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Greetings Tech Nomads,

Today we're looking at: Choosing the Right ChatGPT Engine

TL;DR: Match your task's complexity to the right GPT model: GPT-3.5-turbo for quick tasks, GPT-4-turbo for detailed projects, and GPT-4o with Deep Research for the big brain stuff.

First up is GPT-3.5-turbo. It's the speedy, budget-friendly helper perfect for simple things—writing a quick email, jotting down your grocery list, or doing a basic book report. It doesn't go too deep, but sometimes you just need quick answers without the fuss (Tech readers: fastest response times, lowest token price).

Next is GPT-4-turbo, sort of like your reliable big brother who's great at organizing tricky homework. This one's your go-to for tasks that need a bit more thought—like rewriting your resume, summarizing a long article, or crafting a clear YouTube script. It's precise without bogging you down in details (Tech readers: improved reasoning, higher-quality outputs, moderate cost).

Then we have GPT-4o, the serious brainiac of the family. When you're tackling something super complex, like comparing laws from different countries for a contract, creating a thorough business plan, or clearly explaining tricky scientific concepts (yes, diagrams too!)—GPT-4o shines, especially if you switch on the Deep Research add-on for real-time insights. Think of it as asking your super-smart librarian friend who can also whip up some code (Tech readers: highest accuracy, multimodal outputs, real-time data with plugins enabled).

So, who should pick what? If you're just knocking out easy, everyday tasks, GPT-3.5-turbo gets you there quick. If your work requires a thoughtful approach and clear explanations, GPT-4-turbo has your back. But if you're going Sherlock Holmes-level deep into tricky research problems and need real-time facts, GPT-4o sits at the top of the class.

Bonus Round - Understanding Tokens

Imagine ChatGPT runs on Monopoly money called tokens. Every time you ask it something, it takes a little bit of that money to give you an answer.

At the start of each month, you're given a bunch of tokens to spend. But each time you use ChatGPT, it spends some—like buying answers.

Now, there are different versions of ChatGPT, kind of like different cars.

• The 3.5 version is like a regular bicycle—it works great for short, easy trips.
• The 4o version is like a fancy race car—super fast and smart, but it burns more tokens per trip.

So if you're just writing a short email to your grandma, use the bike (3.5)—it’s cheaper and gets the job done.

But if you're doing something important—like reading a long customer email and making smart decisions—then it makes sense to use the race car (4o).

You can switch between these versions easily by clicking the drop-down in the top-left corner of the screen.

When you first start using ChatGPT, you won’t really notice tokens. But as you get better—especially if you’re building automations—you’ll want to make smart choices.

For example:

• If your automation just moves an email or rewrites a sentence? Use 3.5.
• If it needs to understand a problem and solve it? Use 4o.

Choosing the right version for the right job helps you save tokens—so you don’t run out before the month ends.

That’s also why some people only pay $20 a month, and others might pay $2,000—because they use bigger engines more often and need more tokens to power their work.

Be seeing you…