Let’s be honest, asking Reddit for PC building recommendations is an absolute nightmare, with all the savvy people just pushing to your face their preferences and their values. The irony is, none of these supposedly “technical advice” provides any input at all to your non-savvy brain, and it all just melts in a hotpot of alphanumeric mumbo jumbo.
Thankfully, we have this wonderful new AI tool called Large Language Models (LLMs). If human advice is confusing, why not ask the latest generative AI of this fair year of 2025? Surely they are now advanced enough to provide true, practical knowledge, yes?
Well, it did technically pass our tests, or at least responded better compared to the memeable yesteryears. But probably still missing a few key details overall.
AI Recommends in Typical Style, But With Good Reasoning
The premise was simple: use two budget targets, and provide a bit more context to those targets. The generative AI we used was the free version of Claude 4.0 Sonnet, but with its Web Search option disabled… We settled on $1500 “gamer” build and a more casual $800 “college” build. Here are the results:
(NOTE: You can try prompting these questions yourselves, maybe on other LLMs, and see if the results will be different!)
Prompt 1: “Hey, I’m looking to build a gaming PC and I’m kinda lost. I want to play games at 1440p and have around $1500 to spend. I really hate loud computers, though – my current one sounds like a jet engine. Any suggestions?”
Prompt 1 Answer: After listing the recommended parts, it then addressed the priorities given by the additional context: quiet operation and 1440p gaming, and provided brief reasons for them. Ultimately, it settled on an AMD Ryzen 5 7600X for the CPU, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, specifically noting that “the 4070 will give you better performance headroom for demanding games.” For specific GPU SKU suggestions, it seemed to have defaulted to the ASUS TUF series for “excellent cooling and runs quieter than reference designs.” Technically true, though kind of too mainstream for our taste.
When asked for specifics, the AI showcases the RTX 4070 for $570, Ryzen 5 7600X for $230, and crucially, a Be Quiet! Dark Rock 4 cooler for $75. Take note that there was no cross-referencing of actual current/updated prices just yet at this point in the simulation. The main philosophy of its build? Balanced cooling at low fan speeds rather than small fans spinning fast (and presumably making lots more noise)
Prompt 2: “I’m a college student wanting to build my first PC. Mainly play Valorant with friends and need it for schoolwork too. Budget is pretty tight – maybe $800? I have no idea where to start.”
Prompt 2 Answer: The AI seemed to lock on immediately to the query of value and future-proofing, recommending the combo of AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 for around $130 and $270 respectively. It even noted that the GPU is overkill for Valorant, which runs on a potato PC, but having the headroom means consistently smooth performance, plus the opening to play other games you might want to pick up later. It then proceeded to offer money-saving tips, and suggested local Micro Center deals. Current pricing shows the RTX 4060 at $351, making the budget math tighter than the AI projected.
Besides the Claude 4.0 Sonnet, we had some fun with Candy AI platform, which is an NSFW AI chatbot companionship service, so we didn’t go too deep with the specifics, thinking that it couldn’t handle it. Funnily enough, it could. When we dough deeper, it actually had concrete suggestions, so yeah, that turned out to be a solid alternative, which also flirts with you.
Detailed But Confusing, or Simple but No Alternatives?
When cross-referenced against current Reddit threads, we once again see the myriad of different options provided at different budget points. This is definitely confusing for the casual buyer, as we hinted earlier. That being said, we still believe that it is a necessary step in building your own PC. The key phrase here is “building your own,” because generally, if you are a non-savvy user and do not want to deal with the sheer number of options, you will always be directed to just buy a prebuilt.
Besides, on average, the AI was actually very close. If we distill these threads into just a couple of ultimate options, we get either the Intel Core i5-12400F or AMD Ryzen 5 5600 for the budget-but-still-modern-performing CPU option. Then, we have the AMD Radeon RX 6600, RX 6650 XT, and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 12GB for the same tier, all of which are almost indistinguishable from the RTX 4060 unless you are a stickler for minute benchmark differences. The RTX 3060 12GB might have better VRAM. But for a straightforward choice, the RTX 4060 is ultimately not too bad.
The peripheral recommendations were not bad as well. The AI remembered the hate around loud computers and consistently prioritized that throughout our discussion. It didn’t get sidetracked by RGB debates or brand wars (though it may have its own “mainstream” bias). Most importantly, it never made the user feel stupid for not knowing what “VRM thermals” meant.
The AI explained every choice and adapted to whatever terminology was used. No waiting for replies, no deciphering conflicting opinions from different users with different priorities. Maybe a bit too straightforward with zero alternatives, but perhaps that is the better option instead of dealing with alphanumeric mumbo jumbo if you are distinctly unfamiliar with PC part names.
Both, Both Options Are Good.
Or, you can do little bro’s option, which is to strike a middle ground.
When your brand-new build mysteriously won’t POST, or when you need to troubleshoot some bizarre compatibility issue between your RGB software and your motherboard’s BIOS, asking Reddit is still numero uno. Sophisticated build guidance with structured price tiers and detailed reasoning is definitely its own advantage. Even better, since Reddit users would often have the most up-to-date pricing information and can warn you about availability issues, discount promos, and inventory trends that AI might miss.
But for people who just need an answer right away? Or those that want a baseline template before asking the crowd? Consulting your nearest friendly neighborhood generative AI might provide the fastest intellectual relief.
Reddit will always excel for enthusiasts, troubleshooters, and those who want to understand the deeper why behind every component choice. But for newcomers who just want to start building without the learning curve, you now have the preliminary choice of talking to any major LLM first, before deciding to dive into community forums.
