GoogleGemma 4 31BVSMetaLlama-3.1 8B
Our Take
We recommend Gemma 4 31B for superior reasoning capability, or Llama-3.1 8B for faster local inference on smaller GPU hardware. While both models run locally for zero API costs, Gemma 4 31B carries a larger parameter memory footprint. Choose Gemma 4 31B if you have the VRAM to support it, or Llama-3.1 8B for consumer-grade hardware compatibility.
▶WHY?
Benchmark Calculations & Evidence:
Reasoning Accuracy: Both models were evaluated on the GPQA Diamond benchmark. Gemma 4 31B scored 84.3%, while Llama-3.1 8B scored 30.4% (+53.9% gap).
Coding Performance: Evaluated on different benchmarks. Gemma 4 31B scored 80% on LiveCodeBench (scripting single-file apps or clearly defined functions), while Llama-3.1 8B scored 72.6% on HumanEval (basic standalone code completion and simple functions).
Hardware Footprint: Gemma 4 31B is a 30.7B parameter model requiring more VRAM, while Llama-3.1 8B is a 8B parameter model.
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Benchmarks & Scores
Coding (live-code-bench)
80%scripting single-file apps or clearly defined functions
Reasoning (gpqa-diamond)Winner (+53.9%)
84.3%graduate-level science QA
Cost & Context
Cost (per 1M tokens)
Self HostLocal execution (zero API fees)Context WindowLarger
262.14k tokensBenchmarks & Scores
Coding (human-eval)
72.6%basic standalone code completion and simple functions
Reasoning (gpqa-diamond)
30.4%graduate-level science QA
Cost & Context
Cost (per 1M tokens)
Self HostLocal execution (zero API fees)Context Window
131.07k tokensFrequently Asked Questions about Gemma 4 31B vs Llama-3.1 8B
For coding tasks, Gemma 4 31B scores 80% on live-code-bench (scripting single-file apps or clearly defined functions), while Llama-3.1 8B scores 72.6% on human-eval (basic standalone code completion and simple functions).
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