Llama 3.1 405B VS Mixtral 8x22B v0.1
In the rapidly evolving landscape of Large Language Models (LLMs), selecting the right architecture for your enterprise or project often comes down to a battle of titans. This comprehensive analysis provides a head-to-head comparison between Meta-Llama-3.1-405B-Instruct-Turbo and Mixtral-8x22B-Instruct-v0.1.
While Meta's Llama 3.1 405B represents the pinnacle of dense scaling, Mixtral 8x22B utilizes a high-efficiency Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture. We evaluate these models based on technical specifications, standardized benchmarks, and real-world practical tests.
Core Technical Specifications
| Feature | Llama 3.1 405B | Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Parameter Count | 405B (Dense) | 141B (39B active per token) |
| Context Window | 128K Tokens | 65.4K Tokens |
| Knowledge Cutoff | December 2023 | September 2021 |
| Release Date | July 23, 2024 | April 17, 2024 |
| Generation Speed | 28.4 tokens/s | ~68.7 tokens/s |
💡 Key Insight: According to the Benchmarks and specs, Llama 3.1 is built for massive scale and depth, whereas Mixtral prioritizes inference speed and cost-efficiency via its MoE architecture.
Standardized Benchmarks
In rigorous testing, Llama 3.1 405B demonstrates the advantages of its massive parameter count, particularly in complex reasoning and mathematical evaluation.
Llama 3.1 405B Mastery
- MMLU: 88.6 (Expert Level)
- Human Eval: 89.0 (Superior Coding)
- GSM-8K: 96.8 (Near-perfect Logic)
Mixtral 8x22B Efficiency
- MMLU: 77.8 (Solid Generalist)
- Human Eval: 46.3 (Basic Scripting)
- GSM-8K: 83.7 (Strong Arithmetic)
Real-World Practical Testing
Scenario: One door to wisdom, one to doom, one to wandering. Ask one yes/no question to find wisdom.
Uses indirect logic successfully: "If I asked B if C leads to wisdom, would they say yes?"
Incorrectly attempts to involve all three guardians, violating the prompt constraints.
Result: Llama 3.1 405B delivered a fully functional game with working physics and scoring. Mixtral produced a "ghost game" where the ball failed to interact with the environment, demonstrating a significant gap in complex code synthesis.
Pricing & Cost Efficiency
Budget considerations are often the deciding factor for high-volume deployments. Below is the cost breakdown per 1,000 tokens:
| Model | Input (per 1k) | Output (per 1k) | Value Prop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Llama 3.1 405B | $0.0065 | $0.0065 | Premium Performance |
| Mixtral 8x22B | $0.00156 | $0.00156 | High-Speed Economy |
How to Compare via API
Integrate both models into your workflow using the following Python implementation:
import openai def main(): client = openai.OpenAI( api_key='', base_url="https://api.aimlapi.com", ) models = [ 'meta-llama/Meta-Llama-3.1-405B-Instruct-Turbo', 'mistralai/Mixtral-8x22B-Instruct-v0.1' ] for model in models: response = client.chat.completions.create( model=model, messages=[{'role': 'user', 'content': 'Explain quantum entanglement simply.'}] ) print(f"Model: {model}\nResponse: {response.choices[0].message.content}\n")
Conclusion: Which Model to Choose?
The choice between Llama 3.1 405B and Mixtral 8x22B depends entirely on your project's constraints:
- Choose Llama 3.1 405B if: You require state-of-the-art reasoning, complex mathematical solving, or high-fidelity code generation where accuracy is more critical than cost.
- Choose Mixtral 8x22B if: You are building high-throughput applications, such as real-time chatbots or summarization tools, where speed and low latency are the primary requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Is Llama 3.1 405B significantly smarter than Mixtral 8x22B?
Yes, in terms of complex reasoning and technical benchmarks like MMLU and MATH, Llama 3.1 405B performs substantially better due to its larger parameter scale.
2. Which model is better for high-traffic applications?
Mixtral 8x22B is the winner for high-traffic needs. It is approximately 2.4x faster in token generation and roughly 4x cheaper per 1,000 tokens.
3. Can I use both models for the same context length?
Not exactly. Llama 3.1 supports up to 128K tokens, making it ideal for large document analysis, while Mixtral 8x22B is limited to 64K tokens.
4. Does Mixtral 8x22B support multi-lingual tasks?
Yes, both models are multi-lingual capable, though Llama 3.1 405B generally shows higher proficiency in non-English mathematical and logical reasoning (MGSM benchmark).


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