LFM3-1.7B vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
Wins 1 of 4 areas
Following instructions
Wins 3 of 4 areas
Coding · Agents · Reasoning
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is the stronger all-rounder.LFM3-1.7B is better at following instructions.
Scores updated · 8 tests both models report · How we compare
Where each one wins
Tests won in each of the four areas where both have results. Each piece is one test, so a longer bar means more evidence; grey means the two scored within a point of each other.
- ReasoningHard problems that need careful thinking02Nemotron 3.5 Lightning2 of 2 tests
- CodingWriting and fixing software01Nemotron 3.5 Lightning1 of 1 test
- AgentsCarrying out multi-step tasks on its own01Nemotron 3.5 Lightning1 of 1 test
- Following instructionsDoing exactly what it is asked10LFM3-1.7B1 of 1 test
Coding, agents and following instructions rest on a single test each.
What it costs
Prices per million tokens, roughly 750,000 words. The bars show the cost of a million tokens read plus a million written.
The biggest differences
The tests each model wins by the widest margin, up to three each. Scores are out of 100.
Where Nemotron 3.5 Lightning pulls ahead
- Multi-step tasks using many real software toolsMCP Atlas+13.8points ahead
- Graduate-level biology, physics and chemistry questionsGPQA Diamond+10.9points ahead
- Code for real scientific research problemsSciCode+3.6points ahead
Where LFM3-1.7B pulls ahead
- Follows unfamiliar, precisely checkable instructionsIFBench+1.3points ahead
Every test, side by side
All 8 tests both models report. The winning score is in its model's colour; marks a score checked independently.
ReasoningNemotron 3.5 Lightning
- GPQA DiamondNemotron 3.5 Lightning by 10.963.474.3+10.9
- Humanity's Last ExamNemotron 3.5 Lightning by 3.47.210.6+3.4
Other results3 tests, not counted
Tests outside the eight areas. They are not counted above: several are summary scores built from other tests, or the same test under another name.
- BFCLv4LFM3-1.7B by 17.671.453.8+17.6
- WebArena-VerifiedLFM3-1.7B by 9.738.428.7+9.7
- IFEvalLFM3-1.7B by 2.596.794.2+2.5
Questions people ask
Which is better, LFM3-1.7B or Nemotron 3.5 Lightning?
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning wins three of the four areas where both have results: coding, agents and reasoning. LFM3-1.7B wins following instructions.
Which is better for coding?
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning. It wins the one coding test both models report.
How do you compare the two?
We use the 8 benchmark tests both models have published scores on. The verdict counts the 5 tests in the eight capability areas, and a gap under one point (ten on rating-style scales) counts as a tie. The other 3 are listed but not counted, because several are summary scores or repeat a test. Each score is the one shown on the model's own page.