llmrun

Step 5 Preview vs Inkling 2 Small

Inkling 2 Small leads llmrun Score 134.7 to 128.0 (ranges overlap); neither fits 24 GB.

Run Inkling 2 Small in the cloud →

Model A · StepFun

Step 5 Preview
128.0llmrun Score

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

ChatFunctions

Model B · Thinking Machines

Inkling 2 Small
134.7llmrun Score

594B · 17B active · 1M context · Apache 2.0 · Nov 2026

VisionChat

Which should you choose?

Choose Step 5 Preview if you want…

  • Also does function-calling

    Inkling 2 Small doesn't list it

Choose Inkling 2 Small if you want…

  • Higher llmrun Score

    134.7 vs 128.0, ranges overlap

  • Also does vision

    Step 5 Preview doesn't list it

  • More permissive license

    Apache 2.0 vs Other

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

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Inkling 2 Small

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 166.1 GB

12 GB

RTX 3060 12GB · 12 GB tier

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Inkling 2 Small

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 166.1 GB

16 GB

RTX 5060 Ti 16GB · 16 GB tier

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Inkling 2 Small

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 166.1 GB

24 GBreference

RTX 4090 · 24 GB tier

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Inkling 2 Small

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 166.1 GB

32 GB

RTX 5090 · 32 GB tier

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Inkling 2 Small

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 166.1 GB

48 GB

RTX A6000 · 48 GB tier

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Inkling 2 Small

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 166.1 GB

Mac 32 GB

Mac Mini M4 · Macs

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Inkling 2 Small

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 166.1 GB

Mac 64 GB

Mac Studio M4 Max · Macs

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Inkling 2 Small

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 166.1 GB

Mac 128 GB

Mac Studio M4 Max · Macs

Step 5 Preview

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 191.4 GB

Inkling 2 Small

Doesn't fit

smallest quant needs 166.1 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

Step 5 Preview

128.0124–132

Inkling 2 Small

134.7130–139

Science

Step 5 Preview

134.3122–147

Inkling 2 Small

no data

Reasoning

Step 5 Preview

no data

Inkling 2 Small

136.1131–142

Step 5 Preview · #10 of 107 open models · #7 of 103 that fit ≤512 GB

Inkling 2 Small · #2 of 107 open models · #1 of 103 that fit ≤512 GB

Benchmarks

1 shared board: Step 5 Preview leads 1, Inkling 2 Small leads 0 · Benchmarks imported Nov 2026

SciCode

Step 5 Preview

58.9%#5/74 open

Lab-reportedEpoch AI · Sep 2026

Inkling 2 Small

52.3%#10/74 open

Lab-reportedEpoch AI · Nov 2026

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

Only Step 5 Preview (2)

Only Inkling 2 Small (5)

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

Step 5 Preview

283 GB182.5 GB file

32K 301 GB · 128K 360 GB

Inkling 2 Small

253 GB~252.4 GB file

32K 258 GB · 128K 272 GB

Q3_K_M

Step 5 Preview

324 GB~294.6 GB file

32K 343 GB · 128K 402 GB

Inkling 2 Small

290 GB~289.6 GB file

32K 295 GB · 128K 309 GB

Q4_K_M

Step 5 Preview

399 GB~362.6 GB file

32K 417 GB · 128K 476 GB

Inkling 2 Small

357 GB~356.4 GB file

32K 362 GB · 128K 376 GB

Q5_K_M

Step 5 Preview

474 GB~430.6 GB file

32K 492 GB · 128K 551 GB

Inkling 2 Small

424 GB~423.2 GB file

32K 428 GB · 128K 443 GB

Q6_K

Step 5 Preview

548 GB~498.6 GB file

32K 567 GB · 128K 626 GB

Inkling 2 Small

491 GB~490.1 GB file

32K 495 GB · 128K 510 GB

Q8_0

Step 5 Preview

665 GB~604.3 GB file

32K 683 GB · 128K 742 GB

Inkling 2 Small

595 GB~594.0 GB file

32K 599 GB · 128K 614 GB

4 more quants

IQ2_XXS

Step 5 Preview

183 GB~166.2 GB file

32K 201 GB · 128K 260 GB

Inkling 2 Small

164 GB190.6 GB file

32K 168 GB · 128K 183 GB

IQ3_XXS

Step 5 Preview

not listed

Inkling 2 Small

231 GB226.0 GB file

32K 235 GB · 128K 250 GB

IQ3_M

Step 5 Preview

299 GB271.6 GB file

32K 318 GB · 128K 377 GB

Inkling 2 Small

not listed

BF16

Step 5 Preview

1330 GB~1208.7 GB file

32K 1348 GB · 128K 1407 GB

Inkling 2 Small

1189 GB~1188.0 GB file

32K 1193 GB · 128K 1208 GB

How to run each

Specifications

Specifications of Step 5 Preview and Inkling 2 Small
SpecStep 5 PreviewInkling 2 Small
PublisherStepFunThinking Machines
Parameters604.3B594B
Active parameters27B per token17B per token
ArchitectureStep5ForConditionalGenerationInkling2ForConditionalGeneration
Context1M tokens1M tokens
ModalitiesChat, Function-callingVision, Chat
LicenseOtherApache 2.0
ReleasedSep 2026Nov 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Step 5 Preview or Inkling 2 Small?

Inkling 2 Small leads llmrun Score 134.7 to 128.0 (ranges overlap); neither fits 24 GB. Choose Step 5 Preview for also does function-calling; choose Inkling 2 Small for higher llmrun Score and also does vision.

Which needs less VRAM, Step 5 Preview or Inkling 2 Small?

At Q4_K_M, Step 5 Preview requires 398.9 GB while Inkling 2 Small needs 357.0 GB, making Inkling 2 Small the easier model to run on your local setup.

Can I run Step 5 Preview or Inkling 2 Small on a 16 GB GPU?

Step 5 Preview does not fit (smallest quant needs 191.4 GB); Inkling 2 Small does not fit (smallest quant needs 166.1 GB).

Which has a longer context window, Step 5 Preview or Inkling 2 Small?

Step 5 Preview supports 1,048,576 tokens and Inkling 2 Small supports 1,048,576 tokens.

Step 5 Preview vs Inkling 2 Small — VRAM & GPU Comparison | llmrun