Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Qwen3 32B
Neither has a clear lead on the index. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is the smaller download at 4.9 GB, so it runs on cheaper hardware.
| Llama 3.1 8B Instruct | Qwen3 32B | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence index | 7 | 7 |
| Class | Below every hosted tier | Below every hosted tier |
| Weights | 4.9 GB | 20 GB |
| Quantisation | Q4_K_M | Q4_K_M |
| Parameters | 8B | 32.8B |
| Max context | 128k | 40k |
| API price per 1M | $0.02 in / $0.04 out | $0.08 in / $0.28 out |
| Licence | Llama 3.1 Community License | Apache 2.0 |
| Cheapest machine that runs it | Mac mini M6, 16GB $899 | Strix Halo Framework Desktop, 64GB $1,959 |
| Summarising | good | good |
| Translation | usable | good |
| Everyday coding | usable | good |
| Reasoning & maths | don’t | usable |
| Agentic work | don’t | usable |
Ratings are coarse on purpose. Speeds and pay-back depend on the machine — open either model's page for the full list, or see both against the frontier. Context is 32k throughout.