[rjh29]

It's crazy hearing devs on this site claim Claude is 10x better than all other AI solutions. I think it is fomo. Claude $LATEST_VERSION is perceived as the best and anything else is "missing out". New version comes out? Suddenly the old version is worthless, how on earth did anyone get work done with that?

Same reason people buy the RTX 4090 and 5090 cards - overpriced but they must have the "best". Never mind the diminishing returns trying to max out PC settings (3-4x performance hit for an almost imperceptible increase in graphics, ignoring DLSS) - it's the psychological cost of having to move a slider down a notch.

I've been using Google and now DeepSeek v4 and I am having absolutely no problems and it's a fraction of the cost. I'd love for Claude to be 10x better but it just isn't, for my use case anyway.

[jnovek]

I’ve been using DeepSeek V4 in OpenCode exclusively for about a month.

I think it’s great, but coming from Claude Code it did feel like going back in time by ~6 months in model capabilities. This isn’t a big deal to me for what I do, but the difference is definitely there.

[Leynos]

Deepseek v4 Pro is like Opus 4.5 or GPT 5.2, but costs pennies on the pound for API. Which is to say, I should definitely be using it more to let my Codex and Claude subs go further.

[jnovek]

Opus 4.5 was definitely stronger than DeepSeek V4 for me, specifically with large context.

I’m being pedantic/splitting hairs, though. I’ve obviously switched to DeepSeek full-time because it makes more sense to me pragmatically — I spend a few more tokens to get the outcome I want, but the tokens are cheap as dirt and the API is faster.

Perhaps I should plug it into Claude Code and see how it performs? I haven’t tried that.

[Leynos]

Which harness do you use at the moment?

[rjh29]

So my GPU comparison is pretty apt then. Paying 4-10x to be slightly ahead of the curve.

[jnovek]

I think so, I think you’re getting downvoted because of how you’ve framed it. People don’t like it when you tell them that you think they’ve made a stupid purchase. :-P

I do think more expensive models are valuable in some cases. For example, I’ve noticed that Opus (even 4.7) is much better than DeepSeek V4 at noticing information with small amounts of representation in a large context history, you should pick Opus if you need to find needle(s) in a large haystack. I’ve never worked on a project with millions of lines of code, but I’m guessing it becomes relevant in those situations.

A big thing, too, is that it’s work to get a non-frontier coding stack setup. I’ve spent many hours of free time getting OpenCode to do what I want, but I enjoy it so it’s NBD. If you don’t like puttering around with your development tools, $100/mo for Claude Code really isn’t all that much and you can call it a day.

[rjh29]

On your last point since DeepSeek v4 supports Claude Code's API you can literally set a few environment variables and continue to use Claude Code as a harness.

Like you say a combination of frontier and cheaper models is probably the optimum and that would require setup if you didn't want to choose models manually each time.

[solenoid0937]

Opus 4.8 and GPT 5.5 are the best models, but people don't care about "best" anymore, until there is a big leap in capability I don't think anyone will care about point releases.

Vibes and tribalism will prevail until one of emerges as clearly and unambiguously superior to the other.

[Tenemo]

I get what you mean but the GPU comparison isn't the best here, I think. Money-is-no-object-I-want-the-best approach is questionable, definitely. But no one can argue that an old Nvidia card is objectively better for e.g. 4k gaming than a 4090 if you don't mind the wattage. You can just measure it.

With LLMs the problem is more complex, it's people getting used to how a model works and to the ecosystem. Sure, you can make all your skills harness-agnostic and deal with Anthropic's stubborn refusal to adopt the common naming/directory structure. But most people don't. So then you end up with something closer to the ancient Android vs iOS discussion. Can you prove, in isolation, that iOS is more energy efficient, the hardware is faster? Yeah. But that won't speak to someone who has been on Android for 10 years and would have to migrate and get used to iOS to experience that, first.

I've noticed myself how I get used to common failure modes of particular models in my projects. GPT5.5 tends to create some checks/booleans I don't need, it heavily overcorrects on error handling, etc. While Claude 4.7/4.8 doesn't do those as often but gets derailed on our E2E test suite, forgets to run linting despite guidance. So even assuming fully harness-agnostic working setup, a new LLM model with its own quirks can be a lot friction for heavy users who might be used to Claude specifically and all their skills/guidance pre-address common failure modes.

E.g. I might be a Prius owner, then you gift me an objectively better, more efficient, safer, newer, same-size, physical knobs car ...and I might still swear by my Prius! I'm used to how it turns, how it feels, I can repair some issues myself. Isn't that a normal reaction then?

[Aurornis]

> Same reason people buy the RTX 4090 and 5090 cards - overpriced but they must have the "best".

Or they need to run high VRAM apps like LLMs

Or they have 4K monitors and want smooth gameplay on them

Is this whole thread just dedicated to snark about other people’s personal preferences?

[rjh29]

The cost/performance is terrible for higher end cards. In a few years your card is now worth nothing because the lower end cards of the next gen are matching it and there's yet another new SOTA card out. So people end up buying that and chasing the dragon.

The 4k situation is a good point because nvidia deliberately don't provide 24GB except the 90 series, but ... you're too good for DLSS? You can't move a texture slider down from Ultra to Super High? It's your choice, just like it's your choice to pay for Claude. I am also allowed to think you're being stupid.

[CamperBob2]

Someone who bought a 4090 "a few years" ago can now sell it for more than they paid for it, but never mind that.

[rjh29]

Do you think GPUs are going to keep going up in value forever like houses? The current situation (game console price rises years into their lifecycle) is unprecedented and irrelevant to my point.

And if you need SOTA then you can sell your old card sure, but the next xx90 card is now 2x the price as the last gen. So you're not any better off.

[CamperBob2]

A lot depends on what happens with China. I don't think Xi will attack Taiwan, but then I didn't think Putin would attack Ukraine, either.

If Xi goes for Taiwan, then yes, GPUs will appreciate like real estate ("Buy now! They're not making any more of it, you know!") for the next 10 years.

[rjh29]

If GPUs appreciate like real estate then we'll probably see game graphics flatten in response. AI will continue to be a money sink no doubt, but if you have a good card in 2026 you're probably fine for gaming for the next 5 years.

[Hamuko]

Hey, at least the superior performance of a 4090 or a 5090 can be objectively measured.

[doctorwho42]

But it's a matter of degrees better, not miles.

[slashdave]

You're projecting