• Updated 1 Nov, 11:50 UTC
  • Next run 2 Nov, 05:17 UTCNext 2 Nov 05:17
  • Last 7 days: 4 new models · 99 runs7 d: 4 models · 99 runs
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Step 5 Preview vs MiniMax M3

6 prompts both ran·Specs and numbers·Change models

Step 5 Preview took 10 min 44 s and $0.33 at list price, MiniMax M3 took 33 min 3 s and $0.21 at list price. MiniMax M3 took 3.1× as long, and Step 5 Preview cost 1.6× as much.

Step 5 Preview

StepFun · $2.70/M out · 155 HN pts

MiniMax M3

MiniMax · $1.20/M out · 144 HN pts

Pelican

Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle

Step 5 Preview's SVG for the "Pelican riding a bicycle" prompt

Step 5 Preview

32 s$0.0196.9k tokensAPI
MiniMax M3's SVG for the "Pelican riding a bicycle" prompt

MiniMax M3

2 min 27 s$0.02218k tokensAPI

Watch

Draw a mechanical wristwatch that shows the current local time, with a sweeping seconds hand and a date window. Make it look expensive.

Still of Step 5 Preview's page for the "Wristwatch that shows the current time" prompt

Step 5 Preview

22 s$0.0134.9k tokensAPI
Still of MiniMax M3's page for the "Wristwatch that shows the current time" prompt

MiniMax M3

10 min 32 s$0.05949k tokensAPI

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.

Still of Step 5 Preview's page for the "Landing page for a cargo bike workshop" prompt

Step 5 Preview

4 min 7 s$0.1453k tokensAPI
Still of MiniMax M3's page for the "Landing page for a cargo bike workshop" prompt

MiniMax M3

2 min 46 s$0.02622k tokensAPI

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.

Still of Step 5 Preview's page for the "Playable Breakout" prompt

Step 5 Preview

1 min 55 s$0.06825k tokensAPI
Still of MiniMax M3's page for the "Playable Breakout" prompt

MiniMax M3

12 min 54 s$0.06856k tokensAPI

Design a logo for Night Heron, an independent bookshop that only opens after dark.

Step 5 Preview's SVG for the "Bookshop logo" prompt

Step 5 Preview

3 min 41 s$0.08431k tokensAPI
MiniMax M3's SVG for the "Bookshop logo" prompt

MiniMax M3

4 min 15 s$0.03529k tokensAPI

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 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.

Step 5 Preview

7 s$0.003919 tokensAPI

Patchbay began in a cluttered apartment in Rotterdam, where three friends spent weekends coaxing old synthesizers back to life. What started as a shared obsession quickly outgrew the living room. In 2016, we opened our first proper workshop in a converted warehouse on the south side of the city, and we have been soldering, calibrating, and listening closely ever since.

We are a small team of three. Niels handles the analog work, coaxing warm tones from aging oscillators and reluctant filters. Marijn focuses on digital systems and the occasional stubborn MIDI quirk. Sanna manages restorations, sourcing rare components and keeping long projects on track. Between us, we have decades of experience with the machines that shaped electronic music.

Every synth that passes through our doors carries decades of sound inside it. Our job is to make sure that story continues.

MiniMax M3

9 s$0.0011.1k tokensAPI

Specs and numbers

Step 5 PreviewMiniMax M3
MakerStepFunMiniMax
Made inChinaChina
Released8 Oct 202631 May 2026
Price in, per M tokens$1.00$0.30
Price out, per M tokens$2.70$1.20
Context1,048,576 tokens1,048,576 tokens
Weightsopenopen
Hacker News points155144
Time for the six prompts10 min 44 s33 min 3 s
List price of the six prompts$0.33$0.21

MiniMax M3 was cheaper: $0.12 less at list price, and less on 4 of the 6 prompts. Step 5 Preview was faster: 22 min 19 s less in total, and faster on 5 of the 6 prompts.

In the recording, both Breakout games play.

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