In another episode of “Let's install a chatbot in the refrigerator”, the folks at Newegg, one of the most important hardware distributors on the Web, decided to hop on the artificial intelligence bandwagon with an updated version of their Custom PC Builder. Newegg warns that the system is in beta, but the idea is for users to take advantage of the new algorithm to use natural language and better explain their technical needs. The question is, how well does it work…?
Many users on the Web have asked ChatGPT to configure a gaming computer within a specific budget… but they're wasting their time. Its training material is still limited to 2021, and all the reference prices it accesses are outdated. Now, that doesn't mean the suggested configurations don't work, but the potential buyer can get more for less if they ignore the chatbot.
Still, nobody wants to miss out on the “me too” trend, which brings us to the Newegg portal, where the company introduced its new AI-powered Custom PC Builder. It's not the first time Newegg offers these automatic tools, but the “Build with AI” icon definitely has our attention.
Newegg wants to build your next PC with AI
The first step is to enter the US Newegg portal, which is as simple as clicking the Change Country option and choosing United States. And the second step is… laugh out loud, because the algorithm's recommendations are ridiculous. My first search was for a system capable of running No Man's Sky at 60 FPS in 1080p, with 16 GB of RAM and in MicroATX format. Suffice it to say that one of its configurations recommends cooling an Intel Core i7-13700K with a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (a $55 cooler for a $420 processor), adding a monitor I didn't ask for, and installing 32 GB of DDR5 RAM on a motherboard that only supports DDR4.
After that I asked for a $700 computer with NVMe storage, and all its suggestions were well above that budget. Finally, I decided to use the presets recommended by Newegg, selecting an Intel Core i5 and a GeForce RTX 3060. In this case, the results were a bit more 'reasonable', but it still presents strange options, among which four 8 GB DDR4 RAM Corsair modules stand out, when two 16 GB modules are cheaper.
In summary, the problem with Newegg's Custom PC Builder is that we're dealing with an algorithm with very well-defined commercial interests and goals. Most likely, the system will offer the components the company needs to 'move', and in the end they are not entirely optimal for the user. Its beta status requires us to be a bit patient, but it needs to improve… and a lot.
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