I've done some testing with the two large models and my initial impression is that they seem very similar in quality to Qwen3.5 35B and 27B. Some notable exceptions:
llama.cpp has speculative decode support on day 1 and it speeds performance noticeably.
Day 1 base model release will undoubtedly lead to faster finetunes
Can't wait for the inevitable Claude/Gemini distils.
My verdict is that even though these models benchmark slightly lower then their Qwen equivalents, their performance and support will likely drive me to pick them.
What hardware are you running them on? I am interested in selfhosting a llm myself but I am not sure which hardware I need. How do you think do these self hosted variants compare to for example claude sonnet 4.6?
I tried the 26B searching for a product to buy from a photo. It did significantly worse than Qwen 3.5 35B as well as 9B. It seems like it did not recognize the item from the photo too well. Another search from text also did worse. It told me how to look it up myself. Qwen gave me a full list of prices and stores, sorted by price.
Prompt
Find the cheapest WD SN850X 2TB on sale in Canada.
Gemma 4 26B
To find the cheapest WD SN850X 2TB on sale in Canada, I recommend checking the following retailers, as prices for SSDs fluctuate frequently due to sales and stock:
PCPartPicker Canada: This is your best tool. It aggregates prices from multiple Canadian retailers (like Canada Computers, Memory Express, Amazon.ca, etc.) and will show you exactly which one is currently the cheapest.
Amazon.ca: Frequently has competitive pricing, especially during Prime Day or seasonal sales.
Pro-tip: When checking, ensure you are looking at the 2TB model specifically, as the 1TB and 4TB versions are often listed in the same search results. Always check if the price includes shipping to your location in Canada.
Qwen 3.5 35B
Based on my search, I found the WD Black SN850X 2TB NVMe SSD at several Canadian retailers. Here are the current prices:
Price Comparison:
Retailer
Price
Condition
Shipping
Newegg.ca
$499.97
New
FREE
Amazon.ca
$503.47
New
FREE
Canada Computers
$683.99
Open Box
FREE
Canada Computers
$759.99
New
FREE
Newegg.ca (other sellers)
$549.99
New
FREE
Best Deal: Newegg.ca - $499.97
The cheapest option is Newegg.ca at $499.97 with free shipping. This is sold directly by Newegg with their standard return policy.
Product Details:
Model: WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe SSD (WDS200T2X0E)
Interface: PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe
Form Factor: M.2 2280
Max Read Speed: Up to 7,300 MB/s
Max Write Speed: Up to 6,600 MB/s
Warranty: 5-year limited warranty
Other Considerations:
If you're comfortable with open box items, Canada Computers has it for $683.99 (but this is still more expensive than Newegg)
All prices are in CAD and include free shipping
Newegg.ca appears to have the best current deal for a brand new WD SN850X 2TB SSD in Canada. Prices can change quickly, so I recommend checking the site directly for the most up-to-date pricing.
9 Comments
afk_strats@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 174d
I've done some testing with the two large models and my initial impression is that they seem very similar in quality to Qwen3.5 35B and 27B. Some notable exceptions:
Can't wait for the inevitable Claude/Gemini distils.
My verdict is that even though these models benchmark slightly lower then their Qwen equivalents, their performance and support will likely drive me to pick them.
TheFinn@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 174d
Are there open Claude models? I thought they were proprietary only
afk_strats@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 173d
Not exactly. Some people have used Claude's thinking patterns to train other open models.
This one has been in the top 5 on huggingface for weeks https://huggingface.co/Jackrong/Qwen3.5-27B-Claude-4.6-Opus-Reasoning-Distilled
NerdsGonnaNerd@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 172d
What hardware are you running them on? I am interested in selfhosting a llm myself but I am not sure which hardware I need. How do you think do these self hosted variants compare to for example claude sonnet 4.6?
SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 170d
SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 170d
NerdsGonnaNerd@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 167d
Very interesting! Thank you for your detailed answer! :)
SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 167d
pishadoot@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 157d
Rookie question, forgive me:
How are the scores generated? How do you get 7/8.5 on a complicated ethical question? How are these scales even defined?
SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 157d
avidamoeba@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 169d
I tried the 26B searching for a product to buy from a photo. It did significantly worse than Qwen 3.5 35B as well as 9B. It seems like it did not recognize the item from the photo too well. Another search from text also did worse. It told me how to look it up myself. Qwen gave me a full list of prices and stores, sorted by price.
Prompt
Find the cheapest WD SN850X 2TB on sale in Canada.
Gemma 4 26B
To find the cheapest WD SN850X 2TB on sale in Canada, I recommend checking the following retailers, as prices for SSDs fluctuate frequently due to sales and stock:
Pro-tip: When checking, ensure you are looking at the 2TB model specifically, as the 1TB and 4TB versions are often listed in the same search results. Always check if the price includes shipping to your location in Canada.
Qwen 3.5 35B
Based on my search, I found the WD Black SN850X 2TB NVMe SSD at several Canadian retailers. Here are the current prices:
Price Comparison:
Best Deal: Newegg.ca - $499.97
The cheapest option is Newegg.ca at $499.97 with free shipping. This is sold directly by Newegg with their standard return policy.
Product Details:
Other Considerations:
Newegg.ca appears to have the best current deal for a brand new WD SN850X 2TB SSD in Canada. Prices can change quickly, so I recommend checking the site directly for the most up-to-date pricing.