🔵 Construct Guide: Making AI Work For You PART 1

The ChatGPT model menu - which one actually matters?

Author

Joshua Hale
May 12, 2025

Estimated Read Time: 6min

TL;DR

  • ChatGPT models are confusing (OpenAI admits it)

  • GPT-4o is your daily workhorse for most tasks

  • GPT-4.5 crushes creative work but runs slower

  • GPT-o3 is the problem-solving beast (worth the pro subscription)

  • Don't overthink it - I'll show you which to pick when

Hey AI enthusiast!

Ever feel like you're just standing in front of the ChatGPT model menu, wondering what the hell you're supposed to pick?

Don't sweat it. Even OpenAI (the creators) admit it's confusing. They're scrambling to fix this mess by summer, supposedly combining everything into one model. But until then, we're stuck with this decision tree nightmare.

The "Under the Table" Moment That Changed Everything

less then 3 years ago, I was sitting at lunch with a fellow marketer when he leaned in like he was about to show me contraband.

"Have you seen this yet?" he whispered, sliding his phone across the table showing ChatGPT.

That lunch changed everything. I went back to my marketing agency and immediately started testing it with different clients. This wasn't just another shiny tech toy – this thing was about to flip the entire game.

But man, figuring out which model to use for what? That's been a whole journey.

Street Knowledge: Which Models Actually Matter

After thousands of hours testing these models across a dozen industries, here's my no-BS breakdown:

🔵 GPT-4o (The Daily Workhorse) Unlimited

This bad boy is FAST. It's got all the tools – web search, deep research, handles PDFs, images, the works. I use this for:

  • Recipe lookups when I'm cooking

  • Quick fact checks

  • Basic research

  • Most everyday questions

  • Summarize meeting notes into key action items.

  • Proof read my report.

What makes it special: Speed + personality + good enough quality for 80% of what you need.

🔵 GPT-4.5 (The Creative Machine) 20 requests / week

When I need writing that doesn't sound like AI wrote it, this is my go-to. It's slower but worth the wait for:

  • Email sequences that convert

  • Write a product description

  • Blog posts with some actual personality

  • Creative brainstorming

  • Create an engaging LinkedIn post about AI trends

  • Sales copy that doesn't make people cringe

  • Develop a customer apology letter with an empathetic tone

What makes it special: The writing quality and creative thinking is next level.

🔵 GPT-o3 (The Problem Solver) 100 requests / week

This is the newest powerhouse and the current reason why I keep paying for the pro account. When I've got complex problems or multi step tasks, this thing is scary good at:

  • Analyzing images (like "where was this photo taken?")

  • Deep research with multiple sources

  • Complex reasoning tasks

  • Draft a business strategy outline based on competitive data.

  • Working with detailed PDFs

What makes it special: It has reasoning built in – it actually "thinks" through problems step by step.

🔵 The Others (Skip 'Em For Now)

Real talk? The o4-mini, o4-mini-high, and even o1-pro are either too specialized or about to be merged. Unless you're building apps or doing some serious technical work, you can ignore these for now.

Stop stressing about picking the "perfect" model. Here's what you need to remember:

  • Use 4o for everyday questions (it's fast and good enough)

  • Switch to 4.5 when you need better writing

  • Jump to o3 when you've got complex problems to solve

Quick Decision Guidelines:

  • Need speed and versatility? → GPT-4o

  • Creating detailed, high-quality content? → GPT-4.5

  • Solving complicated problems or analysis? → GPT-o3

  • Extensive, professional-grade reports? → GPT-o1 Pro

The rest? Don't even worry about it.

Tomorrow, I'll show you why prompting isn't the technical nightmare everyone makes it out to be. (Spoiler: it's just clear communication, not coding.)

-Joshua Hale

P.S. What's a task you've been avoiding because you weren't sure which ChatGPT model to use? Hit reply and let me know – I'll help you know exactly which one to pick.

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