Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, GPT-4.5 Orion delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,540 vs 1,358), while GPT-4.5 Orion leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (71%), while DeepSeek R1 is more budget-friendly at $2.19/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
8 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Open-weights reasoning model trained with large-scale RL.
OpenAI largest dense non-reasoning model with expansive world knowledge and reduced hallucinations.
Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost
Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.
Δ 182 Arena Elo pts
62 tok/s
$2.19 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-4.5 Orion | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +182 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +9.5% | ||
| SWE-bench | +5.8% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +4.2% | ||
| Time to first token | +70 ms | ||
| Output speed | 62 tok/s | 60 tok/s | +2 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.55/1M | +$74.45/1M | |
| Output price | $2.19/1M | $150/1M | +$147.81/1M |
| Context window | — |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
DeepSeek R1 is estimated to save $4,822.90/month ($57,875/year).
Higher SWE-bench (71%).
Lower output list price ($2.19/1M).
Lower TTFT (350 ms).
Larger window (128k).
GPT-4.5 Orion is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | GPT-4.5 Orion | Higher SWE-bench (71%). |
| High-volume chat | DeepSeek R1 | Lower output list price ($2.19/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | GPT-4.5 Orion | Lower TTFT (350 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | DeepSeek R1 | Larger window (128k). |
| Screenshots / vision | GPT-4.5 Orion | GPT-4.5 Orion is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
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