Ternary Bonsai 2 9B vs Mistral Large 4
Ternary Bonsai 2 9B took 7 min 4 s and $0.004 at list price, Mistral Large 4 took 51 min 22 s and $0.61 at list price. Mistral Large 4 took 7.3× as long and cost 136× as much.
Ternary Bonsai 2 9B
PrismML · $0.13/M out
Mistral Large 4
Mistral · $2.10/M out · 4,689 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.
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 sits in a former warehouse on Rotterdam's northern edge, where the Maas meets the industrial harbour. Three of us work here—no more, no less—surrounded by oscilloscopes, desoldering stations, and the persistent hum of transformers. We repair vintage synthesizers. That is the whole business.
We are not a museum, and we are not a factory. Every Minimoog, ARP 2600, or Juno that crosses our bench receives the same stubborn attention: traced schematics, replaced capacitors, calibrated voltages, hours spent listening for the note that was never quite right. The machines arrive broken, silent, forgotten. They leave singing.
Rotterdam built its reputation on moving heavy things and keeping them moving. We apply the same pragmatism to circuits that predate us by forty years. If it made sound once, it can make sound again. That is the promise we keep, solder joint by solder joint.
Specs and numbers
| Ternary Bonsai 2 9B | Mistral Large 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | PrismML | Mistral |
| Made in | US | France |
| Released | 16 Oct 2026 | 6 Oct 2026 |
| Price in, per M tokens | $0.08 | $0.70 |
| Price out, per M tokens | $0.13 | $2.10 |
| Context | 262,144 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Weights | open | open |
| Hacker News points | — | 4,689 |
| Time for the six prompts | 7 min 4 s | 51 min 22 s |
| List price of the six prompts | $0.004 | $0.61 |
Ternary Bonsai 2 9B was cheaper: $0.61 less at list price, and less on each of the 6 prompts. Ternary Bonsai 2 9B was faster: 44 min 18 s less in total, and faster on 4 of the 6 prompts.
In the recording, Ternary Bonsai 2 9B's Breakout game stopped painting; Mistral Large 4's plays.
Rebuild this screen experiment: Mistral Large 4's rebuild matched the screenshot at 46%; Ternary Bonsai 2 9B was not in it. Tea Garden experiment: Mistral Large 4's game passed 2 of 5 checks; Ternary Bonsai 2 9B was not in it.