Run deepseek r1 llama cpp The Free Reasoning Model Rivaling OpenAI o1

by Evan Brooks6 min read

AI tools have gotten a lot better at helping customers, writing, and coding in the last year. Most models still use closed systems and cloud-based APIs to figure things out in a logical way, one step at a time.

The o1 model from OpenAI is a great example. It works well for things that need a lot of thought, but there are some issues with it. It's not free, costs a lot, and is hard to use on your own. This is hard for students, researchers, and developers who want a reasoning model that is easy to use, free, and open.

At this point, DeepSeek R1 starts to get really interesting.

You can run DeepSeek R1, a free AI model that focuses on reasoning, on your own computer with llama.cpp. Most general chat models don't show their Chain of Thought, but R1 does. This lets users see how the model thinks one step at a time.

DeepSeek R1 is great for math, programming, scientific research, and other tasks that require a lot of logic because it helps you find the answer and understand how the logic works.

What makes DeepSeek R1 important

It's easy to use DeepSeek R1, which is great.

Anyone can run the model on their own computer because it is open. They don't have to worry about how much it costs to use the API, how much they can use it, or how safe their data is. People who deal with private information or take big tests will find this very helpful.

Local execution also gives students and researchers full control. You can check your ideas, fix any mistakes in your reasoning, and learn how to think for yourself.

What does DeepSeek R1 mean?

DeepSeek R1 is a language model that can help you solve difficult math, science, and logic problems. It can also make sense of things.

The Most Important Thing: The Chain of Thought

The best thing about R1 is that it can show how ideas are connected. This means that the model is not keeping the steps it took to reach a conclusion a secret.

DeepSeek R1 and llama.cpp work together to show how the model works.

  • Divides a problem into smaller parts
  • Checks what you think
  • Looks at the results in the middle
  • Corrects the errors you made while you were thinking

It's a good thing that this is very honest. Users can see each step instead of just getting a black box answer. DeepSeek R1 is a great program for doing homework, math, and research.

R1 seems more like a careful problem solver than a conversation helper when you compare it to other chat models.

Look for questions that are hard to answer.

We asked a hard question at first to see how smart someone was. These questions might seem simple, but they are meant to fool models that don't use real logic and just look for patterns.

A trap for counting long letters

We chose a longer one instead of the usual short one:

This phrase has a "R":

James Leonard Farmer, who was known as Strawberry, didn't always get the rush of rain per unit right.

A lot of general AI models give the wrong answer too quickly.

DeepSeek R1 is not the same. It slows down, goes over the phrase word by word, and counts how many times it does this. It even checks the answer again before giving it to you.

How Reasoning Works

The outcome of this test in llama.cpp displays an extensive line of reasoning:

  • Breaking the sentence up into words
  • How many letters are in each word?
  • Adding up the sums
  • Reading every word carefully

R1 is great because it is very open. Models that make quick decisions get results that are much less accurate than models that take their time.

Checking math and code proofs

After that, we gave DeepSeek R1 some really hard math problems that most general-purpose models can't solve.

Proof Test for Olympiad Level

We had to use logic and modular arithmetic to figure out a number theory problem.

A lot of chatbots do this:

  • Don't skip any steps.
  • Jump in a way that makes sense.
  • Come to the wrong but certain conclusions

DeepSeek R1 took care of the problem in a different way. It:

  • Made the problem clear again
  • Named the variables and assumptions
  • Used a theorem that was already known
  • Looked at cases that were very close to the edge
  • Came to a conclusion that made sense

Regular models thought they were right when they weren't, but R1 showed them the right proof with a clear line of reasoning.

What DeepSeek R1 Does Best

DeepSeek R1 is great at:

  • Competitions in math
  • Math in college
  • Examining algorithms
  • Using science to think
  • Make sure the code works.

It is strong because it is true and can stand on its own.

The good and the bad

There is no such thing as a perfect model. This is a fair review of DeepSeek R1 for computers that use llama.cpp. It's free for everyone to use.

  • Works on your PC with llama.cpp
  • Good at math, logic, physics, and writing code
  • The skill of thinking clearly and logically
  • You don't have to pay to use the API, and you can do whatever you want with it.

This level of openness is very helpful for both learning and research.

Restrictions

  • It takes longer to think, especially on computers that aren't very fast.
  • There can be a lot of text in the outputs.
  • Not good for writing stories or other creative things.
  • It could be better to have models that only talk instead of language models.

You should know about these limits. DeepSeek R1 isn't meant to be creative; it's meant to be right.

In the end,

DeepSeek R1 isn't just another AI model that can do anything after a lot of testing. When you run it on your own computer with llama.cpp, you can see how it thinks in a way that is hard to find in any other system, whether you pay for it or not.

The Chain of Thought not only tells you the answer, but it also tells you why it's right. This is a great way to solve problems in math, science, and logic.

DeepSeek R1 shows that a free, open, and self-running reasoning model can compete in a real way, even though OpenAI o1 and other models are still faster and better.

DeepSeek R1 is the best choice if you want to learn a lot and keep your privacy. You should have it in your AI toolbox if you want to be able to think.