llmrun

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 vs Step 5 Preview

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 leads llmrun Score 133.2 to 128.0 (ranges overlap); neither fits 24 GB.

Model A · DeepSeek

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017
133.2llmrun Score

763.2B · 16B active · 1M context · MIT · Oct 2026

Vision

Model B · StepFun

Step 5 Preview
128.0llmrun Score

604.3B · 27B active · 1M context · Other · Sep 2026

ChatFunctions

Which should you choose?

Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 if you want…

  • Higher llmrun Score

    133.2 vs 128.0, ranges overlap

  • Also does vision

    Step 5 Preview doesn't list it

  • More permissive license

    MIT vs Other

Choose Step 5 Preview if you want…

  • Also does chat, function-calling

    DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 doesn't list it

On your hardware

Each model at its default quant (Q4_K_M), a smaller one when it must. Estimates, ±20%.

8 GB

RTX 4060 · 8 GB tier

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 210.4 GB

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

12 GB

RTX 3060 12GB · 12 GB tier

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 210.4 GB

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

16 GB

RTX 5060 Ti 16GB · 16 GB tier

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 210.4 GB

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

24 GBreference

RTX 4090 · 24 GB tier

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 210.4 GB

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

32 GB

RTX 5090 · 32 GB tier

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 210.4 GB

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

48 GB

RTX A6000 · 48 GB tier

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 210.4 GB

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Mac 32 GB

Mac Mini M4 · Macs

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 210.4 GB

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Mac 64 GB

Mac Studio M4 Max · Macs

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 210.4 GB

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Mac 128 GB

Mac Studio M4 Max · Macs

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 210.4 GB

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Reference GPU: RTX 4090. Tinted cell = the better pick on that machine (fits, more headroom, or at least 10% faster).

llmrun Score

with its 90% range · bars share one scale

Overall

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

133.2131–136

Step 5 Preview

128.0124–132

Math

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

132.0129–135

Step 5 Preview

no data

Science

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

no data

Step 5 Preview

134.2122–147

Reasoning

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

139.8133–146

Step 5 Preview

no data

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 · #1 of 101 open models · #1 of 98 that fit ≤512 GB

Step 5 Preview · #8 of 101 open models · #6 of 98 that fit ≤512 GB

Benchmarks

The two models share no benchmark board.

18 more boards (other shared and single-model boards)

Only Step 5 Preview (3)

VRAM by quantization

Memory to load the model and 2K context; below it, the total at 32K and 128K context. Lighter side in bold.

Q2_K

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

325 GB264.5 GB file

32K 325 GB · 128K 326 GB

Step 5 Preview

283 GB182.5 GB file

32K 301 GB · 128K 360 GB

Q3_K_M

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

372 GB347.3 GB file

32K 373 GB · 128K 374 GB

Step 5 Preview

324 GB~294.6 GB file

32K 343 GB · 128K 402 GB

Q4_K_M

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

458 GB444.7 GB file

32K 459 GB · 128K 460 GB

Step 5 Preview

399 GB~362.6 GB file

32K 417 GB · 128K 476 GB

Q5_K_M

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

544 GB~543.8 GB file

32K 545 GB · 128K 546 GB

Step 5 Preview

474 GB~430.6 GB file

32K 492 GB · 128K 551 GB

Q6_K

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

630 GB~629.6 GB file

32K 630 GB · 128K 632 GB

Step 5 Preview

548 GB~498.6 GB file

32K 567 GB · 128K 626 GB

Q8_0

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

764 GB~763.2 GB file

32K 764 GB · 128K 765 GB

Step 5 Preview

665 GB~604.3 GB file

32K 683 GB · 128K 742 GB

6 more quants

IQ2_XXS

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

210 GB300.5 GB file

32K 211 GB · 128K 212 GB

Step 5 Preview

183 GB~166.2 GB file

32K 201 GB · 128K 260 GB

IQ2_XS

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

229 GB~229.0 GB file

32K 230 GB · 128K 231 GB

Step 5 Preview

not listed

IQ3_XXS

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

296 GB394.7 GB file

32K 296 GB · 128K 298 GB

Step 5 Preview

not listed

IQ3_S

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

325 GB423.6 GB file

32K 325 GB · 128K 326 GB

Step 5 Preview

not listed

IQ3_M

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

not listed

Step 5 Preview

299 GB271.6 GB file

32K 318 GB · 128K 377 GB

BF16

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

1527 GB~1526.4 GB file

32K 1527 GB · 128K 1528 GB

Step 5 Preview

1330 GB~1208.7 GB file

32K 1348 GB · 128K 1407 GB

How to run each

Specifications

Specifications of DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 and Step 5 Preview
SpecDeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017Step 5 Preview
PublisherDeepSeekStepFun
Parameters763.2B604.3B
Active parameters16B per token27B per token
ArchitectureDeepseekV41ForCausalLMStep5ForConditionalGeneration
Context1M tokens1M tokens
ModalitiesVisionChat, Function-calling
LicenseMITOther
ReleasedOct 2026Sep 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 or Step 5 Preview?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 leads llmrun Score 133.2 to 128.0 (ranges overlap); neither fits 24 GB. Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 for higher llmrun Score and also does vision; choose Step 5 Preview for also does chat, function-calling.

Which needs less VRAM, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 or Step 5 Preview?

At Q4_K_M, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 requires 458.3 GB while Step 5 Preview needs 398.9 GB, making Step 5 Preview the easier model to run on your local setup.

Can I run DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 or Step 5 Preview on a 16 GB GPU?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 does not fit (smallest quant needs 210.4 GB); Step 5 Preview does not fit (smallest quant needs 191.4 GB).

Which has a longer context window, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 or Step 5 Preview?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 supports 1,048,576 tokens and Step 5 Preview supports 1,048,576 tokens.

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 vs Step 5 Preview — VRAM & GPU Comparison | llmrun