Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, GPT-5 mini delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,410 vs 1,370), while Llama 3.1 405B leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (58.4%), while GPT-5 mini is more budget-friendly at $2/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
9 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Cost-efficient GPT-5 distill for high-volume agents.
Meta flagship open-weight 405B dense foundation model with 128k context window.
Currently comparing GPT-5 mini vs Llama 3.1 405B. Alternative family tiers available.
Δ 40 Arena Elo pts
155 tok/s
$2 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | GPT-5 mini | Llama 3.1 405B | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +40 | ||
| Coding Elo | +10 | ||
| LiveBench | — | ||
| SWE-bench | +6% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +3.2% | ||
| Time to first token | +220 ms | ||
| Output speed | 155 tok/s | 42 tok/s | +113 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.25/1M | $1.25/1M | +$1/1M |
| Output price | $3.5/1M | +$1.5/1M | |
| Context window | +272k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
GPT-5 mini is estimated to save $57.50/month ($690/year).
Higher SWE-bench (58.4%).
Lower output list price ($2/1M).
Lower TTFT (140 ms).
Larger window (400k).
GPT-5 mini is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Llama 3.1 405B | Higher SWE-bench (58.4%). |
| High-volume chat | GPT-5 mini | Lower output list price ($2/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | GPT-5 mini | Lower TTFT (140 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | GPT-5 mini | Larger window (400k). |
| Screenshots / vision | GPT-5 mini | GPT-5 mini is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
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Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
