GPT-6 Sol (Non-reasoning) vs Granite 4.2 3B
Which is better for the money: GPT-6 Sol (Non-reasoning) by OpenAI or Granite 4.2 3B by IBM? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-24.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GPT-6 Sol (Non-reasoning) scores 19.4 points higher (28.5 vs 9.1) but costs 30× as much to run the benchmark ($449 vs $14.9; mid-range vs budget cost classes). They are not alternatives at one budget: pick GPT-6 Sol (Non-reasoning) when you need intelligence above 9.1, and Granite 4.2 3B when 9.1 is enough.
| Metric | GPT-6 Sol (Non-reasoning) | Granite 4.2 3B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 28.5 | 9.1 | −68.1% Granite 4.2 3B is 68.1% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $449.37 | $14.91 | −96.7% Granite 4.2 3B is 96.7% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 6.01s | 35.30s | +487.4% Granite 4.2 3B is 487.4% slower |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $2.00 / $10.0 | $0.03 / $0.12 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text |
Granite 4.2 3B vs GPT-6 Sol (Non-reasoning): 68.1% less intelligence, 96.7% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 487.4% slower end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GPT-6 Sol (Non-reasoning) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium) scores 47.80 for $361.
- Granite 4.2 3B is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6 Luna (Low) scores 21.50 for $10.6.
GPT-6 Sol (Non-reasoning)Granite 4.2 3BToday's Pareto frontierOpen-weights frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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