Granite 4.2 8B vs Nemotron 3 Super
Nemotron 3 Super leads Granite 4.2 8B on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 12.8 to 11.1, and Granite 4.2 8B costs 2.3x less per output token ($0.20 vs $0.45 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 27 benchmarks have a result for both.
Granite 4.2 8B or Nemotron 3 Super: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Granite 4.2 8B for output tokens 2.3x cheaper ($0.20 vs $0.45 per million) and work measured by AA Coding Index or SciCode, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 27
- Granite 4.2 8B only
- 0
- Nemotron 3 Super only
- 12
- Like-for-like categories
- 6 of 9
Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
Nemotron 3 Super
Nemotron 3 Super leads, 12.8 against 11.1.
Same board, both measured
Agentic work
AA Agentic Index
Nemotron 3 Super
Nemotron 3 Super leads, 1.7 against 1.3.
Same board, both measured
Long documents
Listed context window
Nemotron 3 Super
Nemotron 3 Super takes 262K tokens against 131K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Granite 4.2 8B
Granite 4.2 8B $0.0002, Nemotron 3 Super $0.0003 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Granite 4.2 8B not benchmarked, Nemotron 3 Super not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- General, 10.8 points apart on average over 12 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- Long context reasoning (AA-LCR): Granite 4.2 8B 45.0% against Nemotron 3 Super 65.7%, 20.7 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Granite 4.2 8B $0.20 against Nemotron 3 Super $0.45 per million output tokens, 2.3x apart.
- Context window
- Granite 4.2 8B takes 131K tokens, Nemotron 3 Super 262K.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | Granite 4.2 8B | Bars | Nemotron 3 Super | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 0 | 4 | ||
| Intelligence | 0 | 1 | ||
| Agentic work | 0 | 1 | ||
| Reasoning | 0 | 5 | ||
| Knowledge | 0 | 4 | ||
| General | 0 | 12 | ||
| All shared boards | 0 | 27 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index04
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Nemotron 3 Super | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | 22.4 | 37.7 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| SciCode | 31.5% | 36.2% | Nemotron 3 Super |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 28.8% | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| WeirdML | Not measured | 38.0% | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| ALE-Bench | Not measured | 213.9 | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| LMArena Text: coding | 1378 | 1403 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1367 | 1409 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| Neither model has a result on the other 36 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Nemotron 3 Super | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 11.1 | 12.8 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Nemotron 3 Super | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | 1.3 | 1.7 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| τ²-Bench Telecom | Not measured | 67.8% | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 40 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index05
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Nemotron 3 Super | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 63.1% | 80.0% | Nemotron 3 Super |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 9.7% | 20.8% | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1327 | 1386 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1386 | 1398 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1345 | 1397 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| Neither model has a result on the other 18 boards here | |||
MathDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index3 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Nemotron 3 Super | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text: math | Not measured | 1380 | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | Not measured | 1405 | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| MathArena | Not measured | 16.6% | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 11 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index04
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Nemotron 3 Super | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text: science | 1336 | 1387 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1336 | 1383 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1327 | 1392 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1322 | 1364 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| Neither model has a result on the other 16 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Nemotron 3 Super | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index012
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Nemotron 3 Super | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | Not measured | 71.5% | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 45.0% | 65.7% | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text | 1319 | 1378 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1300 | 1347 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1236 | 1317 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: English | 1337 | 1400 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1301 | 1356 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | 1367 | 1431 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: German | Not measured | 1341 | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| LMArena Text: French | Not measured | 1403 | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| LMArena Text: Spanish | Not measured | 1418 | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| LMArena Text: Russian | 1282 | 1336 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: Polish | Not measured | 1346 | Only Nemotron 3 Super measured |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1301 | 1369 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1325 | 1362 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1269 | 1332 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1271 | 1336 | Nemotron 3 Super |
| Neither model has a result on the other 31 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Nemotron 3 Super | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Granite 4.2 8B costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Granite 4.2 8B costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Granite 4.2 8B costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | IBM Granite 4.2 8B | NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Super |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | IBM Granite | NVIDIA |
| Weights | Open weights | Open weights |
| Released | August 31, 2026 | March 11, 2026 |
| Context window | 131K | 262K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.08 | $0.085 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.20 | $0.45 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Granite 4.2 8B better than Nemotron 3 Super for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Granite 4.2 8B for output tokens 2.3x cheaper ($0.20 vs $0.45 per million) and work measured by AA Coding Index or SciCode, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Granite 4.2 8B or Nemotron 3 Super?
Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.08 per million input tokens and $0.20 per million output tokens; Nemotron 3 Super costs $0.085 and $0.45. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Granite 4.2 8B or Nemotron 3 Super?
Nemotron 3 Super, with 262K tokens against 131K.
How many benchmarks is the Granite 4.2 8B vs Nemotron 3 Super comparison based on?
27 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Granite 4.2 8B's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Nemotron 3 Super's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.