Ternary Bonsai 2 9B vs GLM 5.3
Ternary Bonsai 2 9B took 7 min 4 s and $0.004 at list price, GLM 5.3 took 22 min 22 s and $0.87 at list price. GLM 5.3 took 3.2× as long and cost 194× as much.
Ternary Bonsai 2 9B
PrismML · $0.13/M out
GLM 5.3
Z.ai · $3.60/M out · 3,306 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.
Blank first frame. Press Run.
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.
Welcome to Patchbay. A dedicated three-person studio in Rotterdam, where analog warmth meets modern precision. Our workshop is a sanctuary for vintage synthesizers, circuit boards, and forgotten sounds. We operate on the belief that vintage gear deserves respect and careful handling. Every unit we restore is given a new life, preserving its unique character while ensuring it functions reliably. We work meticulously on instruments that shaped electronic music history. This isn't just repair; it is resurrection. Our artisans take the time to solder every connection and clean every capacitor, understanding that imperfections hold stories worth keeping. We aim to keep the legacy of analog synthesis alive. Whether you need a fix or advice on your collection's condition, we support the analog revival. Trust in our expertise to get your dreams humming again. In a digital world, we choose to sound the truth. We believe in the tangible sound of history.
Patchbay is a three-person workshop in Rotterdam where vintage synthesizers come back to life. Whatever lands on our bench — a battered Minimoog, a Juno with dead keys, an ARP silent since the eighties — gets the same treatment: careful diagnosis, honest advice, and repairs done right.
We started Patchbay because we believe a good synthesizer shouldn't die of old age. These machines are more than circuits and sliders — they're the sound of records you grew up with, and the reason some of us got into music in the first place. Every one we fix goes back out into the world ready to make more.
Between us we handle everything from recapping and calibration to keybed work and the hunt for parts nobody has made in decades. It's slow, meticulous work, and we like it that way. If something in your collection hums, crackles, or refuses to turn on, bring it in — we'll see what we can do.
Specs and numbers
| Ternary Bonsai 2 9B | GLM 5.3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | PrismML | Z.ai |
| Made in | US | China |
| Released | 16 Oct 2026 | 18 Aug 2026 |
| Price in, per M tokens | $0.08 | $0.08 |
| Price out, per M tokens | $0.13 | $3.60 |
| Context | 262,144 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Weights | open | open |
| Hacker News points | — | 3,306 |
| Time for the six prompts | 7 min 4 s | 22 min 22 s |
| List price of the six prompts | $0.004 | $0.87 |
Ternary Bonsai 2 9B was cheaper: $0.87 less at list price, and less on each of the 6 prompts. Ternary Bonsai 2 9B was faster: 15 min 18 s less in total, and faster on 4 of the 6 prompts.
In the recording, both Breakout games stopped painting. GLM 5.3's Breakout game showed a blank first frame when the still was taken.
Tea Garden experiment: GLM 5.3's game passed 1 of 5 checks; Ternary Bonsai 2 9B was not in it.