Llama 3.1 8B Turbo vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B

Compare Llama 3.1 8B Turbo and Dolphin 2.9.3 72B: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.

Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology

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Feature Llama 3.1 8B Turbo Dolphin 2.9.3 72B
CategoryCompactOpen Source
Parameters8B72B
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.01/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Output Price$0.02/1M tokens$0.08/1M tokens
Latency~60ms~350ms

Choose Llama 3.1 8B Turbo when:

  • ✓ Intent classification
  • ✓ Content filtering
  • ✓ Simple Q&A
Key Strengths:

Extremely fast, Very low cost, 128K context

Choose Dolphin 2.9.3 72B when:

  • ✓ Creative writing
  • ✓ Unrestricted generation
  • ✓ Research
Key Strengths:

Uncensored, Strong instruction following, Versatile

Verdict: Llama 3.1 8B Turbo vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B

For cost efficiency, Llama 3.1 8B Turbo wins at $0.01/1M input tokens. For speed, Dolphin 2.9.3 72B is faster at ~350ms. Llama 3.1 8B Turbo excels at Intent classification while Dolphin 2.9.3 72B is better for Creative writing. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Llama 3.1 8B Turbo costs $0.01/1M input tokens and $0.02/1M output tokens. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B costs $0.04 input and $0.08 output. Llama 3.1 8B Turbo is 4.0x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Llama 3.1 8B Turbo has a 128K context window with ~60ms latency. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B offers 128K context at ~350ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

Llama 3.1 8B Turbo (Compact) is optimized for: Intent classification, Content filtering, Simple Q&A. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B (Open Source) works best for: Creative writing, Unrestricted generation, Research.

Try Both on XALEN

Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:

from xalen import XALEN

client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")

# Use Llama 3.1 8B Turbo
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="llama-3-1-8b-turbo",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use Dolphin 2.9.3 72B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="dolphin-2-9-3-72b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

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Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Llama 3.1 8B Turbo or Dolphin 2.9.3 72B?

Llama 3.1 8B Turbo (Compact, 8B) offers Extremely fast. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B (Open Source, 72B) offers Uncensored. Choose Llama 3.1 8B Turbo for Intent classification or Dolphin 2.9.3 72B for Creative writing.

How much does Llama 3.1 8B Turbo cost vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B?

Llama 3.1 8B Turbo: $0.01/1M input, $0.02/1M output. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B: $0.04/1M input, $0.08/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.

Can I use both models on XALEN?

Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Llama 3.1 8B Turbo and Dolphin 2.9.3 72B by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

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Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.