as a glorified spell-checker to an unreliable calculator is an irritatingly backward use of the tool set.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dr Roboto
The sad thing is this is not even a good use of AI. They could have easily built a simple software tool to do this that did not need AI. I mean, they are only using MSI products. Are you telling me that they don't even now how to rack and stack their own products and AMD/Intel processors? I mean this is just a straight forward comparison, and maybe at its most complex an optimization for cost (MSRP). So sad they felt the need to jump on the AI band wagon for this, maybe even more pathetic that it does not even work.

It could have been an interesting approach if they used the more traditional rack and stack optimization and then used AI to help describe and explain the components selections. That way you get the best of both worlds.
 
hahahanoobs said:
So it's basically useless. They should pull it.
Click to expand...
I would not say useless, I'd call it an 'Alpha build'.

As one might notice with most all software, they are really Beta releases--and we all are their Free Beta Testers! Well, after we pay for their Beta software. Windows is obviously the best example of this.
<The only finished software is when it reaches EOL>
 
hahahanoobs said:
So it's basically useless. They should pull it.
Click to expand...
Useless for what? Useless to who? It's the perfect marketing tool to use on, shall we say, "the uninitiated" **.
It's the proverbial "Pied Piper", for the unwashed masses, who don't want to think, or learn anything about the PC. All they know is, "I wanna game NOW", (Because I'm sick of this X Box or Play Station.)

Seriously, what's better for marketing, than piggybacking the current AI craze, to deliver the, "immediate infantile gratification", these noobs can't seem to live without.

** I used "uninitiated", as I'm trying to dial back my use of stronger pejoratives.

And BTW, everybody missed some of my bast political satire at post #17.
 
Last edited:
Axeia said:
Some human advice, just avoid MSI.
On top of that I'll add that they handle warranty cases pretty poorly (they send me a different defective graphics card back when I sent mine. Not once but thrice!
Claimed they couldn't replicate an issue with my laptop despite me providing very clearly instructions and send it back still causing issues.

Perhaps it's better elsewhere but in Europe it's trash (and from what I understand the warranty and repair cases for all of Europe are handled in the same place).

Can't really recommend a better alternative for motherboards though as all big motherboard manufacturers have done some crappy things. Although Asus and MSI might share first place not to mention both their softwares are terribly bloated and barely functional.
Rooting for Sapphire to grow in that market.
Click to expand...
Funny enough, the 5600X and the 4070 Super with 32Gb of ram if my exact PC.
However, where the answer did go wrong is that you can't use DDR5 with a 5600X because it's AM4.
But I have to agree with the sweet spot for 1440p.
My 4070 Super, even powered with a non x3d chip, gets amazing 1440p results that barely ever drop below 144hz.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Daniel Sims
Hackers tricked Meta's AI chatbot into handing over Instagram accounts, including Obama's
Replies
2
Views
28
p51d007
p51d007
Daniel Sims
Microsoft's next Xbox could get Asus and MSI variants, leaker claims
Replies
7
Views
107
havok585
havok585
Daniel Sims
Tim Cook confirms Apple price hikes are coming, iPhones could jump $200 or more
Replies
14
Views
85
LordVile95
L

Latest posts

Back