MiniMax M3.1 Flash vs Step 5 Preview
MiniMax M3.1 Flash took 23 min 37 s and $0.095 at list price, Step 5 Preview took 10 min 44 s and $0.33 at list price. MiniMax M3.1 Flash took 2.2× as long, and Step 5 Preview cost 3.5× as much.
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
MiniMax · $0.60/M out · 550 HN pts
Step 5 Preview
StepFun · $2.70/M out · 155 HN pts
Pelican
Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle
Watch
Draw a mechanical wristwatch that shows the current local time, with a sweeping seconds hand and a date window. Make it look expensive.
Landing
Build the landing page for Lumen Cycles, a Copenhagen workshop that builds custom cargo bikes to order. Make it look like a real brand you would trust with 4,000 euros.
Breakout
Make a Breakout game I can play right now with the keyboard or the mouse. Give it several levels, a score and some juice.
Logo
Design a logo for Night Heron, an independent bookshop that only opens after dark.
About
Write the opening of the About us page for Patchbay, a three-person studio in Rotterdam that repairs vintage synthesizers. About 150 words.
Patchbay is a three-person studio in Rotterdam dedicated to bringing vintage synthesizers back to life. We repair analog and digital instruments that shaped the sound of music, from classic drum machines and polyphonic synths to quirky, characterful machines that rarely leave a musician’s side. Our work combines technical knowledge with respect for each instrument’s history, because a synth is more than a circuit board: it carries the decisions, compromises, and personality of its original design.
We diagnose faults, restore unreliable voices, and carefully service aging components without erasing the character that made an instrument worth keeping. Whether a machine has been silent for years or simply needs a thoughtful tune-up, we treat every repair as a careful act of restoration.
Based in Rotterdam, Patchbay works with musicians, studios, collectors, and anyone who believes electronic instruments deserve another chapter. We restore them to sound as they should, preserving the details that make each one unique.
Patchbay is a three-person workshop based in Rotterdam, dedicated to keeping vintage synthesizers alive and playable. We are technicians, musicians, and obsessive tinkerers who believe that classic analog instruments deserve better than silence. From temperamental Jupiter-8s to worn-out ARP Odysseys, we restore, repair, and maintain the machines that shaped the sound of modern music. Every repair starts with listening—both to the instrument and to the person who plays it. Whether you are chasing a rare fault, need a full calibration, or simply want your old synth to feel new again, our bench is open. We understand that no two synthesizers arrive with the same story, and we treat each circuit, slider, and key with the care its history deserves. At Patchbay, we are here to make sure the sounds of tomorrow are built on those that came before.
Specs and numbers
| MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Step 5 Preview | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | MiniMax | StepFun |
| Made in | China | China |
| Released | 19 Oct 2026 | 8 Oct 2026 |
| Price in, per M tokens | $0.15 | $1.00 |
| Price out, per M tokens | $0.60 | $2.70 |
| Context | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Weights | open | open |
| Hacker News points | 550 | 155 |
| Time for the six prompts | 23 min 37 s | 10 min 44 s |
| List price of the six prompts | $0.095 | $0.33 |
MiniMax M3.1 Flash was cheaper: $0.23 less at list price, and less on 5 of the 6 prompts. Step 5 Preview was faster: 12 min 53 s less in total, and faster on 5 of the 6 prompts.
In the recording, both Breakout games play.
Rebuild this screen experiment: MiniMax M3.1 Flash's rebuild matched the screenshot at 78%; Step 5 Preview was not in it. Tea Garden experiment: MiniMax M3.1 Flash's game passed 5 of 5 checks; Step 5 Preview was not in it.